The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-11-28

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WOODSMEN In WINTER. |
LUMBERNEN OF THE sUsQUEHANNA
AT WORK IN THE FOREST.
HOW THE RED sHIRTED GIANTS WILL PASS
THE SHORT DAYS AND LONG NIGHTS OF
THEIR HARVEST sEAsoN-TALEs TRAa.
Ic FROM THEIR LfvFs.
The approaching winter brings sat
isfaction to hundreds of men In the
mountains along both branches of the
Susquehanna who follow that most
ancient of calling s-woodcraft. A cold
white winter brings happiness to the
rougg woodsmen, to whom il means
steady work in the forest with good pay
and plenty to eat until April aud then
another or so of rafting down the
timber thus cut. The great operations
where acre up IN acre of pine trees are
felled and hewn are not as numerous
as formerly, Tor each clearing means
so much oil the forest gone for all time
or at least for decades, for nature can
not replace in year what man des-
troys is as many days. Still, although
the output of the West Branch timber
lands is steadily decreasing there yet
remains sufficient of the old time in
dustry to clearly portray the simple
modes and customs of the woik and its
followers.
The red-shirted giants with great
CANDY woolen comforters, knit by their
sweethearts, wound around their necks
and with their feet encased in heavy
wooden stockings reaching to the knee,
without shoes which would only pinch
and frostbite their feet, or at most
shod only with rubber overshoes and
wearing heavy trousers supported by
another loud-colored scarf wound twice
or thrice around the waist and tied
with long dangling ends, are familiar
sights along the Susquehanna. Wheth-
er hard at work telling trees in the
clearing or seated on log sled like
some modern Achilles dragging a
Hector Of the forest in triumph, the
woodsman Is ever full of life and ami
NAL spirits. Eating prodigious guam
tiles of food in the most primitive
way and consuming all the liquor he
can obtain without regard to its quail
ity the lumberman enjoys life to the
utmost. To pass the long winter
evenings when other resources fail he
has always two courses open to him
either to play ''penny poke or TO go
to the nearest revival, the protracted
meetings held by devout Methodists,
usually in the public school houses and
continuing weeks, frequently months,
without cessation. And to the credit
of the men be it stated that, although
generally holding crude ideas of relig-
ion, the lumbermen are most quiet and
orderly during the services and, some
times moved by the appeals of preacher
and friends, great rough mountaineer
may arise and approach the mourners'
bench.
These, with an occasional change in
the way OF spelling bee (at which
force of circumstances compels him to
be Dut spectator) or a visit to town
are his sole diversions all through the
long winter, until spring thaws the
rivers and melts the icy roads. Then
he replaces his woolen stockings with
heavy boots, in the heels of which are
set steel nails projecting half an inch
and sharpened to point. "Corks" is
their common bat inexpensive name.
The nails are to enable the wearer to
secure firm footing on rolling log,
but they sadly mar carpet and the
wooden payements Of the little interior
towns are ridiled with holes.
Armed with a ''cant hook" the
mouutaineer now becomes a raftsman
and bends his energies toward getting
the timber to market at Wiliamsport
or elsewhere. The round saw logs are
simply rolled into the stream TO be
carried down by the current, but the
squared timber Is securely bound to-
gether in platforms about twenty feet
wide and several of these platforms
fastened together form raft, familiar
to all our readers. When at last the
raft is ready for sailing rough board
shauty is built on it and abundance of
straw for bedding, sheetiron stove
Tor cooking and supply of food COM
pletes the outfit. Then the craft starts
merrlly off for her three or four-day
cruise. 1t is the acme of enjoyment TO
slowly glide along the river on one Of
these huge platforms observing magnifi-
cent mountain sceuery which cannot
otherwise be seen, for the streams are
not navigable for any other class of
boats. Very often whole family will
make the trip, wife doing the cooking
for the crew.
AS may be found everywhere trace
of the tragic crops out frequently and
stories of trouble and sorrow peculiar
to the locality and occupation abound.
One may be recalled. A handsome
young mountsineer had wooed and
won country maid and the happy
pair took their tour on raft, the
young man eager TO see the great
outside world, of which she had heard
so much. The raft had two cabins
built upon it, one for the crew, the
other for the newly MARI ed pair. The
second night out was clear a. d moon
light, and the pilot determined to run
on instead of tying up, as is customary.
About midnight they drew near one
of the largest dams along the river,
and although every effort was made to
get the raft close in by the shore so
that it might pass through the long
inclined chute provided for the purposa
the stage of water was so great that it
was soon seen tue raft must go over
the breast of the dam. This, though
thrilling. is not necessarily dangerous
adventure, as very frequently a raft
will mass over with no more serious