Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-01-05

one on top is before the saw, and as
they start the saw in ut the end on one
of the lines, the top man goes backward
and the lower one goes forward as the
saw advances along the line until they
get back to the first timber that the
logs rest on, and then they start in Oh
another line and so on until all the
lines are sawed; then the log is slipped
bark of the first timber, the lower man
takes off his handle and the saw is run
down through the first saw cut and
the lower handle put on again and
again the men bend to their task, up
and down, up and down, all day. and
day after day, until the logs are all
made into lumber. Two good, strong
men Will, if faithful, saw from two
hundred to two hundred and fifty feet
of lumber day, and well you may say
umph! Well, you must remember ev-
erything does not come at once. all
these things come by degrees. The
world was not made in a day; and
what an Improvement the old fiutter
wheel sawmill was to the plt-saw. and
how many of you young men ever saw
one of these old watermills?
When 1 kept batch at onr old mill
on Brewers creek. how many cold
baths took in all those years. Now,
if there is anything more disagreeable
than another / think it is to Lave a
chunk of wood or an old piece of a
limb and go down in the water wheel
and knock off two or three buckets of
the wheel. Now what: Well, the
next thing is to take your bar, axe and
other tools down below, and as the
water spurts all over you from the
forebay above to take out the wheel
and put in new buckets, while stand
ing in the water b alf way to your knees
for half of day at time, is no holt
day, if it is Christmas times, and is not
calculated to make one in a very good
humor. And did have that to do?
Well, should think / did about halt
a hundred times during the year l
kept batch at that old mill, and often
on just such cold days as to-day, ]
would be covered with ice by the time
/ would get that old wheel mended
and back in its place again. You steam
sawmilI men don't know much about
sawmilling. All, how hot I used to
get inside OF such times. Well. every
dog has his day, and I think / have
had mine.
The first winter 1 kept batch at that
old mill, my oldest brother was with
me. / well remember and shall never
forget that Christmas at the mill.
Christmas that year came on Wednes-
day. On the Monday morning of that
week we left home to go back to the
mill and were not to come home until
Saturday of that week. We were in
too much of a hurry to keep Christmas
as we were saving the lumber to build
my brothers house, for he wanted to
fetch the girl he left behird him. On
the way Through the mountains, and
on top of the highest, we heard very
peculiar q-u-e-r-r, q-u-e-r-r. We stop
ped to listened. While standing listen
ing we saw largesbald eagle and his
mate sailing aronnd and around, off at
distance from us, and all of a sudden
one would dart down towards the
ground, when we would hear the same
sounds again. ! said turkey, SO we
walked along carefully. We soon came
in sight of large flock of old gobblers
They were standing scattered aronnd
watching the eagles. Every few min
utes one of those eagles would swoopl
down like all arrow at one of the tur-
keys, which were standing just straight
as an arrow, and just as the eagle
thought he had him sure he did not
have him, for the turkey would jump
to one side, ont of the eagles way.