Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-04-25
A LUMBER CAMP.
Picturesque Description of Life
Among Canadian Loggers.
Plenty of Hard Work. Whole
some Food and Pure Air.

uorlnwcSt ana southwest branches oil
the Miramichi. The distance from th,
mouth of the st. John River 10 the
confines of Maine, where much timber
IS cut, is not less than 400 miles.
When the timber men set out thcy bid
thor wives and swccthearts good By till
alter the rains of the he xt spring.
The place selected for operations by
those brawny fell ows is oftcn piece of
primeval forest showing no sign tina,
man has ever been there before. Tho
trees, which arc spruce. pine. birch.
maple or beech, grow clcanly from the
ground to height of twenty, thirty or
forty feet, and horses with bob sicds
can move about easily. But winter
and summer those giant cvcrgrccns re-
tain their boughs, aud these arc so
thick that the rays of the sun can
hardly struggle through them.
Arrived at their destination tho mcu
at once set to work to builh two shan.
ties. one for themselves and another for
their horses. Logs arc cut and notchcd
at the end, then dovctallcd together,
forming when put together quadrau.
gnlar enclosure. On the top and run
ming parallel from end to end are two
large timbers placed several feet from
the centre. The roof rests along these
and on tho walls. Ono wall is higher
than he other, and the roof pieces,
each of which is followed out, are fitted
together concavclY and convcxly. They
project beyond the wall on tho lower
side and carry off the water.
In the middle of tho old fashioned
shanty is the fireplace, built of stone
and capable of holding nearly cord of
wood. There is no chimney, but a
hole in the roof with wooden franc.
work outside draws the smoke. The
seams are stuffed with moss or hay. and
the rude dwelling is quite comfor ia bio.
The men lie in hunks around and eau
see the stars through the great opening
above.
Two hugo cranes arc fixed at each
side of tho fireplace, upon which the
cook can hang his different pots. A
capable cook is about the best paid mau
in the camp, getting as high as $50
month. He has ''cool1ec" to assist
him. And these sturdy woodchoppcrs
put windows in their rudo dwellings,
aud it is n cheerful sight for tho trap
per on frosty night as no trudgcs
through tho forest to AGO tho ruddy
light streaming out upon tho snow
and sec the sparks aud smoke ascend
into the clear, bitter air.
The cook is about the most import-
ant man in the camp. But hc has TO
rise each morning a couple of hours be-
lore the wintry stars begin to palo in
tho dawn to get breakfast. IT tho
shanly is within reasonable distance of
civilization he will have such delica.
cies now and again as fresh beef and
potatoes, which he cooks in huge.
wide bottomed pot. His pans, drink
ing basins, pots and kettles have all
been cleaned in hot water boforo he re-
tires a; night, and everything is ready
at his hand in the morning.
Some time before breakfast is ready
the teamsters get up and feed thoir
horses, which are provided with warm
shanty. The meal is hastily made, the
men light their pipes. shoulder their
axes, and followed by the tcamstcrs
lead the way TO the chopping ground.
Usunlly there are couple of guns in
the party and these woodsmcn arc toll
crablc shots. Sometimes moose is
killed and handed over to tho cook
who makes it into the most savory of
dishes. frequently good sportsman
will go out and got six to eight brace
of grouse or 'spruco partridge as tho
woodsmcn call them, and these the
cook plrclSs, cloans. hangs for few
days and then stcws with onions and
sayory, tho arena from tho inviting
mess rising on the air and dcightinr
the nostrils of the hungry men az they
return from work.
And What appcttcs these choppers
havc VIXEN they return to the shantics
in the duslsl There is nearly always a
stream hard by, and to this they 90 and |
have wash, brushing thoir hair up
with the crown of thcir soft hats or
caps.
The cook is ready for them. He has
hugo pot of hot tea, abundance of |
hot bread and fried pork swimming in
lard. Sometimes he has an enormous,
"batter cake" moist with lard and
containing bits of pork cut up small
mixed through it. Each man takes
tin dish, in which he puts hi, bread