The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-07-16
Mike ano
the BanShee.
An Incident Of Logging Camp
Life In the Sierra
Nevada.

An Incident Of Logging Camp
Life In the Sierra :!
. Nevada. .
! BY JOHN HAMMOND HAMLIN. :
%.A.\.H.A.%.%.H.~.~.%.%.%.\.%
Scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada
mountains are numerous sawmills, which
are making extensive inroads upon the
magnificent tracts Of timber land. The
chain of mountains abounds In pictur-
esque scenes, evergreen trees, gigantic
and medium sized, and fuzzy little thick
cts of diminutive saplings clothe the en-
tire range, barring the bald, snow capped
peaks and the acres cleared by the hand
of man.
The State Line sawmills are perhaps
as we'll known as any other on the
Truckee river, stream that runs a
dozen or more like institutions along
the eastern slopes Of the sierras. For
matter Of convenience the site of the
State Line mills is situated on the banks
Of the Truckee and within few hundred
feet of the Southern Pacific railway, in
surfing an abundance of water power and
a ready means Of shipping lumber. But
the logging camp is perched way up near
the snow line, and access to 1t is impos-
sible by vehicle on account Of the steep,
broken contour of the mountainous dis
trict OF course it is very essential that
the logging camp be kept well supplied
with provisions, and, as there are never
fewer than 80 hearty and vigorous men
of fhoir uor iO a CHS
ing the virgin forests for the saw, you
can imagine what a quantity of food is
required to keep the larder well stocked.
The mode of conveying all kinds Of
supplies to the airily located camp is by
train Of seven pack mules-small, wiry
creatures that are strong and agile and
quite capable of carrying a burden equal
to their own weight up the arduous noun
tain trail that coils in a tortuous fashion
from the mill up the high mountains to
the rough log cabins which constituted
the loggers' domain. A sight long to be
remembered are these donkeys, laden
with cumbersome pack saddles, piled high
with miscellaneous goods, carefully pick
ing their way up the dizzy trail. You
wonder that such tiny creatures can stag
ger under the loads, let alone their climb
1uR jill dlu1OSL pei pGllOACuA0A uoSNAlS
1t is no easy thing to pilot a train Of
mules up narrow mountain trail. They
cannot be hurried out of a slow, slow
walk, frequently coming to halt and
occasionally lying down in the middle of
the trail This last act is exceedingly
aggravating, as the pack has to be re-
moved before the donkey can arise again.
With all the trials and tribulations con-
ah olnnor
splendidly as muleteer of the State Line
pack train--a big, cheerful man, with a
deep, sonorous voice that each individual
donkey had grown to understand. His
Hello, Jinnyp' rang out like a rich toned
bell and urged on the mules when lash
would not have availed in the least.
Every day the trip had to be made.
Besides the provisions for the men, there
were 20 head of oxen and as many horses
to be supplied with provender. One day
the superintendent of the logging camp,
while down on a visit to the mills, hap
pened to observe a drove Of pigs roofing
about the boarding house. He suggested
to his employers that it would be an ex-
ce1lent idea to have a few of them up at
camp, as there was plenty of refuser
from the tables to keep them fat and his
men would appreciate fresh pork now and
then. The mill owners agreed with him,
and so begins the real motive Of this tale.
1t was next to impossible to drive pigs
along a wide, level roadway. 1t was ut
terly impossible to drive them up the
mule trail. How, then, could these ten
fat young porkers, weighing from 30 to
rs pounds each, be transported from
their present field to the logging camp?
The men gave it up as an unsolved rid
die. Just then French Joe's voice sang
out q loud ''Holloa, jimmy" and the SUI
perintendent exclaimed: 1.-THE pack mules!
That's the thing. Box the pigs up and
load 'em on Joe's donkeys. What could
be simplerW
Easily said, but the weary corps of
men that caught and boxed those slip
perry, noisy shotes declared that it was
the hardest days work they ever expert
enced French Joe wore a look Of dis
gust. "MorbIeu! nevair before see re
pig packed re mule on. Nevair, by gar!'
Nevertheless the Grated porkers were
hoisted upon the pack saddles, two for
each mule. Barring an occasional grunt
or a faint squeal, the pigs, tired out after
their valiant struggles against capture,
gave no signs Of displeasure at their Pc
culiar position. The funny little donkeys,
accustomed to burdens varying from
fresh meat to cord wood, seemed quite in
different to the oddness of their live
freight.
French Joe's good natured smile
wreathed his broad face once more as he
beheld the comical array of pig laden
mules. 1T ees vera funny, zis ting, but
it ees again like what | nevair see before.
Re mule will not pleased be if re pig
squeal in re ears.
The afternoon was well advanced when
Joe sang out his "IIolloa, Jinnyl Come,
Cayusew which started the mule train
on its difficult climb up the mountain
trail. The trail zgzags beneath tower
ing pines up very steep slope, then it
winds along canyon for mile, ascends
another pitch and finally traverses
broad, wooded plateau, comparatively
level, at the extreme end of which, on
slight rise, is the logging camp.
French Joe always rode In the wake OF
the train on a mouse colored donkey. The
narrowness of the trail prevented him
from passing the burdened animals, so he
had to content himself with shouting
vociferously at the mules as they slowly
moved over their daily route. In spite
of all his precautions one beast calmly
laid down at the steepest part of the first
pitch. Joe was compelled to remove the
pig freight and clumsy pack saddle before
the erring mule could regain an upright
position In the first place the train had
started late. This delay and the uncom-
mon deliberateness of the whole string OF
mules consumed q great deal more time.
Joe's stock of patience began to ebb. His
ready tongue poured forth q surprising
mixture of French and English interjee-
tons as the twilight threw gloomy shad-
ows throughout the silent forest. When
the lead mule topped the final declivity
and passed beneath the great pines which
studded the plateau, it was quite dark.
Now Joe thought it ample time to use
other means than his voice to urge the
slothful donkeys onward so he alighted
from his riding animal, gathered peck
etful of rocks and mounted again. he
had practiced this method before and
knew that singing blow from stone
had its effect
The very first stone he threw crashed
through the stats of one of the pig boxes,
and its effect was indeed telling. All the
way up the consignment Of swine had
emitted scarcely a grunt, and such q
piercing squeal, coming SO suddenly from
the stricken pig, electrified the staid dom
key upon whose back he was strapped,
| AS Joe had prophesied. re mule will not
pleased be If re pig squeal in 20 ears"
The mule snorted hoarsely. He jump
ed forward against the one In front OF
him. The pig squealed again-a terrific,
maddened squeal. that did not die away,
but grew more ear splitting than at first.
/ livery mule In that heretofore snail-like