Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-04-05
BREAKING A LOG JAM
THE PERlLs AND HARosHIps OF THE
HEROES OF THE "DRIvE."

| A WOriS without Glory and Yet n0
Dangerous ns Fighting Eirc-T The
Expert "Nhite Water Men" nnd
Their Skill and Daring.
Among the occupations which are
brimlul of danger and in which men
take their lives in their hands is LOG
driving" 1t is Il work without glory,
yet it Is as dangerous as that of the
fireman and. one is tempted to say, as
that of the scacoaSt life savers. Ger
tainly in the .Adirondncks. Maine, Mich
igan, Canada and wherever it is cnr-
ried on each year IL large number OF
lives are lost considering the few men
employed 1t is an employment in
which the mans safety depends on his
SKILL GOODNESS and quickness in per-
ceiving what to do Mt the right time.
The chief danger is the breaking Of
log jams in nidstream of II rocky rapid
The logs always pile up against the
rocks that are not covered by the flood
and form Il long pile two or three rods
| wide. anywhere from one to thirty rods
i
| long and perhaps six OF eight logs deep
Thus jam may contain 5000 or 10000
| logs 10 break IL jam of this kind the
boss sends or takes out three or four
of the best men in the log driving crew.
| These experts are men known as
white water men" because of their
ability to ride standing up on IL log
| through water that is splashing and
foaming over the rocks. They land at
the upstream end of the jam, where
| one of the men remains with the boat
while the others go to the lower end
OF the jam to pick away with their
| ppavcys, or levers, the logs close to the
rock against which the jam rests They
seek for the key log" which when
pried out starts the jam moving 40 that
it either hangs up again or breaks to
pieces.
When the men see that it is breaking
they run over the heaving, bounding
tanglc of logs to the boat at the head
of the jam. a slip or {: misstep means
a fall between the grinding and toss.
ing logs The logs may become so sep
aratel that it is impossible to reach
the boat. If this happens the white
water man must make good his name
by making his way to the shore with
out getting wet or maybe killed.
Perhaps tho floating timber spreads
apart to such an extent that he is COM
PEELED TO stick to IL single log, and here
it is that he best shows his ability as u
log driver. He balances himself on the
upstream end of the log, steadies him
self upon his spike shoes and steers
clear Of the rocks before him. The men
on shore stop to watch. He may ride
TO safety and he may not.
| Some years ago ON the West Canada
creek in the .idfrontllcks, Il foreman
of q log driving crew who would never
send his men where he did not Care go
| himself went out with two volunteers
To break jam In exceedingly swift
and rough water. With some difficulty
they reached the pile of log; and, after
II limc, succeeded in starting them go
ing. The logs started much faster thar
expected and We're soon scattered in
such Il manner that the two lncn could
not get to the boutman and boat Mt the
head of the jam. They did the best
they could to keep their feet and to
work their way toward shore.
The foreman was the more skillful Of
the two and kept his log fairly steady.
but the other man was having IL hard
time 10 keep OH top Having come
within fifteen or twenty yards of the
shore, the foreman braceI hi; peavey
against the other mans log and then
gave ii Il shove, which sent il toward
| shore With the man. In doing tlli, tllc
| foremail's log MAS sent far out into the
| raging stream He had intended to
work his way back again while he wis
"cufiin1" his log to stop it rolling, but
| the air and came down hcadforcmost
upon the bowldcr. His body was found
some days later Il mile downstream.
Although the white water man" is
sliilful in riding II log, it is obvious
| that he c.,:llt)t L. &c over a waterfall or
| through an extremely rough rapid.
| When IL jam forms above IL waterfall
OF rough rapid as is often the case, the
| danger of "bustinS' is greatly incrcas
ed, since here 1t is absolutely necessary
| 10 get to the boat or to the shore.
| When one considers that In breaking
| jams the drivers are often compelled
to ride to shore on Il log, the danger
can readily be seen.
Gene Mcl;etll. one Of the best driv
el:; that ever rode log met his death
OH Mill creek in just such Il situation
\ wing JAM" SO called because eX
tending from shore into the stream
had hung up above rapids that could
not be passed even by boat. With
two other men McBcth went out Oh
the logs and began picking them loose
In search for the key log" After
working an hour, all at once the jam
leaped forward and was in full mo.
ton.
The men turned and started up the
Jam, McBeIl in the lead. When they
reached the single place over which
they could pass McBeth stopped to
let them pass ahead of him. 1t was
n fatal move OH his part. for the other
two men had just time to jump ashore
into the water waist deep. When his
turn came 1t was too late He had
saved his friends, but now there was
n ride for his life over the tangled
mass OF groaning and tossing logs
When he saw what 1t all meant he
turned about. held the peavey as bal
ancc pole tight in both hands and faced
the hopeless fight for life.