Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-14
]. 6be Blaz By STEWART VALXM -@D EDWARD @ WHITE



 that most of the concerns stole the tim Der because it was cheaper to steal than to buy, but that they would buy readily enough if forced to do so in or der to prevent it's acquisition by anoth- CT. In his exploration, therefore, he de- cided to employ the utmost circumspec- tion. He would pose as a hunter and fisherman.
 For a week he journeyed through magnificent timber, working always more and more to the north, until final ly he stood on the shores of Superior. He resolved to follow the shore west to the mouth of fairly large river called the Ossa winamakee It showed in common with most streams of it's size, land already taken, but Thorpe hoped to find good timber near the mouth. After several days hard walk ing with this object in view he found himself directly north of bend in the river, so he turned through the woods due south, with the intention of strik- ing in on the stream. This he succeed ed in accomplishing some twenty miles inland. where also he discovered a we'll defined and recently used trail leading up the river. Thorpe camped one night at the bend and then set out to follow the trail.
 It led him for upward of ten miles nearly due south, sometimes approach ing, sometimes leaving, the river, but keeping always in its direction. The country in general was rolling Low parallel ridges of gentle declivity glid- ed constantly across his way. their valleys sloping to the river. Thorpe had never seen grander forest of pine than that which clothed them.
 At the ten mile point he came upon a dam. It was crude dam, built of logs, whose face consisted of strong buttresses slanted up stream and whose sheer was made of unbarked timbers laid smoothly side by side at the re- quired angle At present it's gate was open.
 The purpose of the dam in this new country did not puzzle him in the least, but it's presence bewildered him. Such constructions are often thrown across logging streams at proper in tervals in order that the operator may be independent of the spring freshets. The device is common enough, but it is expensive. People do not build dams except in the certainty of some years of logging, and quite extensive logging at that. If the stream happens to be navigable the promoter must first get an improvement charter from board of control appointed by the state. So Thorpe knew that he had to deal not with hand to mouth lum- Der thief, but with a great company preparing to log the country on a big scale.
 He continued his journey. At noon he came to another and similar struc- ture. Here he left his pack and pushed ahead in light marching order. About eight miles above the first dam and eighteen from the bend of the river he ran into a ''slashing' of the year before. The decapitated stumps were already beginning to turn brown with weather; the tangle of tops and limbs was partially concealed by poplar growths and wild raspberry vines.
 To Thorpe this particular clearing be came at once of the greatest interest. He scrambled over and through the ugly uCpI1S w AlGl 1DL yCd4 OI LWO after logging operations cumbers the ground. By rather prolonged search he. found what he sought-the section corners of the tract, on which the gov ernment surveyor had long ago marked the descriptions" A glance at the map confirmed his suspicious. The slashing lay some two miles north of the sections designated as belonging to private parties. It was government land.
 Thorpe sat down, lit pipe and did a little thinking.
 He had that very morning passed through beautiful timber lying much nearer the mouth of the river than either this or the sections farther south. Why had these men deliberately ascend ed the stream? Why had they stolen timber eighteen miles from the bend when they could equally well have stol- en just as good fourteen miles nearer the terminus of their driver Tshn1yYn gyFIs5dpnIv rom nTr1 HsNrnH 4hm