Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-08
ON THE DRIVE.
The Word From the Upper
Waters Of the kennebec.
Low Water Retards Drive and Some
Logs are Left.
Busy Times Now With the Loo Drivino
Companies.

Inc event which attracts the attention
OF all people in the Dead River region
ouring the spring months is the driv-
ing OF logs. Log driving follows close
~ upon the landing of logs upon the
river banks and hundreds of men are
employed in floating the logs to their
destination at the mills along the Ken
nebec
Log driving on the Kennebec and it's
tributaries is a long process. The logs
are landed on streams which extend
into the timber country. Here the own
ers of the logs place crews of men at
the first rise of water in the spring and
drive the logs into the Log Driving
Corporation. The Log Driving Cor
poration is company formed by all
parties interested in numbering in any
particular section for the mutual bene-
fit of all lumbermen. There are two
such corporations on the Dead River
waters. viz: the Dead River Log Driv-
ing Company and the North Branch
Log Driving Company. The latter
takes the logs at the mouth of Alden
Stream on the North Branch of Dead
River and floats them about fifteen
miles to the forks of the North and
South Branch. Here the Dead River
Log Driving Company takes charge of
the drive and carries it to The Forks
of the Kennebec river where the KEN
nebec Log Driving Company assumes
control and delivers the logs to the
many mills along the river from Scion
south.
similar process is carried on from
Moosehead Lake to The Forks where
the logs from Moosehead and Dead
River are Joined in one drive. The
Moose River Log Driving Company
and the East Branch Log Driving
Company are the principal factors in
driving the logs from the region
around Moosehead Lake. These two
companies drive about one hundred to
one hundred and fifty million feet an
nually Dead River furnishes forty to
sixty million feet each year. So far the
present spring has been hard one for
| the lumbermen on Dead River. The
| warm days and heavy rains of March
| compelled the operators to take their
| teams from the woods, leaving about
one-fourth of the years cut on the
wards in the woods. On many streams
| the drivers were on the scene as soon
| as the teams were taken out and some
owners were able to float their timber
at once. In many cases, however, the
men have been unable to start the
drives on account of low water and
the crews have been lying idle in the
woods expecting to be able to start the
drive any day.
| OF the stream drives the Alden
stream drive of Lawrence, NeWhall
and Page was the first to reach the cor
poration. This drive was started even
before the teams We're taken Off the
roads and an observer would have wit
messed the novel scene of numbering
| and river driving in progress at the
same time.
| The Berlin Mills Company at Chain
Of Ponds have sent some logs into the
corporation. They have channel cut
through the ice of the ponds and a
| good run of logs is expected from there
within a few days.
| The South Branch drive is coming
| along well and is expected to be IN IN q
| few days.
| The Kibby stream drive and the
| Spencer drive, the former being a
tributary of the latter, have not been
started until within a day or so. The
| water on these streams has not been
up to driving pitch as early as lor-
merlv compared with the other
streams. but it is expected that the loss
will he handled now without much
trouble. The Spencer stream holds d
large cut of logs this year. 1t IS haro
stream to drive and those parties nav
ing logs there have been looking lot
ward to a rise of water with mucI'
anxiety.
| There is a good driving pitch of water
on Dead River today and the streams
are all we'll up. A small amount OF
rain fell Friday and Saturday, followed
nv about four inches of snow, SATURDAY
| afternoon and night.
| r p. Viles of Skowhegan, who mas
had the oversight of the corporation
drives for many years expects TO ue-
| liver every log that comes INTO ,ne
| cornora ton within a reasonable tliiie
! this spring. Log driving is sreatiy
Facilitated on Dead River this year py
the addition of a telephone service
LONG the lower end of the river for
distance of thirty miles. This enables
more complete oversight OF the river
than has ever been possible before.
The indications are that 1t VIII tahe
longer than usual to drive the loss
this spring and this fact together VIII
the smaller amount of logs in the river
because of the number left in the Woous
will somewhat increase the expense.
However it may be said on the otner
hand that the drive is being carried
a1ong with a smaller number OF men
than ever before and with ORDINARY
oonditions of weather no serious SCI
hack may be anticipated.
St. croix Mill Strikers to Return