New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-21
A TERRIBLE RIDE.
PLUNGING DOWN A MOUNTAIN SIDE ON
A LOG.

LOG
Belefonte PENN correspondence Of The Phila-
deIphia Times.
In these days of modern appliances and Der.
fected means Of travel by steam and electricity,
mutiatng distance at the rate o. a nile minute
or even more is considered nothing 70 startling
but the rapid transit ana the rnodus operandl
herman In the wifs OF the Allegheny Mountains
ELI elm \ ' ''1'
age. He IS the Of a farmer from one Of the
most rural districts of this county. big. rawboned
and fearless of anything on top Of earth. As With
all farmers. with this one; work during no
an extra penny for himself, determined late In
the fall Of 1896 and with the opening Of the lum.
p se @n feaS e. In umbeng as in eypS
other kind of employment. experience counts FOR
great deal and the INEXPERIENCED. or 'green.esv
as they are termed in the lumbcfmen's camp, are
not deemed capable of performing the work " an
old hand at the business. and so are generally put
hi work on something more simple
Fifteen and twenty years ago numbering was
vastly different in the Areghanies from what II i
to-day Then virgin forests covered the entire
range Of mountains and the lumbermen had only
to select the timber nearest 10 some stream and
10 market was a question OF minor importance
Now owing 10 the fact that all the timber along
logs 10 water Is one OF the graycst questions con-
fronting the lumberman; Where practicabls' what
a re termed "log drives" erected for THIS pur.
nose A log drive Is simply constructed by lay-
ing two heWed logs alongside each other, IN
,rail out from the camp 10 the nearest stream
sometimes five. eight or ten mIles a@aye mes
drives are usually prepared early IN Inc ran and
when the first fall Of snow comes they are put "a
condition for use by haunhs n 'tas e''nt De-
tween them. which packs down the snow. On ths
water Is poured and allowed TO freeze mo result
being a rude trough OF zee over "nlch ne 9gs
Glide down grade with startling sWtiness. But
these drives are not all down grade Perhaps han
tho distance will he up grade, and 70 get the og
nm the mountain teams OF horses are used. After
the logs rolled into the drive tcam Is ntcned
to a log with perhaps 100 ahead OF H. according 70
ha ID
whole string is pushed to me op !, %as '2 s,
with the following thrilling eXperieh
on A LOG DRIVE.
with a canthook he was to follow the first log
as a sort OF steerer whose duty u was 10 80 that
al Wss Ven ,now or wood, with hs nook he would
loosen il 40 that the trail would come on When
ep G ncntV TO do TO keep him busy bur Il rhee
H. lots of snow and cold weather the slide Is usu-
Sln'yy,abiv has only the monotony OF trampng along
side and watching the logs glIae a59s I'd srss;.
wood evidently tired with so much iramping ie-
termined 10 use the logs as mean' o. more more
go he team away back OUT Of sight s~eet~ood
climbed on the foremost ios ana eolt 'aru.s. s
himself how much nicer ii was than Uidsins
In this pleasant mood he either forFo' .ha' wsss
the logs reached the top Of the inc.lne S1 DesSs
to descend the grsde their transit s19SsshA ID M
else he was 80 ,o2rn, Shde he va
pe thar as it may however. when the FIRST Jog
went over the incline ahd ptkau s''Is ~ a..
Swaetwood was still on II, ana before ~ So.sS u :,
n,o,,n, Inc log was going al such speed tnat
| even try 10 get of meant death; - A..
In this dilemma all that could be con. was ., 70
baId an like grim death and await the worst, Hnlch
-, ali intents seemed death IN some form OF o,n-r
| and most likely most horrible deats. an 81 ~
express trains electricity or rapid transit N any o.
| ~ vsrious forms they not in II WIKI me way
that log trail went down me m3uhtasn aus IN
the summit 70 the west branch OF ne Susq !ehanhA
where the drive ended. was at leas, SIX g .iaso
| IA in most places the drive was qlit" s'fsp
diau momentum with every foot OF its de.
scent the log with sweetwooG on II Sped On a. ss,
snos xifh such startling rapidly that they
Seemed rs one solid blurred wall; the STOW wa;
Ill glare of white the log drive ltsslt se-tned
o0,,iy a 5imlnutive line, only family diseernio.e,
winding in and out IKE huge spake az s.tesDea
am behind Ike the tail Of bob-tal horse he
v,ind sang deafening in his ears ana amos!
! blinded him with is velocity WINE t'F "'''