The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-05-28
Building a Log Cabin.

Log cabin building was great fun to
The boys, although they did not find it
easy work. There was certain novel
ty about the raising of the structure
that was to be "A home. and an interest
in learning the use of rude tools, that
lasted until the cabin was finished. The
maui and the wedges, the frow and the
little maui intended for it, and all the
other means and appliances of the
building were all new and strange to
these bright lads.
First. the size of the cabin, twelve
feet wide and twenty feet long. was
marked out on the site on which it was
to rise, and four logs were laid 10 de-
fine the foundation. These were the
sllS of the new house. At each end of
every lor two notches were cut one on
the under side and one on the upper to
tit into similar notches cut in the log
below, aud in that which was to be
placed on top. SO each corner was
formed by these interlacing and over
tapping ends. The logs were piled up,
one above another. just as children
build "cob-houses,n from odds and
ends of paythings. Cabin-builders do
IlpL SHY lilil ~ StlDIH 10 al liill uuln-
Der of feet high; they usually say that
it is ten logs high. or twelve logs high.
as the case may be. When the struct-
urc is as high rs the caves are intended
to be, the top logs are bound together.
from side to side. with smaller logs
fitted upon the upper logs of each side
and across As If they were TO be the
supports of a floor for another story.
Theu the gable-cndS are butt up of
logs shorter and shorter as the peak of
the gable is approached, and kept in
place by other small logs laid across
endwiSe of the cabin. and locked into
the end of each log in the gable until
all are in place. On these transverse
logs, or raftcrs, the roof is LAID. Holes
are cut or sawed through the logs for
the door and windows, and the house
begins TO look habitable.
The settlers on the Republican Fork
cut the holes for doors and windows
before they put on the roof, and when
the layer of split shakes that made the
roof was in place and the boys bounded
inside to see how things looked, they
were greatly amused to notice how
light it was. The space between the
logs was almost wide enough TO crawl
through Oscar said. But they had
studied logcabin building enough to
know that these wide cracks were to be
"chinked'' with thin strips of wood, the
refuse of shakes. driven in tightly, and
then daubed over with CLAW a fine bed
Of which was fortunately near at hand.
The provident Younkins had laid away
III his own cabin the saShes and glass
for two small windows; and these he
had agreed to sell to the newcomers.
Partly-hewn logs for oor-joists were
placed upon the ground inside the
cabin previously leveled off for the
purpose. On these were laid thick
slabs of oak and hickory, riveu out of
logs drawn from the grove near by.
These slabs of hardwood were
''puncheons. and fortunate as was the
man who could have a floor of sawed
lumber to his cabin, he who was obliged
to use puucheons was better off than
those with whom timber was so scarce
that the natural surface of the ground
was their only floor. Moab Brooks, in
ST. Nicholas.