Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-04-18
A LUMBER CAMP.
Picturesque Description Of Life
Among Canadian Loggers.
Plenty of Hard Work, Whole
some Food and Pure Air.

regions are the Nashwaak, the upper
st. John and its tributaries, and the
northwest and southwest branches of
the Miramichi. The distance from the
mouth of the st. John River to the
confines of Maine, where much timber
8 cut, is not less than 400 miles.
When the timber men set out they bid
their wives and sweethearts good by till
after the rains Of the next spring.
The place selected for operations by
those brawny fellows is often piece of
primeval forest showing no sign that
man has ever been there before. The
;rees, which are spruce. pine, birch,
maple or beech, grow cleanly from the
ground to height of twenty, thirty or
forty feet, and horses with bob sleds
can move about easily. But winter
and summer those giant evergreens re-
tain their boughs, and these are so
thick that the rays of the sun can
hardly struggle through them.
Arrived at their destination the men
at once set to work to build two shan
ties, one for themselves and another for
their horses. Logs are cut and notched
at the end, then dovetailed together,
forming when put together a quadran-
gular 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. One wall is higher
than the other, and the roof pieces,
each of which is followed out, are fitted
together concavely and convexly. They
project beyond the wall on the lower
side and carry off the water.
In the middle of the 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 Frame
work outside draws the smoke. The
seams are stuffed with moss or hay, and
the rude dwelling is quite comforta BILE.
The men lie in hunks around and can
see the stars through the great opening
above.
Two huge cranes are fixed at each
side of the fireplace, upon which the
cook can hang his different pots. A
capable cook is about the best paid man
in the camp, getting as high as $50 a
month. He has ''cookee' to assist
him. And these sturdy woodchoppers
put wind ows in their rude dwellings,
and it is cheerful sight for the trap
per on frosty night as he trudges
through the forest to see the ruddy
light streaming out upon the snow
and see the sparks and smoke ascend
/ into the clear, bitter air.
The cook is about the most import.
ant man in the camp. But he has to
rise each morning couple of hours be-
fore the wintry stars begin to pale in
the dawn to get breakfast. If the
shanty is within reasonable distance of
civilization he will have such delica-
cies now and again as fresh beef and
potatoes, which he cooks in a huge,
wide bottomed pot. His pans, drink
ing basins, pots and kettles have all
been cleaned in hot water before he re-
tires at night, and everything is ready
at his hand in the morning.
Some time before breakfast is ready
the teamstcrs get up and feed their
horses, which are provided with warm
shanty. The meal is hastily made, the
men light their pipes, shoulder their
axes, and followed by the teamsters
lead the way to the chopping ground.
Usually there are couple of guns in
the party and these woodsmen are toll.
erable shots. Sometimes moose is
killed and har ded over to the cook,
who makes it into the most savory OF
dishes. frequently good sportsman
will GO out and get six to eight brace
of grouse or 'spruce partridge" as the
woodsmen call them, and these the
cook plucks, cleans, hangs for a few
days and then stews with onions and
savory, the aroma from the inviting
mess rising on tho dir and delighting
the nostrils of the hungry men as they
return from work.
And what appetites these choppers
have when they return to the shanties
in the duski There is nearly always {
stream hard by, and to this they go and
have wash, brushing their hair VI
with the crown of their soft hats oil
caps.
The cook is ready for them. He hal