Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-01-10

| long, carries logs from the summit to
! Beaver Basin, small, deep pond, oO
/ 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 new direc-
tion. Logs usually run the Pine Foun-
tain Side in from 20 to 80 seconds.
Their friction on it's smooth and
close-jointed bottom is lessened by
stream of water about one inch deep
at the head. This is conducted to the
slide from large spring high on the
mountain. Because oil leakage this
rivulet is not moro 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 to
save the bottom Of the slide.
During the highest third of it's 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 a gradually lessenlng
slope Then, turning to the left. it
renews the quickness of it's fall while
being carried along the wall of a
precipice by iron supports clamped
to the rock.
Again touching solid ground, it
passes promontory, runs 800 yards
straight, and again turns to the left.
Thence it runs straight out on
trestlework and shoots it's logs into
Beaver Basin from a height of 30
feet.
Here Is an amazing spectacle when
the logs follow one another quickly.
Some far outjump the rest, some
turn over and over as they fall, a
few "skitter" on the water as do flat
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 a log shanty where five
! raftsmen live. and near the head of
the cllde is another shanty occu-
PlCu NY tHc StHeo cu IL Noi'iiis
logs iuto the entrance of the chute.
The foreman of the gang was big
Peter Hicks. Sober, Peter was a
peaceable, generous man, with no
worse fault than a 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.
| Among the men placed under Hicks
by the general overseer 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 a 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 a compliment to his powers.
good humor.
Then Hicks imposed on Hjorth the
duty of inspecting the slides. II 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 discharglng him.
Nearly oil day logs were running In
the slide. Then nobody could walk In
II. But IL had to be inspected while
moving logs gave indications OF loose
ends or bolts. Therefore line of
planks was laid outside on the ends
OF the crosspieces that supported the
bottom OF squared timbors. No man
/ OF weak nerve could walk along these
single planks across several deep
ehaama