The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1901-03-14
Pine Woods
In MidWinter
v. L. PALMER, in Gateway Magazine.

- q PIulAAC SOuliul y HdNC DuU
meagre conception of life in the
pine woods in winter. During the
summer season these dense for.
ests are given over to the birds,
animals and Indians, but when
Boreas commences his annual
rounds the scene soon changes,
and the slumberjack," with all
the appurtenances thereunto be.
longing, takes the floor and holds
undisputed sway until spring APP.
pears.
The pine forests Of Northern
Minnesota we're never more live.
/ " than they are this winter.
Within the boundaries Of Beltra.
mi and Itasca counties no less
than five thousand men are EN-.
ployed at the present time in
bringing to earth the denizens Of
the forest. 1t would be a revala,
ton to the pilgrim to visit this
region in midwinter. Take a
stroll with the writer through the
various logging camps see the
sights and absorb the balsam-
laden ozone of a really foreign
latitude to you.
This is the headquarters camp
of one of the most prominent log
ging firms in the entire North
west. About three hundred men
are employed by this firm.
"Where are they" do you ask?
Oh, just wait until dusk and you
will be satisfied that they are
very much in evidence. That
crowd coming down the lake?
They are not Indians; they are
"lumberjacks.'' Don't turn pale!
They are the best hearted fellows
on earth and as harmless as kit
tens; but if they knew you were
green they would have all kinds
of sport with you.
Hello, Tom; how are you,
Jack; Pete, you look tired. Say,
fellows, I brought you out a little
holiday elixir. Isn't that swell?"
swell, old man, we should say
SOP .s.e
"Mr. Foreman, this is an old
friend of mine, and he is up here
to see the sights and to cure the
consumption. . "
tsCome right in and make your
selves at home. Haven't the best
of accommodations, but we eat
once in awhile only five times a
day, though. =
Nearly two hundred hungry
men are soon seated about six
long, heavily laden tables and
proceed to help themselves to the
abundance Of well cooked prov
ender that soon grows rapidly
less in bulk.
Pipes are then Forthcoming and
everybody begins to relate the
days experiences: Sam got hurt
by falling limb; Bob cut his
foot with an ak; Jim played sec
ond to a big log that rolled over
him; Dan lost a couple of fingers
by getting them tangled up in a
snatch chain, and the other fel-
lows nagged him to a frenzy for
his carelessness; a friend bound
up his bleeding hand, while an
other hitched horse to a pole
jumper for the purpose of taking
him to the hospital where he
could be properly patched up.
The balance of the evening was
spent at cards, checkers and
other games, and at 9 o'clock a
stampede was made to the sleep
ing apartments, where the two
hundred tired men were sound
asleep within very few minutes.
At 4 o'clock the next morning
they were called from their slum-
bers and were soon partaking of
the morning meal. Ats o'clock
they were on the road to their
work, and an hour later were
battling the giants OF the forest.
The men work in gangs. There
are the swampers, underwriters,
leaders, skidders, team
sters, landing men, etc. The
swamper cuts out roads and the
brush around the trees and trims
the limbs from the trees after
they are felled; the undercutter
chops a notch in the tree, indi
eating the direction in which the
shall fall the tree. Two
then attack the tree, two
feet in diameter, each at an end
Of a seven foot crosscut saw, and
it falls to the ground in two min
utes and twelve seconds by the
watch. Then they measure off a
log sixteen feet in length and
make the cut in seventy-two Sec
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