The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-25
DANGERS OF LoG-DRIVING.
How Mnny Adirondack WOodsmen
RIsk Their Live. Ench Spring.

How Many Adirondack WOodsEnen
Risk Their Live, Each Spring.
UTICA. y y. March 25.-Hundreis Of
thousands Of logs are piled along the
lakes and streams in the Great North
Woods waiting for the spring food To
move them down to the mills The dan
gerous work Of the log drivers VIII soon
commence and then for month these
men viii scarcely De allowed an oppor-
tunity for rest. I was pretty actiFe at
driving logs back in the '7as," says d.
Frank Sperry, of Old Forge. and in
those days l grew 10 look upon Beaver
River as being the hottest stream that
ran cut Of the woods Norcross K Sar-
ders began running logs on the river in
ISL. and many have been drowned there.
Five men were drowned last year II
hasn't very great volume Of water, but
there are some mighty bad holes. Take
Eagles Falls ana Devils Hole, for eX-
ample Only one or two men ever went
through them and lived They lumber
this country further up now than We
used to We would put logs IN at Still
water or Sunday Lake camp. and some
times at Alder Creek. When the break
up would come in the spring we would
have between 100000 and 100000 feet Of
lumber in logs ready 10 90 down 70 the
big mills at Beaver River
The first really bad hole we struck
was at Eagles Fails below No l. II was
lust below Beaver Lake. In the lake We
would get the logs Strengthened out for
a run through that hole. In about 800
yards the stream falls eighty feet, and a
man could never live 10 go through the
place with the logs. / have seen hundreds
of logs 90 end over end there, and il was
& great sight too.
"A gang Of us was working on q jam
q the fails at one time when the logs
stared without warning. We dropped
everything and ran for our lives Five of
the boys could not get away in time.
though, and they went down with the logs
riliES and pitching over their heads
There were 50 many logs that we say
only one Of the men. ana his head came
mp Just as the water carried him around
under the ledge. That accident took the
heart ont of us for the rest Of the winter
for after You live with those fellows a
while they grow 20 be like brothers 10
you
From Eagles Falls II was seven miles
to Devil Hole and just above il was 4
long stretch of aldeTS and sJiu water
where the logs would ride as prettily as
though they were canoes Devils Hole was
as bad Il = its name, there were bad RAPIDS
whirlpOOls, and bad looking rocks Often
we used 10 let men down on long jams
here with ropes attached TO their waists
and high up on the bank few men
would stand ready 10 pull the man out
when the jam started They put me IN
! TINS mole once Win Il rope around me i
/ worked one log loose and as the water
/ started / nearly lost my feet There was
! q SQueaking and TumbNng and j
! mighty roar and the men pulled me out
Wet and bruised.
Prom Devils Hole it was ten miles TO
the mills and we had to pass another bad
hole at Belle Fort Here the river whirIS
/ ana winds around the rocks and the
channel is crooked.
The best log driver I ever knew was
/ Frank Cunningham He came from Lew
/ istOn Me in 1871. Albert 9. Eaton who
| numbered on the otter Greek region,
| brought him along with John AcBeth,
| John Walker Billy Harris and several
| others otter Creek was a dangerous
stream and fun of rough water
! Cunningham and McBeth finally went
| over ON Moose River and remained for
| some years. we used TO start logs al the