, 1888-06-21
IN THE NORTH WOODS.
HOW THE TREES OF THE ADlRoN-
DACKS ARE SENT TO THE MILL.

Creek-A Vocation Tina Is Dangerous
Mt T~imos-Cooks and Their Assistants.
Wages.
During the last week In April last spring
the snow disappeared from the greater
part of Little Black creek, and on April
IS the drive began. On the morning of
the 2Sth the creek was running bank full,
which meant a depth of perhaps a foot or
fifteen inches over the riffs. The mill
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 n 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 foated along, a lively spectacle, till
they reached the first riffs. Here they
bumped and rolled oven the rocks till one
long spruce, driven by the weight of
water and logs behind, and directed by a.
glancing blow on a big boulder that reared.
Its black head a few inches abovethe water,
was hurled end on between two big trees
that stood close together On the bank.
1t shot ahead till half It's length was
ashore and then the end caught among,
the roots of n big birch. 1t could neither
go further nor swing around with the
current, and in less time, than 1t takes to
write it the logs behind were piled over
and around 1t and q jam was formed. In
n few minutes 500 logs were lodged there.
A big, h~umpbacked man, dressed In an
old SLOUGH hat that was on the back of
his head, a red shirt open over his chest,
brown trousers tucked into the tops of
long legged, red wooden socks, and a 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
rolling and humping along over the rift.
The logs that lodged along the edges of
the stream were allowed to remain. These
usually lay with h down stream end
further out In tho water than the up
stream end. By Sunday night there was
scarce n rod of bank for twenty miles
where there was 10 log. Where jamshad
been broken as man as a hundred logs
were piled along each bank Of the rift
within a space of thirty feet. Sometimes
the logs would form piles of thirty or
forty on each bank, where they would'lie
almost rs If Acknowledgements there by
the men one on top of the other, the pile
llbb btlllk ONtl Lho IOHb& lOIR. IutSbI
piles narrowed the stream until an active
man could easily jump over 1t, and the
water would rise up between the piles,
browning in the middle, and of double the
depth of what 1t was above or below this
partial lam. Thus what might be, called
n natural sluiceway, since it was notsbqilt
by man, was formed, andrthe logs, guided
by the opening sides of the sluiceway,l
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 a flood.
1t had got down to n jam of perhaps 600
logs below What Is known as the old Bax-
ter mill, III 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 on
against q 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 1t would not
move, and, finding tho key log, put his
cant hook on it and gave It a twist. 1t
failed to move. Then he threw his whole
weight on it, and the log rolled over 80
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
2logs moved they started back to the shore-i
When they looked around again Wallwas
nowhere in sight. He had Disappeared
under the logs, and they thought he was
being ground to pieces upon the ,stonessof
the rift. Blu he was not. He had clungi
to the forward end of the first log thatfhel
could get his hand on, and in O second
more he bobbed up between two hemlocks,l
and q little latter he was standing on thel
bank and saying: ''The old manswilsgivel
me thunder for losing that can't hook,
won't hep 4
The resources of civilization, as .O'Donoj
van sR~ossafwouldt say, are lessening ttheI
dangers of logsdriying. Dynamite isusedl
not only TO blast, therocks 9fromstheSbedsi
of the creeks, as it,will{be used this year.
in Little Black creek, -butvwhep q jam 4isi
formed in a large stream, and it,is,plainiY
seen that one log holds the jam, a lchargei
of dynamite blows. the smithereenst outsofl
that log, while the loggers look on frontal
safe distance, instead of going downsintoI
a gorge by a rope and taking the chancesl
of getting ground up after the jam starts.
The log drivers get from So to "a a dayl
and board. They work from daylight ftol
dark. To feed and lodge them SOFAS stol
get the greatest amount of workafroml
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 twoitoI
three assistants each, and stocked with
stacks of corned beef, pork, ham, flour,
potatoes, tea and coffee. The cook and
his men got So n day each. Breakfastwas
served by lantern light to the men who
lodged in hemlock hunks In the shanties.
Then the men were off, and the cook and
his help turned to and cooked the first
luncheon. 1t consisted of bread and but
ter, meat, and tea and coffee. Each ash
sistant strapped a pack basket filed with
bread and meat to his back, and took o.
huge can of coffee in one hand and. AM
other of tea in the other. Tin c~upsLdan1
gled in a bright profusion all orerhtm.
One assistant wen up tho creek with his
load and the other down. As the snow
averaged two feet deep in the swampyl
bottoms along the creek, the task of"theI
assistant was not enviable.
Wherever he found a driver he served
to him all the food he wanted. This first
luncheon was served at about 10 o'clock
Another like 1t was served to the men
along the banks and on the jams between
Q and 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Supper
was served at dark. 1t was really a din
ner, for the men in addition to the bread,