The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1890, 1888-08-04
IN THE NORTH WOODS.
HOW THE TREES OF THE AplRON-
DACkS ARE SENT TO THE MILL.

Creek-A Vocation That Is Dangerou
at Times-Coolts and Their Assistants
Wages.
During the last week in April last sprine
the snow disappeared from the greater
part OF Little Black creek, and on April
28 the drive began. On the morning OF
the 2Sth the creek was running bank full
which meant depth of perhaps foot OF
men and log drivers, to the number OF
forty, reached the ground early. While
the greater part of the drivers were dis
tributed along the stream to break the old
jams left when the water fell year ago,
one gang went to the dumps near the res
ervoir, and began to snake, as they said.
the logs into the running water. These
logs ioated along, a lively spectacle, till
they reached the first riffs. Here thev
bumped and rolled over the rocks till one
long spruce, driven by the weight of
water and logs behind, and directed by a
glancing blow on big boulder that reared
its black head few inches above the water
was hurled end on between two big trees
that stood close together on the bank
It shot ahead till half it's length was
ashore and then the end caught among
the roots of big birch. It could neither
current, and in less time than it takes to
write it the logs behind were piled over
and around it and a jam was formed. In
few minutes 500 logs were lodged there.
A big, humpbacked man, dressed in an
old slouch hat that was on the back of
his head, red shirt open over his chest,
brown trousers tucked into the tops of
long legged, red woolen socks, and pair
of shoes with spikes half an inch long,
came along. He gave one glance at the
jam, and then, dropping the cant hook he
had carried over his shoulder, went up
the stream and came back with an ak.
Then he gave nine blows on the up stream
side Of the long spruce log just where it
rested against the tree on the bank. The
log broke, and the jam of logs continued
The logs that lodged along the edges of
the stream were allowed to remain. These
usually lay with the down stream end
further out in the water than the up
stream end. By Sunday night there was
scarce rod Of bank for twenty miles
where there was no log. Where jams had
been broken as many a. hundred logs
were piled along each bank of the rift
within space of thirty feet. Sometimes
the logs would form piles of thirty or
forty on each bank, where they would lie
almost as if designedly dumped there by
the men one on top of the other the pile
not being over two logs long. These
piles narrowed the stream until an active
man could easily jump over it, and the
water would rise up between the piles,
crowning in the middle, and of double the
depth of what it was above OF below this
partial dam. Thus what might be called
a natural sluiceway since it was not built
by man, was formed and the logs, guided
by the opening sides of the sluiceway,
would go shooting through like arrows
The weather gradually grew colder, and
on the fourth day the reservoir was
opened. The water came down in food.
1t had got down to jam of perhaps 500
logs below what is known as the old Bax-
ter mill, an abandoned structure, and had
lifted up the mass, but had not cleared
the one key log which in this case held
the jam. The key log was lodged end OH
against rock square in the middle of the
stream, and the other end was somewhere
under the logs, above and against the
bank. One of the Wall boys ran out on
the jam when he saw that it would not
cant hook on it and gave it a twist. It
failed to move. Then he threw his whole
weight on it, and the log rolled over so
easily that he tumbled into the water,
right under the logs as they came rolling
and plunging down. Two companions
had started out to help him, but as the
logs moved they started back to the shore.
When they looked around again Wall was
nowhere in sight. He had disappeared
under the logs, and they thought he was
being ground to pieces upon the stones of
the rift. Blu he was not. He had clung
to the forward end of the first log that he
could get his hand on, and in a second
more he bobbed up between two hemlocks,
and little latter he was standing on the
bank and saying: "The old man will give
me thunder for losing that cant hook,
won't hep
The resources Of civilization, as O'Dono-
van Rosa would say, are lessening the
dangers of log driving. Dynamite is used
not only to blast the rocks from the beds
of the creeks, as it will be used this year
In Little Black creek, but when Jam is
formed in large stream, and it is plainly
seen that one log holds the jam, charge
of dynamite blows the smithereens out of
that log, while the loggers look on from a
safe distance, instead of going down into
q gorge by rope and taking the chances
OF getting ground up after the jam starts.
The log drivers get from So to 81 q day !,
and board. They work from daylight to
dark. 10 feed and lodge them so as to |
get the greatest amount of work from
them requires foresight and care. Six
comfortable shanties were built along
Little Black creek, before the drive began
from three to five miles apart. The shan
ties were manned with a cook and two to |
three assistants each, and stocked with
stacks of corned beef, pork, ham, -four,
potatoes, tea and coffee. The cook and |
his men got So day each. Breakfast was |;
served by lantern light to the men who
lodged in hemlock hunks in the shantie.s.
Then the men were off, and the cook and
his help turned to and cooked the first
luncheon. It consisted Of bread and but
Ter, meat, and tea and coffee. Each as
sistant strapped pack basket filled with
bread and meat to his back, and took
huge can of coffee in one hand and all
other Of tea in tlb other. Tin cups dan !
Sied in bright profusion all over him.
One assistant went up the creek with his
load and the other down. As the snow
averaged two feet deep in the swampy
along the creek, the task of the
assistant was not enviable
Wherever he found driver he served
10 him all the food he wanted. This first
luncheon was served at about 10 o'clock.
Another like it was served to the men