Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-31
OFF FOR THE LUMBER CAMPS
Many Men Now Leaving for the Upper Water.
Of the kennebec.

Nearly every day now a few INN
perlheh are seen going through his
VI! on the trains bound for the unna,
waters OF the kennebec and Penohsc,,
To remain for the winter in tho lun,h.,
camps Not a few men from mi, ..;,,.
so INTO the camps. every winter
Life in n Maine lumber c,,,n =,
though by no means the n,.,,.a,.
method one could choose for nassi,.,
n,e WINTER rs far from being the ter
.'ole thihS which many imagine. II
iS' Tor instance. far less disapr.eah hi.
IMAM HE on vessel which plies m
anu down the bleak North Atlanta.
coast during the cold weather. Tho
me Oh seaman is full of hard
Shlps which are real and ,ons,,n,
: compared with his daily routine mar
ucularly in stormy weather. Tho evils
tenre of Maine lumberm,p is ;do
and luxurious.
III the Hrst place, practically all tho
lumber camps of today feed their men
/ "iuth better than many of The So.
called hotels which are to he found IN
rufal communities. Years ago. bcfor.
the luxury microbe had gotten in hi.
work to such an extent as at the pres-
''' 'i''ie' the larder at many of the
camps was scanty in the extreme. Sal,
w ana baked beans formed the
pf'h'lpai articles of diet and there was
iittle else beside. All that is changed
now, however
ne average lumber operator realizes
'i''t III order to do their best work his
crews must be properly fed. He raa-
sons mat the more nourishin- food
'h'N get me more work they will do
ana as Il consequence he sees that they
snail nave nothing to complain of in
'he way OF eatables. In nearly an Of
me camps four meals are. served .
DAY: breakfast. generally before day-
hight. luncheon of ginr.rhr.,d ana
tea during the forenoon. dinner II ~.
middle Of the day and supper at night
when the days work has been com
pleted.
me weeks menu nowadays gen
orally comprises fresh and corned
'ecl' salt fish. baked beans. preserves
or pruneS. baked bread. pickles rin
Serbread and plenty of tea and cnffe.
~ many of the camps canned meats
ana vegetables are also used 10 n
greater or less extent.
Ihe baked beans viii, n arr served 10
Maine lumbermen are famous an over
the nited States and beside. them m.
much boosted Boston article, looks like
~ cents on a Wet bar The beans ar.
baked in a hole in the ground ara
covered over with Goals and are al
= IN ,
Most of the woods cooks are ~
'reiheiy prohclent in cooking beans in
inns manner and the average woods
man Is extremely fond of them.
Perhaps the hardest single thing in
the life of the lumbcrman is the Num-
Der of hours in which he IL actually ar
work every day. At all well reru-
lated camps the men are aroused.
gwen breakfast and started out in
season to begin work at the stump BY
daylight From then until darkness
settles down into the woods they are
engaged in hard. muscle straininc
work, which. however, renders them
as tough as hickory nuts and rs
healthy as ii is possible for man to be
Few Of them are ever heard to COM
FihiIl vi NIf ldDtl, dttnouSh II would
be physically impossible for men who
fancy that they can do pretty good
days work here in the city. too
The popularity of Maine lunbermen.
and perhaps of mmbermen all over the
world. is that few OF them save even
IN" smallest portion Of their winters
wages. when camp is once broken ana
they get back to civilization again
BY far the greater majority of them
prefer to spend the whole amount in a
few days wild debauchery and then
return to the woods or to the drive
again. 1t has been 50 ever since the
numbering industry first was COM
menced in Maine and there seems 10
be little likelihood but what the prac-
tice will continue until the end Of the
chapter.