Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-11


nae River" said E. C.
Baker, Of Plattsburg, re-
sently, in describing the operations Of
Oggers in the Adlrondacks. "a log
swung across the verge of the last
precipice at High Falls, and over 4O
lO0 pieces became massed In a solid
'ormation there is the narrow gorge,
We did not use dynamite in those days,
aud nothing could be done to break
he jam except to cut out the log which
leld the key to the situation.
"A volunteer was called for, and
Henry Martin was the only driver who
offered to chop the offending log away.
large rope was thrown across the
liver and held at either end by men.
Martin lashed himself to the rope, was
lrawn to the centre of the gorge and
owered to the verge of the preciplce.
Martin chopped there for two hours,
Turing which all of us were in ter
.ible suspense. and then the log
mapped in two The thousands Of
pieces which were thus released, pushed
)y the great accumulation of water,
vent tumbling. laundering and groan-
ng like an avalanche over the preci-
DlCe.
"As the log snapped Martin gave the
signal and the rope was hauled taut
5y the watchful men on the banks of
he river. The logger swung in mid
lir and was pulled ashore amid the
welcome plaudits Of his comrades"
One Of the greatest jams of the
Great North Woods was that in the
Raquette River in the late seventies.
rhe logs had been cleared from Long
lake beyond the outlet of Cold River,
and were fast approaching the Ra-
Iuette River falls. where there is a
lrop of 100 feet or more in a short dis
ance. There are rapids for several
hundred feet above the falls while
below there is a sudden bend in the
stream as the water sweeps away with
Jmoother surface. always tearing and
grinding away the ledge Of sandstone
One corner OF which forms a shelf over
,he stream.
In its run to the top Of the falls the
water passes through a gorge about
fifty feet high, with sloping walls that
mount rapidly TO mountainous heights.
Here the logs formed a confused mass.
they were interviewer and tangled,
and the torrent rushed through and
over them until it seemed as though
The rocky banks must surely be shaken
to their foundations.
The drivers worked for four days
sharing the dangers alike. and cleared
the log jam without accident. But the
Satteau loaded with the tents. utensils
and food for the men, which was being
moved down the river in the rear Of the
!Ogs didnot fare OweI. twas in charge
Of some experienced watermen, and
the passage OF the rough water was
always watched with great interes
by the loggers. 1t began to run through
the rapid water at the head of tho
falls when the current caught it anC
carried it against a rock, where it wai
capsized.
One Of the men in the boat was al
experienced swimmer, and he told tn,
other to place his arms about his neck
so that he could then swim with hin
to the shore. But the water ran to-
swiftly for the swimmer, and boil
were carried rapidly toward the falls
Lt became necessary for the swimme
10 disengage himself from his compan
ion, who was hugglng him with
death grasp. His effort at first wa
unsuccessful. and, growing desperate
as they approached the brink Of tn
falls, he pulled his companion partl
around in front Of him and struck hin
tremendous blow on the head. TIL
arms relaxed their grasp about til
neck of the struggling swimmer an
the unfortunate man was carried dow
the stream. while the swimmer by
violent effort barely escaped the sam
fate He reached the shore i'm an e,
hausted condition, where he wa
pulled from the water by the logger
The other logger passed over the fall
and under the jam Of logs. His bod
was recovered some time afterwar
and buried on the banks Of the RI
quette-New York Commercial Adve
tiser.