The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-01-26
Jewels for WoOd.Cutters.

Re6-shirted and blanket-suited men
throng the streets of the cities of the
Saginaw Valley, and north-bound
trains bear boi5terous crowds OF lusty
woodsmen, many of whom are cele-
brating the occasion by freely circulat-
ing a 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 the
camp to the drive, from the drive to
the mill and from the mill back again
to the camp.
The life is one of the hardest toll,
and is fraught with many dangers, as
is attested by the records of the hos
pitfalls in the Saginaw Valley. The
typical woodsman is ever prodigal
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, 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.
One of the first of the latter to go
into the pawnsnop is his watch, and it
is seldom redeemed. A watch and
fashy chain used to be among the
earliest purchases of a woodsman, who
has just cashed his ''pay check" But
it is so NO longer. Nearly all the
watches now sold to these men are
sold in the camps by drummers from
the various jewelry stores in the local
ity nearest which the camps are stu
ated.
This trade has become a prominent
feature in the jewelry business, espe-
ciallv near Saginaw, nj CHI. where every
jea elry concern has one or more men
in the woods during the entire lumber
ing season.
Most of these drummers are familiar
with this class of trade. Some of them
have regular routes, with the exclu-
slve privilege of selling goods il GER
tain camps. These privileges they OBJ
tain from either the foreman or the
owner, and as many of the camps give
employment to 400 or 500 men it is
easy to understand the value of priv
ilege of this kind.
The drummerS carry 4 stock rang
ing in value from $500 to $1,000 on
each trip. They can only sell at the
close of the working hours and after
supper when the men are gathered in
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 handed about for
inspection. At the same time he must
stand rafting fusillade of questions
while driving sharp bargains. The
men, in the consciousness of the cred
its that they are lying up against their
account on the cOmpany's books, and
melted by example, prove very liberal
buyers. 1t is not an uncommon thing
for drummer to sell $500 or $500
worth Of stock in an evening. Most
of the watches sold are American sill
Yer watches, or American movements
in filled cases. If the salesman num-
bers among his accomplishment the
ability to sing a good song, tell a good
story or dance a jig, it will greatly add
to his success 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 90
to town and indulge in their usual
protracted sprees, the men get into
nabit Of buying new ones every winter.
There are good prospects. therefore,
that this branch of the jewelry bust
ness at least has entered on an era Of
long-continued prosperity in the log
ging regions of the great Northwest
,JclDeler's WeeEZu