Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-12-31

great pie OF logs Hutuuy ucthSu' ~
slender, pliable steel chain like n gray
snake ran over the top of the pile and
disappeared through q pulley to an
invisible horse-,Jenny, the mate OF
Molly. Jim threw the end Of this
chain down. Bob passed it over and
under the log and returned It to Jim,
who reached down after 1t with the
hook Of his implement. Thus the
stick of timber rested in long loop,
one end of which led to the invisible
horse. and the other Jim made fast to
the top Of the pile. He did so by Jam
ming into another log the steel swamp
hook with which the chain was armed.
When oil was made fast the horse
started.
shes a bumper" said Bob. Look
out, Mike!
The log slid to the foot Of the two
parallel poles laid santing up the face
of the pile. Then IL tremblcd on the
ascent. But one end stuck for an in
slant and at once the log took on a
dangerous slant. Quick as light Bob
and Mike sprang forward. gripped the
hooks of the cant hooks like great
thumbs and forefngers. and, while one
held with all his power, the other
gave n sha.p twist upward. The log
Strengthened. 1t was master feat of
power and the knack Of applying
strength justly.
At the top OF the little incline the
timber lowered for a second.
zone more.' sang out Jim to the
driver. He poised, stepped lightly up
and over and avoided by the safe
hairbreadth being crushed when the
log rolled. But it did not lie quite
straight or even. SO Mike cut short.
thick block and all three stirred the
heavy timber sufficiently to admit Of
the billet's insertion.
Then the chain was thrown down for
another.
Jenny harnessed only to a short.
straight bar with a hook in it. leaned
to her collar and dug her hoofs at the
word of command. The driver. close
to her tail, held fast the slender steel
chain Of an ingenious hitch about the
ever useful swamp hook. When Jim
shouted whoa from the top of the
skidway the driver did not trouble to
stop the horse; he merely let 90 the
hook. So the power was shut off sud
denly. as is meet and proper in such
ticklish business He turned and walk
ed back, and Jenny, like a dog, without
| the necessity Of command, followed
him in slow patience.
Now came Dyer, scaler, rapidly
| down the logging road, small. slender
man with little, turned up mustache.
| The men dlsliked him because of his
affectation of a city smartness and be-
cause he never ate with them. even
when there was plenty of room. The
scaler's duty at present was to measure
the diameter Of the logs in each skid
way and so compute the number OF
| board feet At the Office he tended van,
kept the books and looked after sup
plies.
He approached the skidway rapidly,
laid his flexible rule across the face
r each log, made a mark on his pine
tablets in the column to which the log
belonged, thrust the tablet in the peck
ct Of his coat, seized blue crayon, in
a long holder, with which he made an
s as indication that the log had been
scaled, and finally tapped several
times strongly with n sledge hammer.
On the face of the hammer in relief
was an NJ inside of delta. This was
the company's brand. and so the log
was branded AS belonging to thcn. He
swarmed over the skidway. rapid and
absorbed. in strange activity to the
slower power of the actual skidding
In moment he moved on to the mex
scene Of operations without having
said a word to any Of the men.
"A fine ting" said Mike, splitting.
So day after day the work went on
Railway spent his time trampinf
through the woods. figuring on new
work, showing the men how to dc
things better or differently, discussin,
minute expedients with the blacksmith
the carpenter, the cook.
He was not without his troubles
First he had not enough men. the snow
lacked and then came too abundantly
horses fell sick of collie or calket
themselves, supplies ran low uneXpect
eddy, trees turned out punk Ger
tain bit of ground proved soft for ira
voying and so on. At election time, o
course, a number Of the men wen
out.
And one evening, two days after cleo
ton time. another and important char
acter entered the North woods ant
our story.