Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-06-27
ON THE PENOBSCOT.
PERILS AND PRlVATIONS OF THE
LUMBERMAN'S OCCUPATION.


Stamped" Of L"SS-Tho 'waugan~. or
C"mmi>sary Departmental sad story.
Bangor. once the greatest lumber
mari ct in the world. though doing a
muC, smaller business than in Penob-
scot palmy days, is still the home OF cx-
pert in-gers and drivers, and the head
quarters for the most approved kinds OF
lumhermen'S implements Such is the
fame of Bangor Cant-d0gs and axes and
hattCauN that operators in the compare.
lively new logging regions of the west and
tnr-On Pacific slope send here for them.
But 1t l. the men of the Penohscot who
are principally sought, not for cutting the
logs, Tor almost anybody can swing an AK,
but for the perilOus work of driving the
logs through rapid waters and over roar
nG falls and swift rapids. Every spring.
when the Trees have been felled and when
the warm sun has transformed frozen
streams INTO rushing torrents, men from
thr krnucbrc Gsrd Connecticut come To
Bangor 10 hire crews who are clever with
th" aN and caut-dog, and who are not
afraid L. break a jam or sleep on the bare
ground in a single blanket. They are es-
prclHllv auNious 10 get Bangor boys when
th"y have a hard drive in prospect. for
hey know that the PenobSCOt red -shirters
Will pull them through if it is a possible
thing.
VERY HAZARDOUS WORK
Not many people understand how logs
re driven from the wilds where they are
III 80 many miles 10 the great boOms near
The mills where they are sawn into lum-
Ter 1t is peculiar and a hazardous work,
and when n lot of drivers start away for
.he heaiwaters with their pick poles,
,ant d"E~ and axes it is just As natural to
NpcCt that some of them never will come
back alive as 1t would be in case Of a
company of soldiers starting for battle
hcId. After the loGCtrS get through dumps
lnE the logs over into the frozen streams
1Ut 4 brief period enSues before the snow
and ice melt and carry the big spruce
sticks IN great masses down stream
and UreRte hiC jams, backing I he water up
- that many uf the logs are finated over
submerged flats. To he left high and dry
wh,u Ia" first detachment Of drivers
break the jrmS and let the water loose
Ihcn the drivers work begins The
grounded logs, in the upper country
Where horses can not he used. must he
carried tn the streams by the men. and
often il requires twenty strong drivers,
wadlYE knee deep III mud, to carry a
single stick to the water The farmers
whose meadows are thus strewn with logs
JfIen claim the timber a. "A rrcompense for
the obstruction 1t causes to their opera
tIuns. and at times they appear with shot
guns 70 prevent the drivers from carrying
lt. the logs But the boss driver orders
is men to bring that stuff down" and
he stuff" generally comes.
Several CraNS arr pmDlpysi on q 1riya
nf any considerable size or at the head or
lower end, Others along the line or at the
rear. There are many rocks. rapids and
tails where the moving mass is likely to
jam, and these places must he carefully
watched Ia prevent a general hanging
up" of the lo-,. Sometimes one biz stick,
caught un rock. will hold back hundreds
II IhuU-,IudS Of feet and then some dar-
iuE fellow is ordered out with an aN to
hop away the obstruction. II Is M the
risk Of hi~ life lie must he quick. for at
the last stroke of his AN the hig lng snaps
aSunder with "A boom like that of can
non. and then there Is tremendous
stampede uf all the logs behind il II the
lrIVcr l. lucky and agile he gets ashore all
1-ht, lrapiuE from log 10 log hut one
nsStrp. or a little slowneSS, is likely 10
prcCipIatr him into the seething mass, and
# II Is ever found below, his body is
manglSi almost beyond recognition. Gen
orally it is never found
THE COMMISsARY DEPARTMENT.
As the drive progresses the men follow
through the woods or along the rocky, IN
even shores after it, and "wangans," or
cummiSSary departments of the different
gangs going on before The driver works
ls long as it is light enough to see a log,
aud when the moon is bright they often
20 to work at clock in the morning and
continue until the last glimmer of twi-
light They eat their plentiful but coarse
evening meal, and, wrapped in their
blankets, lie down to sleep. While they
sleep, which seems to them but an hour,
the "wangan' moves ahead five or six
miles, and when they awake there is that
distance to walk through the woods be-
fore brea kfast
saw Bangor man who had Just re-
turned from the Connecticut, where he
had driven six weeks, Sundays included,
for - 80 a day, and he brought a sad story
with him. After escaping several perils
himself he had seen one of his camp-mateS
20 down tU a cruel fate, while another was
barely saved alive. These two, a Bangor boy
and an old driver from St. John, n. b., had
come up from the lower end of drive near
North Stratford, Vt, to help break big
jam above They walked through the
woods to point just above the jam and
then started down stream for it on a log
apiece. Before they knew it they were in
white water around some rocks; one log
was lost and the two were left clinging To
the other. When they reached the jam
the Bangor boy was crushed up against it,
while the st. John man was swept under
and lost beneath the wilderness of logs.
The young fellow, pinned by the big stick
to which he Clung, cried in vain for help,
for the crew were out of hearing, and was
just about TO 20 under when another float
ing log struck his and swung it around in
such way As to hberate him. Then he
managed to struggle ashore, and, terribly
injured. was conveyed TO the nearest house.
River driving is a dangerous business, but
there are plenty of men here ready to take
its chance.-New York World.
a steady Old Citizen of Florida
During friendly interview with Mr..
Thomas i. Perkins a few days ago we OBJ
tanned the following remarkable record:
He has been agent for one railroad thlr-
teen years partner with one man thirty
one years. followed one line of business
CCuttun CommiSIonD thirty four years;
written at one desk. used one chair, and
occupied one office thirty four wears; worn
one gold watch thirty six years; has been
superintendent Of one Sabbath school
forty years; subscribed 10 one paper forty
two Yeas. subscribed to another paper
fort y-two years; has been member, trustee
and steward Of one church forty four
years: the official records Of one church
are in hi~ handwriting for forty-four years;