The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
NOW THE LOGGING SEASON.
PARTIES OF MALNE LUMBERMEN ONO
INTO THE WOODS.

Operations Quicker Row Than in the Old
Days-Better Wages for the Men and
Better Fare, Though the Bean Pot still
Remains in Fsvor-The Round Of Work
FoxcRoFT, Me-, Aug. le-on the Piscata-
| quis branch Of the Bangor and Aroostook Rail,
road ono may almost daily parties OF hardy
looking men. zach In charge Of foreman. bound
for Moosehead Lake. They arc lumbermon
| going into the woods TO work The first crew Of
| tho season, a gang OF eighteen or twenty men,
| the advance guard Of the Bangor numbering firm
| Of White Hodgkins in their operations for the
| coming fall and winter. passed northward nearly
three weeks ago A week latJ a wagon, Ave
horses and thrco men came through Foxcroft
on their way to Moosehead Lnke. They were
part Of the same outfit and the wagon was loaded
| with harnesses, chains, blankets and grain for
| the horses during tho trip From the foot Of tho
| lake they wore TO go by steamer TO the northeast
carry at the head, and thence over the toto roads
| forty miles snrther TO the FIRST Of White & Hodg-
| kins's camps the men footing H. carrying their
] packs, the team following with the freight loaded
on wheels or on bob sleds according TO the state
| Of the rood. Other men md teams will follow
| these throughout the month. and by the middle
Of September tho three camps Of this firm will DO
| In operation with their full complement Of 100
mon and forty or nifty horsea Multiply mon and
horses by twenty and II viii give you some idea
| Of the scale on which. during tho now
opened, the collective numbering operations win
DO conducted on tho Penobsoot upper watera
Tako tho camps Of White q Hcdgkins a. an
illustration Of up-to-date Maine numbering In tho
timber wooda When tho last Of their logs cut
last season had been landed al tho rollways at
the end Of March, roady to be tumbled into the
water and driven TO Oldtown after tho ice sh ould
have left the streams six months supplies Of
provisions, hay and grain for tho next seasons
operations had been hauled on tho snow 10 the
camps and stored there 100 tons in all Tho
camps arc about ten miles apart and at zach Of
them trustworthy man has been stationed
carekeeper through the spring and summer.
After the winter SHOWS have lode good Shedding
the rest Of the supplies for the present and
for six months Of the next will DO hauled into tho
woods 70 the campa
As tho successive installments Of men and teams
arrive al the camps the choppers begin the telling
Of timber trees, the swampers begin clearing and
loveling the roadways and ards and the team
sters and tenders start hauling and yarding the
loga Tho timber trees selected are pine, spruce
and cedar. and Of these White Hodgkins will
cut about 5000. 900 feet this season. Tho logs
yarded In vast piles laid lengthwiso in tiers
and held In place by skids They arc hauled
from the choppings on slods by teams Of pair OF
rope reeved through block and tackle pulls tho
logs into place upon the upper tiers Tho horses
used In the woods arc largo, Ono animals OF tho
drayhorse type, and they well handled, groomed
and fed. While the men arc toiling at their out
ofdoor work tho cook at the camp with his helper
the oookee arc busily preparing their meals
Tho faro In logging camps to-day is widely
improved from tho primitive staples bean s.
bread, salt pork, molasses and tea on which the
woods cook Of a third Of century ago rung his
changea Now fresh meat vegetables butter,
dried fruits and sugar arc provided, and pastry
and buildings arc part Of the MONDAY meal. In
stead Of tho open stone fre place in which all tho
cooking was done in the old days Of logging. tho
camp Is fitted with a modern range on which tho
cook performs his wondera But thero is ono
immemonh feature Of the woods cuisine that
first and last has always held first plaoa This 10
baked beans. and by every camp is the little shed
sheltenng tho bean hole in which tho covered
kettle Of beans and pork, with dash OF molasses,
is buried over night beneath the embers which
cook tho contents to the finest turn. The camp
Of logs, with its two long sleeping hunks ono
above the other cling TO the wall in which the mon
sleep side by side on hemlock boughs; its floors OF
poles hewn fiat upon tho upper side, and the table
set with tin plates cups and spoons hasn't changed
much with the years except that camps arc moro
spacious now. Old lumbermen like sometimes
10 recount their experiences in early days whom
a crew of twenty-five men al a camp was regarded
as large one, and all tho hauling of logs and
freight was done by oxen.
Whom first went TO work In tho woods aftv
years ago only oxen were used for hauling At tho
camps" a veteran lumber operator said the other
day. mo ono thought of beginning the winters
work until tho first SHOWS had fallen so that sup
plies could DO sledded into the woods For haul
ine logs team of eight oxen WAS yoxed IN . abort
sled and IL pulled tho load along by sheer strength
There was no yardine of logs such as Ia done
today, and they mostly were hauled directly
from where they were cut 10 the landing. Tolond
the sled for each trp TO the landing th. oxen Ind
10 be taken from the polo and made to drag the
logs upon the sled You've seen oxen under
the yoke. and know how deliberately thew NOVA
You can Judge then how slow a process the load |
ing and hauling of logs WAS when ve demanded |
on them Tho sleds and yokes W. made .ft.,
arriving at the camps-tbe sleds without an atom |
of iron In them except the cleyis min At the end
of the tongue. tho yokes entirely Of wood The