The record-union., 1892-08-01

the bank of some mountain stream, bor-
dered by yew and alder, and again fol-
lowing a little rill gurgling gaily on its
winding way, making the woods musical
with its voice. 1t is a highway that the
lover of nature must delight in, and il is
iJlii OF unwritteu CHAINS. About tifjv or
sixty comtOrtable-iuoking cabins have
I been built about the ole sawmiu, about
some ofwhich the roses had been planted,
While over the windows towering vines
ran riot, redeeming their look of rough
! ness. Everywhere N the vicinity of the
mill we could trace the work Of the luln-
beTmen in the thinning ont OF these ma
! iestic forests. Millions OF feet of lumber
have been cut from the giant trees, and
the camp is a wilderness OF logs, boards
and shingles.
The lumbermen are paid good wages.
the most skilled among them receiving
from IS to So per day, Others 50. and the
common workman $50 per month and
| board
The best-paid man in lumber camp
is the "bull-puncher," who presides over
the destinieS Of the huge OK teams, often
containing ten span &C oxen, which freight
the logs from the telled forest to the saw
mill on the huge, widewheeled trucks,
which can carry from five to seven three
foot logs at one load. Upon this func-
tionary deyolves the. care and manage
He attends to the sho~ing Of oxen, doctors
the sick ones, purchases new ones when
/ necessary, hires drivers, and in most
mills is III complete charge of the timber
! from The time it is ready To leave the fell
! ing grounds until it is safely rolled into
! the saw carriage, or transferred to the
| railway, which leaQS to the mill, when
the distance to be carried is so long as to
warrant it's use. His is a very RESPONSE
! bic place, for III many cases the CONNER
! clal success Of lumber venture depends
| upon questions ftransportation-whe
er sufficient number of logs can be
| hauled over a given route rapidly enough
| or cheap enough to run the mill econom-
! lcally. The average SaWmill Superin-
| tendent hangs on to a good "bull-punch-
err as pearl Of great price.
! A short distance beyond SiSSons' saw
! mill IS Mott, neat little town, with q
| population Of about 100 souls, all lum-
! bermen, and their families. Their homes
| here are tritle more pretentious than
IN the camp, and though most Of them
are simple IN architecture they are vet
| comfortable. But what spoke volumes
! for the intelligence and progressive char
/ acter OF these busy mountaineerS was g
handsome new schoolhouse Of two sto-
ries and of modcrn architectural design
Its cost was given as $1,000, and that, too
! IN a region where lumber is cheap and
NlLU
! us. NO better commentary than this
| could have been ,f1ered us on the intel
! ligence Of these sturdy laborers in the
! woods.
We met here typical and interesting
mountain character, Judge Clark
! Scotch Woodsman jurist-With q large
| fund of quaint humor that was always
! entertaining, and with a simplicity OF
| manner and straightforward honesty OF
| purpose which at once beguiles ones
| confidence. He informed us that he
| usually advised his clients not to go to
J law when they came to him with their
! difficulties, but TO settle their discussions
| right there, and that nine times out OF
! ten they did so without resortingto legal
! measures. Just then, however, Judge
! Clark s court was occupied in the trial OF
| some sort Of COW case, in which II. Clay
! Taylor, the big gun of Shasta, appeared,
having come down from Redding for the
! purpose. The whole village and the sur
rounding country was there to see and
hear; but the court took time to entertain
| the visiting strangers all the same. But
what would become of lawyers fees il
| vice?
y few miles to the southwark of Mott
lying in the deep gorge. or canyon, of the
Upper Sacramento, are the already Ia
nous
! ShAS1A SGNlN6Ss
| They are Immediately upon the line OF
the California and Oregon Railroad, be-
! tween Mott and Dunsmuir There is nc
wagon road leading into the canyon
which affords hardly more than room
| for the iron track and the narrow con-
| tnes Of the rocky stream. Here we dis
missed our driver and made ouI
| descent into the canyon over Zigzae
| trail built along the mountain side, Dor
| bered by alders, cedars. pines, naples
| yew and numberless other trees the
| earth spangled with wild flowers oil
| every hue; the air fragrant with the
! breath OF the wild lilac, with soft MOSES
! clinging to the rocks, forever mOistened
| by the spray falling from the numb erless
| streams which burst out from the rocks
| FED forever by the great glaciers of Shasta
! Now orr path is moistened by the ever
| leaplng rIIlS; ferns are sparkling with
water drops, and the bushes just bend tc
! kiss the silVery streams. We pass over
| little rustic bridges, the water behind
| and below us. We hear the tiny rush OF
| myriads of streams that are seeking the
| base of the hill to mingle their waters
with those of the Sacramento, which
| seems calling aloud to them to come
! All the way down IS one Of enhancing
| lovenness and beauty. At the bottom 4
! rainbow shines mid the spray and
| broader cascades come leaping over the
| rocks. We cross n rustic bridge. descend
a short flight of steps and are standing i'll
/ the pretty SprlnghouSe, into whose great
| stone fountain the mineral water flows,
/ efiervescing, sparkling and icy-cold. II
! Is q delicious beverage, gushing pure and
/ fresh from Natures vast alembic.
About half mile below the Shasta
/ Springs are the MOSSDrae Falls, roman
! tic spot which Nature has never dupli-
| Gated. All the mountain sides are clothed
| with rich underground and with mass
i've pines and swaying ferns. The high
rocky banks of the Sacramento are hid
den with a thick growth of beautiful
| MOSES, over which q thousand rilis
trickle in musical chimes, aad the sun
light falling through the parted boughs
makes many a broken rainbow arch
above the stream.
MoSSBRAE FAILS
In tiny rivulets and tinkIing streams,
In gay cascades with foaming whtenes,
In clear, smooth tides with rainbow bubble.
fecked,
Like tinkIing melodies we hear in dreams
| Comes Mossbrae breaking from the rock
ribbed nils,
Fed by the glaciers hid in Shasta's breast.
Through the long ages lying there at rest,
| Melting at last in all these shining riIis
We cannot paint thee, for each laughing riIl,
That like a curtain, many threa ed, fails,
| Covering with silver all the rocky walls
/ And moss-ciad bosom OF the towering hill
Pours out such heavenly music as it goes.
Flashes such light, such wond'rous graces
shows,
Kisses each leaf along the way it goes
In wordless ways the water only knows.
The lights and shadows dropping through the
trees.
The swaying ferns, the blossoms goIden-eyed
I The lizard, and the butterfly with wide
Fair wings OF amber, and the fragrant breeze
! The sky o,erhead. the mountain snires OF