The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-02-07
CASEY { |''| THE PACKER ||||||
By TAG:

1t was merry crowd OF timber cruz
sers that gathered at Jim Forney's one
evening last week. Outside a.
north easter was having full sway.
The snow was drifting in high heaps,
here and there. and: the streets were
deserted by everyone. save lone pol,
iceman, who paced his beat more reg;
ular than was his habit. The sergeant
had instructed him to keep a sharp
lookout and report to headquarters If
any one should succumb to the Storm:
1T would have been as much as his job
was worth if the policeman had neg
lected his duty on this night more than
all others.
The street cars had given up the
fight of bucking snow early in the at
ternoon. Hackmen had long before left
their stands, for, no horse could face
the fierce north easter as it gathered
in force, driving it's way with increas-
ing velocity down the narrow street,
walled on either side by modern sky
scrapers.
The boys at FOrneyS were old timers
in the logging business, and it was>by
mere chance that they gathered on this
stormy, clustering evening, for their
work was such that they were seldom
in town together.
Jim Forney was an old time lumber
jack and cruiser. He belonged to the
old school that is now becoming ex-
tinct in the woods and on the drive.
Jim began life as a swamper back in
! Maine thirty-five years ago. He
moved west with his father in the early
days of logging operations in ,Wiscon-
sin, and for several years worked in
the woods of the badger state, learn
! ing all there was to know about the
business from swamper to contracts
| ing logger.
+ Twenty-Five years ago when the pin
| cries in northern Minnesota were first
opened, Forney having learned con-
siderable about the business as a tim
Der estimator, came to Duluth in COM
pany with his chum Jack Harold and
both hit the trail for Billy O'Brien
a pioneer lumber man of Minnesota.
Jims experience in the pineries Of
Minnesota long before there was a. raj
road north of Duluth is most interest.
ing, and often when he is in rent
inescent mood he can hold quiet gath
erlng for hours relating incidents of lift
ON the trail, crossing portages an(
striking compass lines through the
.densest of forests. It is said that il
his paimy days, Jim Forney knew ever!
section post in St. Louis County a,
we'll as newsboy knows every stree
corner on city street.
II never met but one mean man il
the woods" said Jim one evening whel
relating some Of his experiences as :
cruiser, !" and that was about twent.
years ago, when Jack Harold and :,
Handed in Tower after a most perilou
trip. Our canoe had been subjected
to rather severe treatment, and befor
we could proceed further>it was, nee
,essary to patch it up some. ~ The Min
4 nesota Iron GoInp any Nv hi CHI had Sjus
|.lbegal operatio na II IsnNer, had TSseeY
IeraIs barrels pf itch; and all We needle
was a. small; III ece# bout The size ,offl 4
1 cocoanut. We approached the. com
|, pany clerk and asked him 1.-The woul
sell us a. small piece and he answere
in a most insulting manner, what d
you think we are running, a, suppl
hOuSe?" Ordinarily we would haV
troubled him no more but we were i
desperate circumstances, and we mus
have some pitch. We begged and en-
treated WIN no avail, unlll L Qu1eCl
: slipped a five dollar bill in his han
and he gave us barely enough to re
pair our canoe" 1 learned after, tina
the company kept the pitch there fc
just such an emergency as ours. Wei
this clerk worked his game until h
was discovered by the officials, an
since that time he has been Twin
about Duluth. He evidently forge
about his treatment to us, and one da
several years ago he came to me for
favor. I reminded him of the insult
he had passed to me at Tower, an
he never has troubled me since"
= Hardships and exposure on the ira
soon told on Forney and he was FINAL
] compelled to give it up He drifted ii
to the saloon business and his plat
soon became a headquarters for. e.
}. plorers and logging contractors. I'll
, quietness and home-ike appearant
!: Of the place made it decidedly populs
! among that class who had no hon