Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-07-07

Along either bank, among the bush
e, on sand bars and in trees, hundreds
and hundreds Of logs had been strand
ed when the main drive passed. These
logs the rear crew were engaged in re-
storing to the current.
And, as a man had to be able to ride
any kind Of log In any water. to propel
that log by Jumping on 1t, by rolling 1t
squirrel fashion with the feet, by punt
ing it as one would canoe. to be skill
full in pushing, prying and polling 9TH
er logs from the quarter deck Of the
same cranky craft; as he must be pre-
pared at any and all times to jump
waist deep into the river, to work in
ice water hours at 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.
~ to belong to the rear crew. Here
were the best Of the Fighting Forty.
men with reputation as white water
hirlers." 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 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 a 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 charge of expert boat
men. They carried in racks great
supply Of pike poles, peaveys. 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 few back
and forth. Once or twice a 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 fastened. bobbing 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 fat, his lips thick and
slabbery. He sported wide. Zero
cious struggling mustache and long
eyebrows, under which cleaned little
fierce eyes. His forehead sloped back
like a beasts, but was always hidden
by disreputable felt hat. Big Junko
did not know much and had the pas
sions Of wild animal. but he was a
reckless river man and devoted to
Thorpe. Just now he exploded dyna-
mite.
The sticks Of powder were piled
amidships. Big Junko crouched over
them, inserting the fuses and caps,
closing the openings with soap. finally
lighting them and dropping them into
the water alongside, where they imme-
diately sank. Then few strokes of a
short paddle took him barely out Of
danger. He huddled down in his craft
waiting. One. two. three seconds passed.
Then a hollow boom shook the stream.
A cloud Of water sprang up, strangely
beautiful. After moment the great
brown logs rose suddenly to the sur
face from below, one after the other.
Ike leviathans Of the deep.
Thorpe and Tim Shearer nearly al
ways slept in a dog tent at the rear.
though occasionally they passed the
night at Dam Two. where Bryan No
loney and his crew were already en-.
gagged in sluicing the logs through the
shoot.
The affair was simple enough. Long
booms arranged in the form of an
open v guided The drive to the sluice
gate. through which a smooth apron
Of water rushed to turmoil in an eddy.
ing pool below. Two men tramped
steadily backward and forward ON the
boomA urging the logs. forward BY
means of long pike poles 70 where the
suction could ssise them. Bslow the
dam The push OF the sluics water
foecsd them several miles down stream,