Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-11


river in the clear water hoated two
long. graceful boats called bateaux.
These were in charge or expert boat
men. They carried in racks great
supply Of pike poles. peavcys. 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 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 Junlo 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
| awkwardnessps. His cheek bones were
high, his nose fiat, his lips thick and
slabbery. He sportcd n wide. ferO-
cious struggling mustache and long
eyebrows, under which CLEANED little
fierce eyes. His forehead sloped back
like a beasts. but was always hidden
/ by n disrcputnbe felt hat. Big Junko
did not know much and had the pas
sions Of n wild animal. but he was a
reckless river man and devoted to
Thorpe Just now he exploded dyna-
mite.
nmidshlps. Big Junko crouchcd 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 Il
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
\ cloud Of water sprang up. strangely
beautiful. After n moment the great
brown logs rose suddenly to the sur
face from below one after the other
like lcviathnn: of the deep.
Thorpe and Tim Shcaror nearly nj
ways slept in n dog tent at the rear
though occasionally they passed the
night Mt Dam Two. where Bryan Mo
oney and his crew were already en-
gagged in sluicins the logs through tht
shoot
Tho affair was simple enough. Long
booms arranged in the form of m
open V guided the drive to the sluict
gate. through which smooth apron
Of water rushed to turmoil in an eddy
ing pool below. Two men trampeC
steadily backward and forward on The
booms, urging the logs forward by
means of long pike poles to where the
suction could seize them. Below The
dam the push Of the sluice water
forced them several miles down stream
where the rest of Bryan Moloney'i
crew took them in charge.
Thus through the wide gate nearly
three quarters of a million feet ar
hour could be run, and at length thu
last of the logs drifted into the wide
| dow no hoI a
Dam Two, and Thorpe congratulated
himself that one stage OF his journe.
had been completed.