The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-06
CATCHING TIE
DR|FIHO(|D Pays
Big Money Made at Business
on River.
HOW IT Is DONE, TOLD
Coal Trust Have No Hold in
That Region.
HOW IT is DONE, TOLD

and under the Chickasaw bluffs. These
are the squatter fishermen and dTiftwood
hunters, whose shanty boats are so COM
mon a sight to all Memphians, or, rather,
to those who have a habit Of taking
prowl down the banks of the big stream
once in a while There are scores of men,
who, with their families. live along the
river, under the bluffs and along the
shores of Wolf river, who earn good
living catching driftSood. There are
great many persons WHO have an idea
that these shanty boat fox are people
who are always living in the lowest
depths of perjury. But it is a mistake.
They often have money to spare for a
rainy day and live fairly well
According TO the story told by some
of these river jewellers. the "alonsshore-
men of the Mississippi. there are many
worse vocations than that of capturing
driftwood Down near the Tennessee end
of the big bridge there is quite a colony
of these squatte-s, and among them is
the comfortable green houseboat owned
by John ROxey John is a typical sreci
men Of the driftwood hunter and long
shore dweller. His houseboat, the Annie
N, is n comfortable weather-tight affair,
with three rooms. and is ''seaworthy' and
fit TO take a long cruise on the big river.
she is moored to the bank near the foot
of Tralnor avenue. and there he and his
wife, child. and two dogs live in comfort.
free from the recent collector and the
tax gatherer, as Wen as The Fostering
greed of the Coal Trust. This boat has
a model-built hull, and is equipped with
sweeps and sail rigging.
There's more money ard comfort in
this sort % life. said Roxey when asked
about the business, than most folks VIII
agree. and. besides. l am comfortably
fixed This little shanty-boat cost me only
800. I have a 'qUatters' lease on 400 feet
of river front. and that gives me the
right to fish here, tie up my boats here,
and catch all the driftwood that comes
my way. Coal doesn't cost me nothin'.
because 1 mostly use wood and rent don't
worry me nor my wife. T'iere is good
fishing. and we always make few dol
lars out o that. Then there's the logs.
That's the prime source of wealth. We
really make more money here than ]
could if l was living on the hill"
What is the law about catching Iogs?'
Rats and branded logs belong to the
owner of the brand You see, all timber
men have way of branding timber on
the butt of the stick with sharp ham
mer or hot iron. For this kind of drift
the mills the stuff has been consigned
TO are willing to pay $3.50 a thousand
for salvage. OF course. we have to pay
for the towing. 1 often catch parts of
RATS that have been washed out of Wolf
river on some rise and make a nice stake
by having the timber towed back TO
the mills.
The law about unbranded logs Is that
the stick belongs to the man that catches
it, Often in run out in Wolf river
there are a lot of these mavericks that
come our way. and there is where the
biggest money is made. The last big haul
! made got me and my wife nice bunch
o. coin. We caught 400 logs, all elm and
gum. that belonged 10 two of the big
mills along Wolf We got line on EN-
one morning and herded 'em in. 1t cost
us SO for hired help and $50 for a tug to
take EN- up the river. When we deliver
ed the goods the mill men handed US over
$25e. which WASH bad. We worked two
days catching the timber and two days
getting It into shape to tow
According to Roxey. the outfit of drift
hunter is cheap and simple. As a rule
the shanty boat does not cost over 500
and he generally has two skins, that are
worth about So each. not including oars.
In addition to this, he has several hun
dred feet of h-ee-quarter-inch line and
some cant hooks and pike poles With
this outfit two men can catch lot Of
timber when Il is coming down lively
They work in front Of the land they lease
but often there are some lively scrim-
images and talking matches over a stick
Of good timber. The possession Of a big
stick Of elm is worth a hght at times
oak and walnut are rarely caught, as it
is 10 heavy 10 float far.
These men, and often their wives. are
marvellously skilled in the handling OF
a skin. that universal craft OF the Missis-
sippi river. They can make a skin do
anything and go anywhere and with
wonderful celebrity. II Is nothing 70 see
one Of these men stand up in the stern OF
a sNiff. aud with one oar dragging like
a tiller 'sculi' the light fabric rapidly
across the swirling eddies TO the object
ne IS after. They never. as a rule. 1t q
god stick get away from them. When The
floating log heayes in sight If Il looks 10
BE- worth IT, the driftwood catcher starts
out to meet the foatIng timber. II il is
worth IL a line is made fast and NJ pulls
back t. his shanty boat. towing q after
LirH and adding II 70 the raft that n Is
collecting Only the Zig sticks are RATED
this way
During big rise like this. before tho
water subsiaes these men vii reap
harvest. There are always countless cot
tonvvoos logs coming down The smallest
81 these they saw -Ip and sci by the
cord to the factories. Two less vIE gen
eraIlv make a cord. and for thlz. cut W.
they can get SS5o There are also any
number OF railroad ties that get adr,ft
in a big rise These ties are doated In
long snaky-.ookIng RATS and are bound
together hv long STRIPS spiked down 20
the ties often rart Il one OF these
RATS breaks loose and floats away on tire
high TIDE Of the river. Ties always, ike
gold and diamonds. bring thsir face value.
and 10 The dsiftvood catcher a bunch Of
them 5 a winlfaH.
In speaking aho1t fuel. BoLcy szii hat
il cost him and his fellows nothing o.
course. thsy burn wood frr the Nest rs-t.
but a Certain times Il the year they
cen get coal
Al Il the s4uatters along the river are
row getting ready FOR q harvest ard ths
a.