Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-20

time woodsmen and professional guides
G GR and Au have " seem civil engineers TS
biologists and other learned men act like boys
ten years old when they attempted to choose
camping spot. Other men choose camp sites by
what appears to be inspiration. They seem
to know at a glance what is the best
! spot in a given section of country and
never have to think twice to decide where to To-
cate. This faculty cannot be acquired by read
ing books-it is innate, like poetic genius; and
be given, and that, if followed, viii greatly aid
the student of camp lore
Weather permitting, always pitch your camp
on high ground. The top OF q ridge is usually
best, or if this ia too high for convenience, Sc
lect level bench on the side of hill. The
clination to camp near the water Is always
strong in every mans mind, and if the
weather and the shape and nature
of the ground are such as to warrant it. ii is
pleasant to lie awake at night and hear the
brook babble, the river roll or the waves wash
on the pebbly beach; but frequently the ground
is damp on the creek or river bottom, whence
miasmatlc vapors VIII arise, or there is = rank
growth of weeds that give off noxious odors.
If the time be summer the mosquitoes are
likely to be much worse at the waters edge than
further away and, III either case, it is better to
camp well up the hill, carry what water you
must use, and do without the aqueous music.
Again, II your camp be pitched on the bank of
a Western stream, you may go to bed at night
as dry as toast and wake up before morning 70
find yourself and your whole outfit being carried
down the valley on the bosom of u flood that has
come from cloud burst.
An old hunter friend OF mine once guiding
the surveyor general of Montana through wild
portion OF that state, and they camped at night
on a little creek that flowed out of the mountains
q few miles away. The general ordered the tent
pitched on an inviting lawn within a few feet of
the sparkling water. The guide cautioned him
that it would be safer to camp on higher
ground, as this was the time of year when
cloud bursts were fashionable. The gem
eral retorted that the guide OvercautiOus,
a aTeady ' selected Along towards mornn
the general, who slept on the lower side
OF the tent, woke up, with a firm conviction
that water was ooZing through his blankets
onto his spine. He called the guide and
asked what it meant. The guide told him to
put his hand out from under the tent and
add socked his arm into cold water to his
elbow. Just then the rushing of angry
waters heard. Both men sprang to their
feet, and the guide told the general to run for
high ground if he wanted to live any longer.
They grabbed few articles of clothing and
escaped by wading to their waists, but their
tent, blankets, saddles, cooking utensils and
grub were driven into the Missouri river. wet
cloud had collided with the side of mountain
and had come down the valley in a body.
Water and land are not the only requisites of a
good camp site. If you are travelling in a wild
grain you must camp where there Is good grass
for them, even though you have to do without
water b9 for night Sors 1t is bomI9 mR0 s
fed than that you should be well
watered. for their work is much harder
than yours. OF course they should have water
well grass but viii not suffer for the former
in twenty-four hours Always fill your canteens
or casks at any water you pass during the day,
and then you will be prepared for any such
emergency.
If travelling in the woods or mountains in sum-
mer or autumn, and you are to camp without a
tent OF other artificial shelter, make your bed
near the trunk OF large tree. Its branches may
shield sh6 you from s..t possible 81 shower,
dew or frost The spreading branches of the
large frs and cedars that grow in portions OF the
Rocky and Cascade mountains are almost equal
a fnT hin hay QTf1TOp
under some of them when it has rained till you
could scarcely see fifty yards through it, and not
drop of water has reached me.
HOW TO MAKE CAMPS.
Aparty going into the woods and expecting to
remain for several weeks in one place, especially
sary to build log cabin. The limits of the
present article will not admit of my going into
a discussion of this subject.
AS to temporary shelters. other than cabins
to woodsmen. many OF which may be made de-
cidedly comfortable, and with but little labor.
II possible, piece of canvas or drilling should
always De carried along, large enough to form,
at least the roof OF lodge; but where this is i'm
possible, dirt, bark, rushes or flags may be used
to good advantage.
A temporary open shanty, capable of shell
tering four men, may be made of thirty-six
poles, eight feet long and about six inches in
diameter. These are notched and laid up in
the form of an open square, the independ- |
ent ends being held in place by four posts |
planted IN the ground at the proper places /
and each pair held together at the top by ropes |
or withes. Other poles then laid as close to-
gether as possible over the top and covered with
a foot OF dirt or with green cedar elm bark or
it may be matched with straw grass, PUSHES or |
flags. If either of these are used the roof should
have steep pitch and the thatch be put on to q |
depth of six inches more. II should |
be Tapped on the same plan shingles are and /
weighted with heavy green poles. held to the |
body of the shanty by ropes or withes.
If the weather be cold the cracks between the |
poles should be stopped with moss, grass or /
boughs, and by keeping good log fire burning |
in front or the open end, and three or four feet
away, party may be comfortable in such q 1
shanty with the mercury at zero.
a brush shelter, usually called ''lean-to." |
may be made by laying pole in the forks of |
two posts, set for the purpose at height of five
or SIX feet from the ground, leaning other poles /
degrees and covering these with cedar or hem |
lock boughS or bark, or by thatchiug as in the
case OF the snanty already described. II either /
style OF roor is put on properly it Will she1 a !
heavy ram; The ends may be inclosed with /
either bOughs or bark.
Another form OF temporary shelter is made by |
leaning a pole ten or twelve feet long against a |
large green tree or placing the upper end in the
FORK OF small tree, letting the other end rest
against il, spreading them SO as to make the |
lodge i've or six feet wide at the front end and |
be built against the tree on which the pole /
leans, but care must be taken not to allow It TO /
reach and burn away the ridgepole.
HOW TO MAKE A CAMPFIRE.
1t really requires good deal of mechanical /
skill to make a good campfire.
The way to make cooking-fre is to lay down /
two green poles, FIVE or six inches thick and two
feet long, two or three feet apart with |
notches in the upper side about ten /
or twelve inches apart These we win can
cut two more poles, six or eight inches thick
and about four feet long, and lay them in the
notches IN your dogIrons. Procure q liberal
supply OF dry wood OF some kind-brush split
wood, bark or chips-and start your fire on |
.he ground, midway between your dog |
IRONS. Your dry wood should extend
the length of your forestiek and back /
log. and the IRE Will soon spread to either end l.
Of these. The air viii circulate under and L
through your FIRE; and your forestick and back
og are Just the right distance apart 20 set your |
camp Kettle, frying pan and coffee pot on.
If you are going to cook more than one meal in
his place 1t VIII pay you to put u a crane |
This IS built follows: Cut two green |
sticks. two inches and thrae feet 1