Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-05-28

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the rough ground.
But each one Of the men said, in con-
clusion, "You go and see Nick Mar, at
Higgins g. Foley's. He can do II II any
man can. He's tibet bes timber-feller In
California. You get him and Big Jim
TO try tiff you can catch Jim sober"
Ralph went TO see Mar as they ad-
vised, but was overwhelmed with con-
fusion when he recognized in him the
dwarf whom he had insulted. His in
tended apology came to his mind, but he
saw the impossibility of making 1t now.
He stammered: I'D like to have you
come and cut big tree that's going to
fall on house"
"Whatr' growled the dwarf.
Ralph repeated his errand timidly, but
added, with fortunate wit, 1.-THE men at
Kelton darer't try it. They said you
were the only man that could do it,"
"No," said the dwarf, still angrily.
~ guess Humpty-Dumpty couldn't do
it,"
He took long-handled axe from the
door and shambled away.
After trying unsucccssfully to find
sy.ae one who would cut the tree, Ralph
started homeward sorrowfully. At a
turn in the road, quarter of a mile
from the mill, q voice saluted him from
the hillside above.
swell. young fellow, you're down in
the mouth now, | guess"
Looking up he saw the dwarf. Be
hind him stood powerful man, whose
face bore the marks left by strong drink.
This was Big Jlm-a quiet and well-bred
man while he was sober, but a terrible
ruin when drunk. Ralph could hardly
keep back his tears as he saw the mock
ing face of the hunchback. He turned
away and hurried on, but the man called
to him again, and he paused, hope
lessly.
Elm humpback," began the dwarf,
slowly, "but l may not be as mean as
you think. What tree do you want cutl
/ reckon I'll be over that way day after
tomorrow"
ats the Tower of Babel" cried
Ralph
"What" The dwarf whistled in
amazement. 81 reckon I'll be over there
tomorrow.
LETS go, JIM" he said, turning to
his companion, land we'll get Higgins
togo over, too; but Pm afraid he won't
let us cut it."
"very well, let's CO." said Jim
hoarsely.
Nick Mar, Big Jim and Mr.. Higgins
arrived at the Tower of Babel early in
the afternoon. Higgins pretended to
scoff at the idea of imminent danger
from the tree, and refused to allow it to
least ninety feet OF the trunk unbroken.
This seemed impossible, for the steep
hillside was not even for more than
forty or fifty feet in any direction; but
Nick Mar examined the tree carefully,
and declared that he could fell it and
save the required length.
His plan was daring one, requiring
great skill, but he explained it to no
one but Big Jim.
Higgins then refused to allow the
tree to be cut unless one hundred and
fifty dollars were deposited with him, to
be forfeited if it were broken.
Ralph still had the money which his
mother had left him, but she had told
him to return al but thirty dollars of it
to Mr.. North. Hc could risk but thirty
dollars-his own wagcs-for this pur-
pose.
He was about to give up the plan when
the dwarf said, kindly: ''Haint you got
the money. my boy9 Never mind. i'll
put up what you can't. Nick Mar Amt
afraid to back up his figuring with
CON-"
Ralph gladly accepted the proposition,
and having deposited his thirty dollars
with Mr.. Higgins, Nick Mar became re-
sponsible for the rest, and the work of
telling the Tower of Babel began.
In telling large redwood-tree, deep
notch, called the under-cut, is chopped
in the trunk, facing tho direction in
which it is to fall. Then ring of the
thick, tough bark is removed entirely
around the tree, and two men saw into
the other side horizontally, with long
cross-cut saw. until the tree breaks off
and falls. II tree begins to lean the
wrong way, long steel wedges are driven
into the saw cut to force it over.
Nick Mar and Big Jim first erected a
staging, so that they could cut the tree
at the height of twelve feet. But even
there the diameter was so great that they
were obliged to cut two notches, each
four and one-half feet deep, at right
angles with the under-cut. This reduced
the diameter from side to side to nine
feet, and barely enabled them to saw the
tree with a ten-foot saw.
Then they reversed the usual order,
and began the saw-cut before chopping
the under-cut on the uphill side. They
sawed into the tree about six feet, and
Big Jim, with ponderous blows, drove
twenty long steel wedges into the saw
cut. This was to wedge the tree up
firmly, so that when the under-cut was
made it would not swing.
Then Nick Mar chopped the under
cut. Standing first on the staging, and
afterward in the cut itself, he swung his
axe for two days, till the great, yawning
notch was completed.
An interested crowd watched the work
from day to day. Some woodmen sug-
gested to Nick Mar that he was aiming
the tree so that it would strike the clump
of trees on the hill He replied that
lit might come pretty close"
The time came when the saw-cut was
to be completed, and the great tree
wedged over. In the early morning
Nick Mar sat on the staging, and Ralph
stood below, waiting for Big Jim.
He did not come. Nick Mar sent
Ralph to Kelton to search for him. He
found Jim in a saloon, intoxicated and
worthless, declaiming in h-arse tones to
a crowd OF loafers. He refused to come
and finish his work; but Ralph sue
ceeded in engaging two other woodmen
to help the dwarf.
The loss of Big Jim was severely felt
that dov md for tho fret tiYua Nick Mar