The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-06-19
Thflrmurraf-s Star
BEARS ACT AS RAFTSMEN.
T,I-Gur ny AN ITALIAN TO WORK IN
LOGGING CAMPS AND ON THE
RIVER.

LOGGING CAMPS AND ON THE
RIVER.
williamsport PA Letter TO \. Y. Press.
Rats have taken advantage of the
high water in the river 10 bring down
logs to the saw mills. The RATS that
generally come down the creeks are
handled by two men, while on the
river three and four men are nccessa-
~. 1t was on the Loyalsook creek.
which has its headwaters in Sullivan
county, and its mouth about four
below this city. that the remarkable
sights of bears guiding RATS to the
mills was witnessed last week. Two
bears took one log raft down the
stream and a man and a bear took IN
other. 1t remained for Posi- Punt,
an Italian, to thus put bears to scryicc
Posi- Punt decided that to get Il
dancing bear to earn Il living for him
was better than working himself.
He got a bear and began to tour
the country. lie found 50 many
cities and towns in Pennsylvania
where the laws prohibited ''acting
bears" that he reached I.aporte, Sui
livan county, with no money in his
pocket. Then the Italian was by
hunger forced to 60 into the woods to
work. Ponti would not part with his
bear. Together they lived in a log
hut in the lumber camp. Six months
passed, when one day the dancing
bear was found at home with two
half-grown bear companions. Punt
was somewhat afraid at first, but soon
managed to yet acQuaintcd' with
the arrivals. He kept the three bears.
and with the aid Of the first bear he
began to teach the new ones how to
do tricks.
In the spring Punt had to pilot
RATS down the LoyalsUck creek to the
saw mill at Mountainvillc. On one
Of these trips it occurred to him that
he might teach the bears how to guide
Il raft. He no sooner returned to his
mountainous home than he started
to work. The bears had been used tC
holding the balancing poll with thciI
forepaws and the next thing to dc
was to teach them to use it different
ly. Last season it was not unusual
for the people OF louisville to see ;
raft going down the creek with two
men and three bears on it. Bruin. a:
he called the first bear, was Away.
kept at the c end of the raft, anc
Johnny and Gussic were on the from
part.
On these trips the bears were taught
how to keep the RATS from runnin!
against the banks of the creek ant
got acquainted with the bends Of til,
stream. Aided by signs and calls the.
became, Ponti thought, able to run
raft. lie did not put them to the ties
until last week. They ran the raft
successfully. The first trip Punt wa
on the same raft with the bears an,
they did their work so well that las
week he made up two RATS and start
ed for the west branch Of the Susqut
hanna river. The RATS were of log
and started from near H~illssrove.
On the first raft Bruin and john
were placed. On the second, whic
followed closely, Punt and the bca
Gussie were the pilots. Punt by Cal
ing fright" and left" told the bear 4
oar which way to push or pull, Will
at the same time ''No. Johnny" an
"NO. johnny" told the bear at I'll
front end Of the rift on which side
use the pike pole. At a sharp cur,
20 miles from this city IA log jam ";
observed. Punt hurriedly tied up h
raft and, running ahead, succeeded
boarding the onc manned by Bru
and Johnny. This lie also ran to sllo
and tied up. This jam was about
feet high and blocked the strear
Punt took johnny with him to brc;
the jam.
The breaking Of a jam is a DANCE
Gus thing and many fatal acciden
result. johnny, with a pike pole, W
sent to dislodgc the anchor log. A
ter many attempts he succeeded. It
LOyalsook creek is about 40 mil
long and runs through mountainor
country, consequently the bears we
not frightened by men.
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