The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-04-14

himself proved his right to the title Of
river man.
Shearer wore calks nearly an inch
in length. He had been known to ride
ten miles without shifting his feet on a
log so small that he could carry 1t
without difficulty. For cool nerve he
was unexcelled.
II don't need you boys here any lon
per," he said quietly.
When the men had all withdrawn he
walked confidently under the front of
the rollway, glancing with practiced
eye at the perpendicular wall Of logs
over him. Then as a man prizes jack
straws he clamped his peavey and
tugged sharply. At once the rollway
fattened and toppled. a mighty splash.
a fun Of flying foam and crushing tim
bers. and the spot on which the river
man had stood was buried beneath
twenty feet Of solid green wood. To
Thorpe II seemed that Shearer must
have been overwhelmed. but the river
man always mysteriously appeared at
one side or the other. nonchalant. urg-
ing the men to work before the logs
should have ceased to move. History
stated that Shearcr had never lost a
man on the river simply and solely be-
cause he invariably took the dangerous
tasks upon himself.
In three days the rollways were bro
ken. Now 1t became necessary to start
the rear.
For this purpose Billy Camp. the
cook. had loaded his cook stove. a guam
tity of provisi and a supply Of bed
ding aboard u scow. At either end were
long sweeps TO direct its course. The
craft was perhaps forty feet long. but
rather narrow. In order that It might
pass easily through the shoot of dam.
1t was called the ''wanigan."
The huge. unwieldy craft from that
moment was to become possessed of
the devil. Down the white water Of
rapids 1t would bump. smashing obsti.
nately against powders. against the
branches of the stream side II would
scrape. in the broad reaches II would
sulk. refusing TO proceed. and when
expcdiency demanded its pause 1t
would drag Billy Camp and his entire
crew mt the ropes end. while they tried
vainly to snub 1t against successfully
uprooted trees and stumps. When ut
last the wanigan was moored fast for
the night-usually mile or so below
the spot planned-Billy Camp pushed
back his battered old brown derby hat,
the badge of his office. with sigh Of
relief. To be sure. he and his men had
still to cut wood. construct cooking
and camp fires. pitch tents snip browse
and prepare supper for seventy men.
but the hard work of the day was
over.
Along either bank, among the BUSH
es. on sand bars and in trees. hundreds
and hundreds OF logs had been strand
cd when the main drive passed. These
logs the rear crew were engaged In re-
storing to the current.
And. as II man had to be able to ride
any kind of log In any water. TO propel
that log by jumping on II. by rolling it
squirrel fashion with the feet. by punt
ing II as one would Il canoe. to he skill
ful in pushing. prylng and polling 9th
or logs from the quarter deck Of the
same cranky craft; as he must be pre-
waist deep into the river. to work in
ice water hours ut q stretch; as he was
called upon to break the most danger
Gus jams on the river. representing. as
they did. the accumulation which the
jam crew had left behind them. it was
naturally considered the height of glo-
ry to belong to the rear crew. Here
were the best of the Fighting Forty,
men with reputation as white water
blrlers." men afraid Of nothing.
Every morning the crews were divid-
ed into two sections under Kerlie and
Jack Hyland. Each crew had charge
Of one side Of the river. Scotty Par
sons exercised a general supervisory
eye over both crews. Shearer and
Thorpe Travelled back and forth the
length of the drive. riding the logs
down stream. but taking to n partly
submerged pole trail when ascending
the current. On the surface Of the
river in the clear water foated two
long. graceful boats called bateaux.
These were in chargSgM expert boat
men. They carried in'VAcks a great
supply Of pike poles. pcaveys. axes.
rope and dynamite for use in various
emergencies.
Intense rivalry existed as to which
crew sacked" the farthest down the
stream in the course Of the day. There
was no need to urge the men. Some
stood upon the logs. pushing nightly
with the long pike poles. From one
end of the rear to the other shouts,
calls. warnings and jokes flew back
and forth. Once or twice vast roar
of HOmeric laughter went up as some
unfortunate slipped and soused into
the water. When the current Stacked
and the logs hesitated In their run the
entire crew hastened. bobblng from
log to log. down river TO see about It.
Then they broke the jam. standing
surely on the edge of the great dark
ness. while the Ice water sucked in
and out of their shoes.
Behind the rear Big Junko poled his
bateau backward and forward explod-
ing dynamite. Many of the bottom
tiers of logs in the rollways had been
:. frozen down. and Big Junko had to
loosen them from the bed of the
stream. He was big man. this, as
his nickname indicated, built of many
awkwardnesses. His cheek bones were
high, his nose fiat. his lips thick and
slabbery. He sported wide. fero-