Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
TELEPHONES IN THE WOODS.
How They Aid the Lumbermen in
Northern Maine.

From the Bangor (Me) Commercial.
A traveller treading the forests of northern
Maine, particularly that heavily wooded
section lying north and east of Moosehead
lake and extending to and along the West
Branch of the Penobscot river, will be
struck with wonder when he sees the extent
to which the march of progress has left its
tracks In the shape of the telephone. Pass
Ing through what is apparently virgin for
est the traveller will came upon the bright
wires attached to the little porcelain in
sulators and running from tree to tree. In
much of these woods through which these
telephone lines run there is no trace of
man. The trees are as thick and strong
in their primeval strength though no
man had ever invaded the depths of the
vast wilderness, and yet many of these for
est monarchs are living telephone poles and
bear on their massive trunks and but little
above the reach of a mans hands the wires
over which hundreds Of messages are sing
ing every day.
Useful as the telephone is In the city,
where the steps 1t saves would in any case
be made easy by the use of the automobile,
electric or fast express, 1t is far more useful
in the forest. where there are none of these
conveniences and where the canoe or bateau
Is the common vehicle of travel.
The manner In which the telephone is used
to help the men who drive the logs is per-
haps the greatest feature of the whole sys-
tenn. The dams along the West Branch
have been built not only to hold water
against a time of drought. but also to con-
troll the flood so that 1t may let down the
river at judcious times. To this end con-
siderable crew of men is kept at the dams
all the time, that the gates may be
opened or closed on short notice.
AS any one who has read the many ac-
counts of work on the drives which are
published from time to time may gather,
there are many places along the West
Branch particularly between DebSconeag
and Ripogenus where the water tumbles
over lodges and between boulders In a man.
ner that is indescribably picturesque. The
river driver however, has little time to ad-
mire the beauties of these rough pitches.
He has learned to look upon them as enc
mics to be feared and navigated with a
sharp eye and strong arm.
1t is the work of the river drivers to get
the logs down over these rough places with
out jamming pilfng up on the rocks and
running ashore. They are out on the logs
with pick-poles and cantdogs, prying the
big sticks off the lodges and keeping them
moving. The eye of every man in the crew
is on ''glut' Of logs coming down stream.
They watch 1t as 1t nears boulder in mid
stream, and If the logs scatter and pass
down river well and good. If they do not.
but stop and pile up on the ledge catching
other logs coming down and piling up into
big jam, the river driver has his work
cut out for him.
Then 1t is that the man at the telephone
gets busy. Three long whirls of the crank
on his little box calls the dam, and he
tells the man who answers to close the
gate and stop the logs from coming until
the jam is broken out These orders given
he sets to work to break the jam. Usually
q stick OF dynamite placed with accuracy
will start the logs and clear the channel.
and If one stick is not enough there Is al
ways plenty more. The channel clear, the
man goes to his instrument again and tells
the crew at the dam to let 'em come. The
man must use his Judgment as to the Inn