Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-02-13

HJOR1H HJORYESEU'S ADVENTURE.

By HUGH W. BEAL.

Ihe Fine Mountain olue, Nnie
long, carries logs from the summit 10
Beaver Basin, small, deep pond, ~
miles above Bloomfield.
The slide is a little over three feet
wide. Where it's steep trough Is
straight the sides are about two feet
| high. They rise to four feet on two
curves, where the flying logs rise as
They thrash around" and'a new direc-
ton. Logs usually run the Pine Foun-
tain Side in from 70 to 80 seconds.
Their. friction on its smooth and
close-jointed bottom is lessened by a
stream of water about one inch deep
at the head. This is conducted to the
slide from large spring high on the
mountain. Because Of leakage this
rivulet is not more than quarter
of an inch deep at the lower end.
Through and over this shallow
stream the logs fly with spurts OF
spray. The little current does moth
ing to propel them. only serving 10
save the bottom of the slide.
Duringthe highest third of its length
the trough, here straight and very
steep, crosses two tremendous gorges
on trestlework. Touching the face
Of the mountain, it runs close to the
ground on gradually lessenlns
slope. Then, turning to the left. it
renews the quickness Of its fall while
being carried along the wall OF
precipice by iron supports clamped
to the rock.
Again touching solid ground. it
passes a promontory, runs 300 yards
straight. and again turns to the left.
Thence it -,lns straight out on
trestlework and shoots its logs into
Beaver Basin from height OF ~
feet.
Here Is an amazing spectacle when
the logs follow one another quickly.
Some far outjunlp the rest some
turn over and over as they fall,
few "skitter" on the water as do nat
stones thrown swiftly near the surface.
Many, after disappearing, spring out
to nearly their whole length, and
slap loudly down.
On the shore near the mouth of the
slide there is log shanty where five
raftsmen live, and near the head of
the Glide is another shanty occu-
pied by the gang employed in canting
logs. iuto the entrance of the chute.
The foreman of the gang was big
Peter Hicks. Sober, Feter was
peaceable, generous man, with no
worse fault than turn for rough
Joking. Drunk, Peter seemed to de-
light in bullying and cruelty.
Now whiskey was easily obtained
from the owner of an Illicit still in a
gloomy ravIne halfway UP the noun
tain. Hence Hicks frequently began
the morning with a dram sss.lss,
Among the men placed under Hicks
by the general oyerseer was one
Hjorth Hjoryesen, Norwegian not
20 years of age. He was too reserved
and laconic to be popular, but he was
respected for his frugality and
strength.
AS his mind was sternly bent on i'm
proving his English and gaining
enough money to buy farm. the fair.
haired blue:eyed youth spent none OF
his time or means in dissipation.
When THE days work was done he
devoted his himself to his English
reader and grammar, never disturbed
by the talk in the shanty, but some
times interrupted by vision of his
old mother and Ingeborg and Hans
and the baby.
Hjorth never lay down to sleep
without reckoning the days wages in
with his little savings, and thinking
how all those yellow heads at home
were so much nearer the wide farm
in the west that he meant some day
to own.
Big Peter Hicks. drinking when
ever he had chance, felt rebuked by
the severe sobriety of this youth. On
first arriving, Hjorth had silently re-
fused several invitations to drink.
He had not even returned thanks.
Being taunted with this apparent rude
ness, he had gravely explained that
he did not believe any man should
give thanks for the offer of poison.
From that hour Hicks resolved to
drive Hjorth out of the gang.
With this object, the foreman
piled" work on the lad. Hjorth, in
the pride of his strength, regarded
this as compliment to his powers.
and encountered every task with
| good humor.
Then Hicks imposed on Htorth the
duty Of inspecting the slides. 1t needed
petty repairs two or three times a
week, and all these were not likely to
be noticed on one inspection trip. In
finding something overlooked by the
lad, Hicks expected to get an excuse
for discharging him.
Nearly all day logs were running in
the slide. Then nobody could walk in
it.. But it had to be, inspected while
moving logs gave indications of loose
ends or bolts. Therefore line Of
blanks was laid outside on the ends
of the crosspieces that supported the
bottom of squared timbers. No man
of weak nerve could walk along these
single planks across several deep
chasms.
The triwcekly inspection usually be-
gan about two hours before time to
stop work. During the last hour no
logs were, launched. This enabled
Hjorth to walk back inside the trough
and drive loose bolts. or make any
other necessary repairs.
One Thursday evening dn November
Hicks and four of his gang left the
camp cabin. and were absent all
night. The next morning only four
men, one of whom was Hjorth
Hjoryesen, presented themselves to
launch trees.
The general overseer thereupon
gave the Norwegian the office form
erly possessed by Hicks.
At noon the missing men appeared,