Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08
UNDER The SORTING JACK
k W. 15e TIC SORTING JACK
ii Is Itehle mdhknp @

the time he and his unpleasant steed were
well in the chute. Thus when its forward
end dipped in the enormous suction his end
stayed measuraby clear, although water
spouted high over him for all of that.
And by keeping il a-whirl he achieved just
what is achieved by giving bullet its
spinning action-it kept straight end for
end instead of turning crafty sideways and
every other way.
Like a projeCtile the whirlins thing sped
down, hitting the water thumpetythump at
intervals and seeming to writhe in the
waterY incline. The next instant it struck
the broken water at the bottom, where the
river was beating itself into rage after
it's tumble.
Instantly man ana log disappeared in the
White suds of the pool. Down on top of
them came a hundred other logs took tbe
dive and disappeared in turn till the river
that had sucked them down allowed them
to cant heavily TO tie surface many wards
below.
Logs We're canting up all over the nool
so iaSt that the watchers on the bank
peefinS for the mad rider with an fheir
eyes became bewildered in moment. But
all at oEoe, among the worst diving and
cantins of the evil things there annaarai
the ffenchman's los-and the Freachman
Was still en- ia mon
Calmly he pfke-poled his craft to the
boom in the lower river and stepnad off to
Stake himself. "a ~
Why You feilairs not hurry wild dem
punt, hey? he complained. What for's
de use Tor gettih ali wet me?"
And he never so much as looked at tba
whirlpool where two hundred logs ,v elro
battesins each other az they circled slowly
after their tremendous nlunge
80 the great riders go until they steilze a
Big lake Then begins the slow vvorlr ~
az. ties1.
SLOW #oFk OF towing with the snail wood
burning steamers
ore type Of these towing steamers is a
wonder. Il IS k1oWn Is an alljgator (,sn
eFd!iy 1t Is nothing but a tiny hun with \
Spihdly. rusty nEine mounted on it vii :o1,t
any covering or prote ton. The engine
urFe5 Two skeleton side wheels that looK
more Ike caiclessly adjusted umbrella ribs
than paddle wheels.
fnis peculiar insect crawls 10 ard down
the river ana INTO and cut OF the deep
Mdiei%' without doing anything more than
TO look funny. But when il strikes s6onl
water It suddenly does something much
more. 1t becomes the funniest m arine thine
tnat ever was, and does full justice II its
name of alligator"
nder its ifat keel are rollers. When the
alligator strikes the head of nayisarioa il
steans caimly on until it bumps / 1e bank
Ihen the crew 81 out hawser make one
eha last 10 the rollers and the other end
to a convenient tree, and the alligator. pro
ceeds to wind itself up the bafl1 trlndlinp
along over the land like a me .hnninai In
beetle When it has wound ITSELF up to the
llee' the hawser Is carried 70 anoIhe. tree
ana so on until the amphibious ship reaches
tne next body of water when IL slides in
and steams on like any honest vessel
So the logs run down-through river and
lakes ana canals. through log slides and
down cascades, through locks and rapids
4 M dow he.
of sawmlls far on the southern tier OF
rivers that the first drive has arrived
Here there are many looms AS ne drive
arrives, the current swings 1t into a great
basin made of logs chained together, until
they are all gathered and heid-.'bagged" Is
what the lumbermen call it,
Then from a boom. running along the
shore the lumber Jacks throw n bridge or
rather high staging, TO the bag of logs
This staging is known the sorting lack
As soon as it is up, the boom is opened
and the logs. forced by the current. begin
to drive through. Below them are many
smaller basins, also made of boom ogs.
As the logs go through the Ten on the
staging and other men straddling the logs
themselves drive them this way and that
with their pike poles and cant HOOKS direct
ing them into the various basins
If the drive is made of log. belonging 10
a number of different men. each man has a
pocket set aside for his logs; and as each
log that is cut in the wilderness is branded
with the owners private brand. 1t Is like
sorting cattle for different ranches out of
a mixed herd To take log with another
mans brand on 1t In the Carn1as Is as
danger6as and as great crime as 1t is to
take another mans cattle in the COW coun-
try.
If the drive belongs to one man, the diff
ferent pockets below the sorting jack are
used to separate the logs into the various
kinds. hemlock being driven into one BASIN
pine into another. and 50 on.
When the sorting Is done, the RATS are
made UP and down goes the drive
once more for the last time. TO the saw
mills These all the banks of the
streams. and as fast as the great trunks
arrive they are slid on travellers and car
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