The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-01
Not the Sort of a Jam That Once
Occupied a Big Glass
Jar.
But One Composed Of Saw Logs
Ahoat in the Flowing
River.
UnrOmantic, uuite Realistic, Manner IN
Which y jam Is Broken In tho
Pine Belt.

One Of the special attractions of the
northwest during the past week was the LOG
lam at Taylor's Falls, in the picturesque
dalles of the ST. Croix. For the benefit of
those readers of the Minneapolis Tribune
who live without the magic circle of the
pine belt, it may be stated that, like the
jam that once upon a time occupied the big
glass jar on the pantry shelf, 1t is q sweet
mess. There is this difference, however,
that in one Ease the shirgle ID a memory OF
the past, in the other a possibility OF the
future.
The log jam has cut an important figure
in fiction, fact and feet. The sequence is
thus given, because the great uninitiated
public obtains its idea of tho log jam from
the story of the ''string- worker of New
York, and his story Of life On the upper Sus-
quehanna where suspended by q rope from
an o~verhanging cliff, a river man with q
sharp axe outs in two the key log, and AZ the
huge mass loosens and dashes the water into
IN unhealthy spray, the hero 10 hoisted out
of danger by anxious comrades above.
There are no data at hand giving reliable
information as to the whereabouts Of the
narrator at the time Of the occurrence, but
he may have been there.
Such ~esoteric sports, however, are not
available for ordinary folks in this Sec
ton Of the country where log jams are
.'broken'' by men, and not angels or spiders.
It is not 80 romantic, but probably equally
effective. One great difficulty about the
romance Of the matter il that the key log
does not always let the whole mass down
Theoretically, it should, and probably it
---Nl sc khn orC;kion~ ok tho tSnno IF form
ing continued until the hero arrived with
his axes. If such a contingency as the sub
sidenoe of the water should occur, as is
usually the case, the crashing logs and
dashing spray would be very subdued and
the rescue quite common place.
is a fair sample Of the ordinary happened in
this way. A week ago yesterday the sluice
al Nsver's dam was opened and the logs ran
through at a great rate. The flow of water
raised the water below several feet and
foated q large number of logs which had
been stranded on the rocks during the low
water. Tit result was that when the drive"
reached the narrow gorge below the falls,
shere we're more than could get through
comfortably and finally at the ''wells'' or
'.devil's kitchen" where the river turns at
an abrupt angle Of ninety degrees, the fore
part Of the mass became wedged, and the
logs in the rear kept piling up until from
ten to twelve million feet. as nearly as can
be estimated, were heaped up in confusion.
The gorge was compactly filled, and the
pond above packed with floating logs for
nesrly half a mile.
On Sunday the sluicing was stopped, the
river subsidized to its former height and the
arching over the100-fpot gorge for its en-
tire lenethAs solidly as could man with
stone. The way the logs beneath were
woven together can be realized only by ex-
animation or by watching the process of
taking out.
All day Saturday and Sunday the jam in
creased in size and on Monday the steamer
Arcola, with a Spite driver arrived on the
scene and was safely moored on the lee of
the bluff at the foot of the jam. The ham
mel was detached and the rope fastened to
a heavy iron dog" which in turn was
rope was then hooked around from four to
five other logs convenient OF access and a
signal given to the engineer.
TIT engine was started, the rope tight
ened, the logs began to creak and then the
one nearest to the boat was seen to move.
The others followed in turn, their neighbors
loosened and rolled about for a minute and
finally twelve or fifteen logs rolled off into
the water with a splash and foated slowly
down the beautiful valley toward the placid
waters of Lake st. Croix. Then three or
four of the crew jumped aboard the floating
raft, loosened the dog unwound tho rope
and found their way back to the jam as
best they could. The cable and hook mean
while was drawn back with a second and
smaller rope by a span of horses on the
bank. Thu whole operation had taken
only about five minutes, and was repeated
all day long, varied only by an occasional
larger "haul," laying bare a greater extent
of the stream. or the breaking of a rope
when. the strain suddenly released. the two
portions would strike the water with a
roar hat could be heard throughout the
village. and the work woul Re deIayed IN
til a splice could be made. Thus the work
went slowly on, and the open water above
the boat widened slowly until the signal
mans voice had to be supplanted by his
straw hat, and will be until the gorge is
cleared of logs and those above can be
foated through.
Aside from the impressive grandeur of
the scene, SO graphically Illustrating tho
resistless forces of pature, as exemplifed
in the movements of that water which, in
small quantities, may be made a valuable
servant by man, yet in larger torrents is
his own master, the log jam is otherwise
interesting. Scarcely second in interest to
its own grandeur are the men who work
about it, especially to the stranger in thi,
section, who finds an additional charm il
the striking costume of the rive