The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-10-07
AMONG THE LOG DRIVERS.
HOW THE HARDY FELLOWS WORK
AND ENJOY THEMSELVES.
The PcrilouS Positions in which
They Place Themselves When
Breaking u '.Jam.''

lie FcfllOuS HOSlt1OnS III HIGH
They Place Themselves When
Breaking n SIAM"
A Bangor Nic.) letter to the New
York World describes the life of those
hardy, daring, rcd shirtcd fellows who
drive the logs cut by the woodsmcn
through the tupbling, rushing streams
and the swift waters of the Penobscot to
the booms, whence they are distributed
by their various owners to the mills:
The principal drives are from the cast
and west branches of the Penobscot,
the Mattawamkeag, the PiscdtaquiS,
Pleasant and Passadumkcag rivers, all
tributaries Of the one great watcrcourse
Driving logs is a laborious and often
dangerous occupation. When the win
ter work of cutting the logs is over and
the icy brooks and streams are full OF
the great spruce, pine and hemlock
trunks, the aXc-swlngcrs come out and
the lumbermcn engage their driving
crews. TO be a driver one must be ac-
tive. fearless and equally indifferent to
cold water and hard work. The drivers
are generally Tarratine Indians, a liberal
sprinkling of that much detested class
known as the "P. L. Is
Prince Edwards Islanders. The
crews. with their bosses, go to where
the logs are stocked, part Of the way by
rail and then by team, batteau or on
foot.
Arriving at their destination they stlrt
the logs in the quick water and follow
them down along the shore. If there
were no falls, no edges or other obstruc-
tons the work would be easy, but if n
single log of the rushing mass sticks on
the brink of a dam. or is caught against
a rock, thousands Of others arc stopped
thereby and q jam ensucs. This must be
broken up at all hazards and some one
must 90 out upon the logs at the risk OF
his life and, with what is known as a
s'cant-dog," set the mass in motion
again. II he makes q misstcp, or the OBJ
structing log yields at an unlucky mo.
ment, the driver disappears in the whirl
of waters and goes down to his death,
and if his manglcd remains be found 1t
will not be until weeks afterward, many
miles below.
One of the drivers met to day. lie
was of muscular build, with that hearty
manner peculiar to Penobscot rivermen.
lie had Just 'scome down" and was quite
communicative, talking intelligently, if
unduly loud, as he punched the floor OF
the clearinghouse bar-room full OF
holes with the steel calks in the soles OF
-. t.. H. ,rn,o thn n,nnfJnnal
drivers drcss-hcavy trousers. red shirt,
WOODEN socks and ponderous boots or
shoes. l asked him why his boots were
cut in several places at the toes. "Oh."
said he. 'that is to let the water which
pours over me out and keep my feet from
scalding." lie said that driving was
hard work until one became used to it:
then there was a fascination about it
which always kept n at the work. The
driver, he said, is out day and night, as
circumstance. demand. Sometimes two
or three men are sent ahead Of the main
body % keep the logs running free past
o point where a jam is likely to occur.
They arc given q junk OF salt pork, q
frying pan, q dry Goldfish and 4 quantity
of hard bread, as the task may require
days. At night this advance guard
bull DIS a big fire and sleeps on the ground.
"Oncc," said the driver, ''on the.swcst
branch of the P%enobscot, | aud q com.
panion were delegated to look out for a
lam below and ahead of the main body
of logs. We had no boat, and when q
log stuck out in the stream we had to
paddle out on 4 big spruce trunk to clear
it away. In returning we landed in four
feet of water, the big log grounded, and
we had to wade ashore waist deep in the
icy water. a fierce storm was IN progress,
and the walk back to camp was anything
but pleasant. At another time | was
with q crew trying to get
some logs out of a small brook in which
the water was low. 1t looked rs though
the logs would stay there all summer
when we turned in one night at a little
cabin on the shore. My friend had an
upper bunk, in which he slept soundly
until early morning, when he jumped
out of his bunk. lie landed in two feet
OF water, in which the cabin furniture
was floating. There had been a heavy
rain and the little brook had overlooked
its banks"
The drivers work begins in the latter
part of April and lasts until July Is or a
month later. Agreen hand is paid SLIP
per day; fairly good men $1.75to $3.50;
an experienced man S2.75, and a boat
man So, beside food, which is princi-
pally of beans. Woodmcn have beans
three times a day, drivers four times,
wi h molasscs for sweetness and dried
apples as all anti-scorbu,ic. The woods
men and drivers receive their money on
arriving here and it generally amounts
to from 5000 to 5000. The red shutters
spread red paint at high cost for a week
or two, the cheap bars and boarding.
houses reap a harvest, the police station
is crowded and then all is quiet on the
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