Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-06-16
BEARS ACT AS RAFTsMEN.
Taught by an italian to Work in Log
ging Camps and on the River

Rats have taken advantage OF the
high water in the river to bring
down logs to the sawmills. The
RATS that generally come down the
creeks are handled by two men,
while on the river three and four
men are necessary. 1t was on the
Loyalsook creek, which has its head
waters in Sullivan county, and its
mouth about four miles below this
city, that the remarkable sight of
bears guiding RATS to the mills was
witnessed last week. Two bears
took one log raft down the stream
and man and bear took another.
1t remained for Posi- Punt, an
italian, to thus put bears to service.
| Posi- Punt decided that to get
dancing bear to earn a living for him
was better than working himself
He got bear and began to tour the
country. He found so many cities
and towns in Pennsylvania where
the laws prohibited acting bears"
that he reached Laporte, Sullivan
county, with no money in pocket.
Then the italian was by hunger
forced to go into the woods to
work. Punt 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 compan-
ions. Punt was somewhat afraid at
first, but soon managed to get &C
quainted" 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 Loyalsock creek to
the sawmill at Mountainville. On
one of these trips it occurred to him
that he might teach the bears how
to guide raft. He no sooner re-
turned to his mountainous home
than he started to work.
The bears had been used to hold
ing the balancing pole with their
forepaws and the next thing to do
was to teach them to use it different
ly. Last season it was not unusual |
for the people Of louisville to see a
raft going down the creek with two
men and three bears on it. Bruin,
as he called the first bear, was al
ways kept at the rear end of the
raft, and Johnny and Gussie were on
the front part.
On these trips the bears were
taught how to keep the RATS from |
running against the banks OF the |
creek and got acquainted with the
bends of the stream. Aided by signs |
and calls they became, Punt
thought, able to run raft.
He did not put them to the test
until last week. They ran the RATS
successfully. The first trip Punt
was on the same raft with the
bears and they did their work so
well that last week he made up two
RATS and started for the west branch
OF the Susquehanna river. The RATS
were Of logs and started from near
Hillsgrove.
On the first raft Bruin and
Johnny were placed. On the second,
which followed closely, Punt and
the bear Gussie were the pilots.
Punt by calling fright" and left"
told the bear at oar which way to
push or pull, while at the same time
mo. Johnny" and "No. 2 Johnny"
told the bear at the front end of the
raft on which side to use the pike
pole.
At sharp curve 20 miles from this
city log jam was observed. Punt
hurriedly tied up his raft and, run
ming ahead, succeeded in boarding
the one manned by Bruin and
Johnny. This he also ran to shore
and tied up. The jam was about
10 feet high and blocked the stream.
Punt took Johnny with him to
break the jam.
The breaking of a jam is danger
Gus thing and many fatal accidents
result. Johnny, with a pike pole,
was sent to dislodge the anchor log.
After many attempts he succeeded.
The Loyalsook creek is about 40
miles long and runs through noun
famous country, consequently the
bears were not frightened by men.
-Williamsport Pa.) Letter to N.
Y. Press.