The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1884-09-04
I'll i NESSEE LETTER.
A Camp Of Hooking Boys
i'm the Cumberland.
A Breezy Letter From Our
black.

aims. Although the ring of the
wOodmans ak. the hum of the saw.
and the voice of the non swearing
OK driver is hushed in silence for
the nj ght, yet are their mingled
sounds sti echoing back and forth
between these vine clad hills call
ing about unto the mountain dwell
Iers: awake, awake from that leth
eTgetlc state of inactivity, under
W sch thou hast been living. and
hivea smile from the hum of Prog
res. before it is everlastingIy too
late.
That the call has not been in
vain is well at'ested to the little
village of Newcomb. whose rapid
growth has hardly a precedent in
East Tennessee. One year ago.
where its several stores and numer
Gus dwellings now stand, the vel
low corn stalks NODDED in the breeze.
and the wary craw fish lowered the
sub soil unscared. Here too, came
new enterprises, prominent among
which was planning mill owned
by j. FL. Rodehaver. Success has
crowned his unit ertaking and his
business is in prosperous condi-
tion. As I have given a descrip
IN of the Ohio camp in a former
Letter, will pass on to the Little
Elk camp, where Eph. and Will
Jam Hansel hold sway. This camp
is situated on the head waters of
Little Elk Creek, and about four
miles distant from Newcomb be-
tween two ranges of the Cumber-
land mountains, which are locally
known as "Hell's Point" and the
ssDevil's Backbone" Here the
. boys have a saw min in operation.
under the management of Eph.
Hansel. Ge n. Hufford is the saw
yer, ana no one has any business
arounl the Ieversswhere that young
man is "thar,'' even though he
does hail from the Queen City.
Beneath the shadows of these wood
covered stones, where the screech
owl tunes his little lay, lives the
happy campers "shack'' fashion.
All are enjoying splendid health,
and the census report shows an in
crease in the population of our
town. 'Tis boy. aud calls Ephri-
am, Pa. To one who is seeking rest
from business with its attending
cares, this spot has especial charms
At least, it has allured that staunch
Democrat, John Hansel, from his
home among the Honey Fork hills
of old Hooking, where ever that is.
To any of his friends who may be
anxious about him, l will say: Mr..
Hansel is enj rg himself fine,
with the the -ception of few
days sickness with the Barney Ka
fiips, disease common in the South.
III e has been in excellent health
and tip top spirits. Like Parason
O'Gaih, he puid the gorge visit
and was carried away by the beau
tiful scenery and mountain dais
les, etc, etc!
Though he has gone from our
midst, Yet see his genial face as !
saw it when we loitered by the by.
Come again my friend. come, and
you shall have a warm gr+ citing
Clear Fork camp is situated about
six miles from this place, on the
Clear Fork river, a branch of the
Cumberland. Here William Con-
ner has mill located, and here tco
can be found his hospitab'e
''shacks" at the base of -'Old Pine"
whose rocky peaks loom away up|
''yander." Among the mill hands,
one will find the following boys
from Hooking: Hall Conner, Pc
tor Weed, Wash. Walker and Jno
Wilson. all of whom are joviaI set
of fellows. These mountains ha e
slight resemblance tc. the great
Egyptian Pyramids, in SO far as the
steps or benches are concerned
there being from four to FIVE of
these broad level stretches of
ground running terrace fashion,
along the side of the mountains
Here the timber is generally form-
ed, and as it has to be snake ed down
the mountain side to the mill afteI
being cut into saw logs, is source
of danger to men and OK teams.
Various ways are used to get the
logs down. Sometimes the drivers
will snake lot of logs to the edge
of bench, then roll them over.
away they 60 end over end down
to the next bench, and so on until
the mil is reached. Occasionally a
a dare devil of a driver like Bill
Pullem, of Crab Tree farm, viii
venture down the slippery drag.
WITHOUT unlocking the cattle from
the log, and as consequence log
and cattle would have lively race
: wn the mountain. Ifthey escape
getting tangled up before they
rcach the Level, it is better luck
than good management on the par /!
o. the driver. Something's i, is neccs-
sary to build shutes in order to set |
the logs down. Logs and saplings
lashed together Iengthwise in the |
shane Of trough, are used for this |
p,,r>cSn o1ooor go n,tn s.oon clopa