Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-22
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Place Where Bears Dwell-George Shiras
Ills Interview With Big Bruin-Lum.
ber Deteriorailng--she Prayed tor the

Der Deteriofattng-She Prayed Tor the
Dogs.
SOME miles above Marquette in the dense
forest which skirts the shores of Lake Superior
there is cabin to which good many Pitts
burgers have gone in years past with a view to
shooting deer, bears and other game, small and
great. The cabin and a large tract of forest
land about it, near White Fish Lake, belong to
George Shiras III. Thither he is about to de-
part, or has already departed. to add some more
notches to gun that has the deaths Of over a
hundred deer commemorated upon its stock
already.
THE country is really the untouched forest
still for hundreds of miles in the place speak
of. Deer are plentiful there still, and grizzlies
are more numerous than an unsportsmanlike
being would desire. But George Shiras III. is
not afraid of a little thing like bear. The
strapping young legislator is not afraid OF many
things, as his career has shown.
Once in recent years Mr.. Shiras saw more of
a bear than was exactly comfortable for him.
He was in his canoe near the edge of the lake
when he saw ON ledge of rock good way
above him a big bear. The brute was rolling on
his back, with his feet in the air, like a big
dog. Flies or something else had disturbed his
serenity. He did not appear to see Mr. Shiras
in the boat below him, and presently he turned
and rolled off the rocks into the wood. When
Mr.. Shiras got to land he loaded himself down
with game he had shot and some other things
including Winchester rifle, and followed
blazed path that led from the waters edge
toward the hut. He had gone about 100 yards
when out of the underground ahead of him
tumbled the big bear he had seen from the
lake. The bear, who was evidently on his way
to get drink at the lake, hesitated moment
then turned and ran off. Mr.. Shiras hadn't a
chance to shoot, as his arms were so encum-
bered. He could hear the bear crashing
through the brush on ahead. He had
not had enough of that bear. He ran
as hard as he could several hundred yards, un-
til he seemed to be abreast of the bear on a
parallel path. At that moment the noise Of
the bears progress stopped. Mr.. shiras stopped
and then plunged into the underground toward
where he had last heard the bear. A few min.
utes suf1ced to bring him to a small clearing,
and no sooner had he emerged from the wood
than he saw, not 20 feet away, the big bear. As
they came face to face the bear reared up
and advanced toward Mr.. Shiras upon his hind
feet. The hunter threw his rife up-but he
had to pause to pump cartridge into place,
and the bear losing heart turned tail
again, and before Mr.. Shiras could
fire shot he had disappeared in the under
growth. OF course Mr. Shiras fred, but the
shot was too late, and he never saw the monster
bruIn again.
A man with such liking for bears society is
not often met with.
So
A GENTLEMAN who has had plenty Of ex.
perience in the field of which he speaks, said to
me the other day: 1.-THE lumber we get here in
these days is not equal to what we used to re-
ceive score OF years ago Then the lumber
was cut in the winter up the Allegheny, and it
lay there till spring. when it was sawed and
RATED and foated down the river. The soak.
ing it got in the water seasoned it splendidly.
1t usually lay in water here till it was needed,
and then taken out and dried. Nowadays
nearly all the lumber we use is brought from
Canada or Michigan. 1t does not touch the
water, but comes down by ship to the lake
ports, and thence to this city by rail. In sea-
soning it does not compare at all with the lum-
Der the Allegheny used to bring down."