The Grenada gazette., 1888-02-04
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4 Branch ~ th. Jswsisy Basiscss Gre atsd
BY Their A.cye Tor Bsabiss.
Red-shirfe1 and blanket suited men
throng the streets Of the cities II the
Saginaw valley, and norih-bound
trains bear boisterous crowds Of lusty
woodsmen. many Of whom are cele.
brating the occasion by freely circu-
lating bottle. which is passed from
hand to hand or rather from mouth
to mouth. The majority Of these men
are rough but Jolly set whose life is
made up Of yearly round from tho
camp to the drive, from the drive to
the mill and from tho mill back again
10 the camp.
The life IS one Of the hardest toll,
and is fraught with many dangers, as
is aitested by the records Of the hos.
pitals in the Saginaw valley. The
typical woodsman is ever prodigsl
when he lands in town after several
months Of toll His one object in life
seems then to be TO get rid OF the
money he has SO hardly earned, a re-
suit which he accomplishes most ex-
peditiously and effectively by at once
inaugurating grand spree that lasts
as long as he has money or effects.
Ono Of the first Of the latter to 90
into the pawnshop Is his watch, and it
d seldom redeemed. 4 watch and
hashy chain used to be among the
earliest purchases Of woodsman,
who has just cashed his s'pay check. y
But it is 50 no longer Nearly all the
watches now sold to these mon are
sold in tho camps by drammers from
the various jewelry stores in the 10.
cality nearest which the camps are
situated.
This trade has become a prominent
feature in she jewelry business, es-
pccially near Saginaw, Mich, where
every jeweiry concern has one or more
men in the woods during the entire
numbering season.
Most of these drummers are familiar
with this class Of trade. Some Of
them have regular routes. with the ex-
elusive privilege Of selling goods in
certain camps. These privileges they
obtain from either the foreman or the
owner, and AS many of the camps give
employment to four hundred or five
hundred men it is easy to understand
the value Of privilege of this.kind.
The drummers carry q stock rang
Ing in value from $500 to s. 900 on
each trip They can only sell at the
close OF the working hours and after
supper when the men are gathered i'll
the large camp about the big stove.
The glittering trays are spread out to
admiring eyes and the seller has to be
sharp Indeed TO keep track Of his
goods as they are hardled. about for
inspection. At the same time he must
stand q rafting fusillade Of questions
whllc driving sharp bargains The
men. in the consciousness Of tho
credits that they are lying up against
their account on the company's
books. and incitcd BY example, prove
very liberal buyers. 1t is not an un.
common thing for a drummer to soil
$500 or $500 worth Of stock in an
evening. Most of the watches sold
are American silver watches, or Amer
ican movements in filed cases. II
the salesman numbers among his ac-
complishments the ability to sing
good song. tell good story or dance
. Jig. It will greatly add to his sue.
cess and popularity in the camp.
As = large percentage Of the
watches thus sold find their way TO
the pawn-shop the first time their
possessors 60 to town and indulge in
their usual protracted sprees, the men
get into habit of buying new ones
every winter. There are good pros
poets, therefore, that this branch Of
the jewclry business at least has en-.
tered on an crA Of long-continued
prosperity in the logging regions Of
the great Northwest. = Jswelers'
W1oklss