The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-02-17

TO have it covered With ice that the
logs may run easily over it. The fey
surface is produced by running a
water-barrel. with small openings,
over the slide when the temperature
Is low enough to produce ice. AS we
walked up the tow path we noticed
that while one general average grade
was maintained, it was much sleeper
in some places than in others. We
were informed that in some places
the logs would run readily alone, If
given start, but that at others the
use of horses is necessary. AS we
proceeded along we saw scattered
along the roadway numbers of logs
which had jumped the track and
which are left to be collected up to-
gether. At intervals were seen skid.
ways or platforms upon which the
logs are placed PFter being cut, and
from which Ley are Transferred to
the slide to be taken to the river.
After walking along the slide for a
mile tits whole length is three miles)
we heard, around a corner, a CHEEKY
"hooray" anda low rumbling. "Here
comes trail," said Mr.. Denning {;
''step aside" We stepped into the
snow at the side of the road and there
presently appeared hardy moun-
talneer, driving two horses, which
were attached to a "trail" of logs. ly-
ing end for end upon the slide. The
horses were attached to the last log
by hook, so that should the front
logs "run away" the horses are in no
danger and can readily be unlocked.
Before the trail is started the logs are
prled apart, so that the impetus of the
rear one, to which the horses are at.
tached, starts the Others. The trails
contain from II to so logs, according
tothe state of the slide and the grades.
AT Upper Camp. besides the one de-
scrlbed. there is another two miles
long, and at Lower Camp there are
two, one five and another four miles
long, and there is another nearly two
miles long, near Lower Camp. What
would the Cumberland small boy say
to a coasting place five miles long i?
Beside the slides there are many other
means of bringing the logs to the
river-tramways being used in the
summer time to some extent, though
not as much as the slides. When the
timber is cut very near the river, or
one of its tributaries, it is hauled
down by teams, without the use of
slides or tramroads.
THE CUTTING
of the timber is done by crews OF
seven men each, some chopipng, some
saving and others peeling off the
bark. After the giants of the forest
have been cut down they are sawed
into logs of from II to IS feet in length
and the bark is then peeled off. The
woods gotten out are hemlock, pine
and oak The two first-named pre-
dominating. Hemlock is cut from
April l to July l, and pine from Au-
gust Is until the end of March. Most
of the logging of pine is done during
cold weather. The diameter of the
logs run from II inches to four feet,
and some of the trees are from 125 to
$50 feet high. The company owns
about 5000 acres of timber land in fee
and the timber right on aoout 10, 900
acres more. They have cut over half
of the timber on these lands. After
seeing everything at Upper Camp we
started for. Lower Camp, which is
miles southwest from the former
place. In making this journey we
saw mile after mile of the fine timber
tract and occasionally, on cleared
spots farms, the proprietors of many
of which are squatters and pay no
rent to the company. Wherever the
river was seen there were logs scat
tered along the banks ready for the
spring rush to carry them along to
Bloomington. Lower Camp is down
in deep valley and the road to it is
about as steep and crooked as road
can be. Only Mr.. Denning's con-
summate skill as driver prevented
the sleigh from upsetting several
times. The camp had much the same
general appearance as the one we had
just left. j. ID. Denning is the fore
man in charge. The river here con-
tanned four million feet of logs lying
in mass half a mile long twenty feet
high and covered with snow. To
stand in the middle of the ''landing''
and look up stream and imagine the
roaring torrent coming to sweep the
logs along in mad dance, made one
shudder. The immense pile of tim
ber glistening in the January sun
looked the very picture of inertness
and solidity, but when the spring
food comes, they will be toosed about
! like straws and hurried on in impetu-
/ 4 ,,,I ,os. 4