New-York tribune., 1900-08-27
MATNEs LOG DRIVE OVER,
THE SEASON ENDS WITH AUGUsT-cHANGEs
AMONG THE DRIVERS.

THE SEASON ENDS WITH AUGUsT-CHANGEs
AMONG THE DRIVERS.
Bangor. Me- Aug 8 CspeciaD.-The last drive
Of logs that from the West Branch, Is in, the
river drivers have all been paid and the
streets Of Bangor full Of those hardy daring
fellows who navigate che lumber crop from the
far away headwaters through the rushing.
bling torrents TO the Penobscot boom. whence the
logs are distributed the mills The principal
drives on this river from the East and West
branches the Mattawamkeag, Pisca taquis. Passa-
duukeaR and Pleasant rivers.
Driving logs Is a laborious and often dangerous
the logs is over ana tne ice pound streens cam ana ana
brooks are full Of the great spruce pine and hen5
driver one must be active fearless and not afraid
of cold water and hard work The drivers are
generally young men, largely Of Irish descent, from
French and Prince Edward Islanders The best
drivers in the world IT is generally admitted are
ice in the streams begins TO break up the crews;
with their bosses, go 10 the headWaters, part OF
the way by rail, then by team, in batteaux or on
logs in the quick water and follow them down
stream Il there were no falls no Iedges & or othes
single log OF the rushing sticks on the edge
Of othera 4 are e theTe6g stopped and What is known
Jam ensues The jam must be broken al al! an
hazards, and some must as rule, 90 OUT
upon the logs at the risk Of his life and with an
1mpeent IN knoWm "a & as & rnisstep or the
obstructng log yields suddenly and unexpectedly.
under the whiriing and is seen aIye
If his body is recovered II is not unul
many weeks afterward. mangled beyond recogh-
ton.
When the driver starts from Bangor he is
equipped with the best pair OF boots that money
can buy. with the soes thicky studded with steel
calks, sharp brads. to enable MIN 10 stand on
the slippery and often icy logs When ne comes
back the boots generally full Of little Sits at
the which he has cut TO allow the water 10
From the day the logs started to the day they
reach the boom the driver is seldom or never dry,
but he seldom or never catches cold His Work
begins in the latter part Of April and lasts until
the middle OF August, II he is on the West Branch,
the longest drive Wages in former times were
often receiving a much s. a day. Now the best
men get about s. 80 s. IS a day, and others as
low as 81 75 Woodsmen eat beans three times
day; drivers, four times, for the drivers day Is
longer than the swingers'
In old times II the fashion for all nearly
all of the drivers have a great spree when they
returned Bangor and got their pay anywhere
from $50 $500. all in lump; but il is diff
fereuf. Twenty the arrival OF the West
Branch drive the signal for general and
bur this week there is scarcely ripple OF excite
n1ent There Is drinking. but most Of the
men find a better for their money, being fonder
of good clothes and other comforts than the
old timers Formerly every driver wore flaming
red shirt. now they any kind that suits them
and red is not popular. Up 70 few years
tbe driver came wearing his calked boots
and every saloon and hotel floor where they trod
and ali the floors and cushioned Of the rail-
rad cars punched full of little holes Then
from wearing their armored footeear into the
dnes of civilization. and they have 10 change boots
lIp river come into Bangor IN their stocking
feet