San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-02-13
Chr Gully eight.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY ID, '95
GRUB IN A LUMBER CAMP.
Observations of a New York Sports
man Lately Home from the
Maine Woods.

AUOuU VIC lOuE III 3 N"'AP
was my headquarters for three
weeks" said a New Yorker just re-
turned from hunting trip among
the Penobscot upper waters, 1.-THE
snow lay foot deep on the ground
for the last fortnight Of my stay.
/ found two men in charge OF the
camp, and the other twenty COM
posing the crew arrived and began
work on the first day that snow
fell, There were French-C anadi-
ans, Irishmen from Bangor and
towns along the Penobscot River,
and native state Of Maine men in
about equal numbers. Dried apple
sauce, potatoes, onions, ginger
bread and flap-jacks were constant
elements in the bill Of fare, and all
the cooking, with one exception,
was done, and we'll done, on the
spacious range duly set up in the
cooks house. But for that crown
ing dish OF the lumberman's daily
fare, baked pork and beans, moth
ing would do but the ime.honored
method OF the bean hole. A suit.
able spot near the cook house hav.
ing been selected, and the snow
shoveled away, fire was built.
When it died down deep bowl
shaped hole was dug in the center,
and filled with hot embers. The
cook had already prepared the
beans by first soaking them in cold
water, then parboiling them until
the skins wrinkled and would
easily rub off. In the bottom Of a
large earthen pot which, miracul-
ously as it seemed, had survived
the jolting Of the long trip over
the rough wood roads, an onion
was placed, and the beans were
then turned in, filling the vessel
to within inches Of the rim. Up
on the beans abundant thick strips
of salt pork slashed with knife
were laid, and on these was poured
a half pint Of molasses. An earth
en- cover was set on the pot, and
the beans were in readiness for the
baking.
ain the hole the embers, when
reduced to hot ashes, were scraped
aside, the pot was set in the eXca.
Walton, and the ashes packed solid
ly about it and above the cover to
the ground level. Then the fire
was rebuilt above them and kept
slowly burning by adding now
and then fresh log. After TWEEN
ty-four hours the Goals were raked
away, the pot taken out and its
contents were revealed as those
delicious, brown, thoroughly cooked
beans that, to the man who knows
what's good, fully justify the
eco NUNS the true New Eng
lander is ever ready to bestow up
on his faVOrite and characteristic
dish. When the beans were served
| observed that some of the men
were not content with the enrich
ment impaired to the dish by the
sweetening put in before the bak-
ing, and poured molasses on their
beans at the table, common Gus
tom among the Maine lumbermen,
"hOoC OlCI 10 OhO w OhoDIO
them to withstand severe cold, as
well as long hours OF hard work.
zone feature in the food supply
OF the Maine logging camp could
not quite approve. The day before
| started to leave the woods a
hunter, evidently native Of the
region, brought to the camp, on
hand sled, the headquarters Of
moose, and l learned, though not
from him, you may be sure, that
he was relied on to supply the
camp with fresh moose and deer
meat throughout the winter. Later
in the season, when the snow is
deep, and a crust has formed that
will bear man on snow shoes, he
would have an easy time in pro.
curing meat, it was said, for the
deer and moose found in their
yards would be unable to escape
through the surrounding snow.
As the close time for big game be-
gins on January l, | wondered not
little at this calm defiance Of the
game laws, a proceeding which
seems to be winked at, or which
wardens can not prevent in case
OF numbering camps. An instance
OF the slaughter Of helpless animals
that came to my knowledge was
the killing Of sixty deer after close
time last winter, in the Township
Of Bowerbank, Me.
"In the way of a queer forest
dainty, l was taken aback by a
performance saw one day where
the men were working. One OF the
swampers, in cutting road for
the hauling Of logs to the runway,
felled dead beech tree, which
breaking as it struck the ground
lnA L.. IL al.