The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-01-23
BREAKING A LOG JAM

BREAKING A LOG JAM
THE PERlLS AND HARDSHIP6 OF TIE
HEROES OF THE "DRlvE.s
4 work without Glory and Yet ~
Dangerous Fighting Fire = The
Expert "white Water Men" and
Their Skill and Daring.
Among the occupations which are
brimful OF danger and In which men
take their lives In their hands 10 log
driving" 1t is a work without glory,
yet II Is as dangerous as that of the
fireman and, one is tempted to say, as
that Of the seacoast life savers. Ger
tainly in the Adirondacks, Maine, Mich
ried on each year 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-
oeiving what to do at the right time.
The chief danger is the breaking Of
log jams in midstream of rocky rapid.
The logs always pile up against the
rocks that are not covered by the flood
and form long pile two or three rods
wide, anywhere from one to thirty rods
long and perhaps six or eight logs deep.
Thus jam may contain 5000 or 10000
logs. To break 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 a 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
peaveys, 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 so that
1t either "hangs up again or breaks to
pieces.
When the men see that it is breaking
they run over the heaving, bounding
tangle Of logs to the boat at the head
Of the jam. A slip or misstep means
q fall between the grinding and toss
Ing logs. The logs may become so sep
aratsd that it is impossible to reach
the boat. II 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 the floating timber spreads
apart to such an extent that he is COM
PEELED to stick to single log, and here
It is that he best shows his ability as a
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 Adirondacks, foreman
OF log driving crew who would never
send his men where he did not dare go
himself went out with two volunteers
TO break jam in exceedingly swift
and rough water. With some difficulty
they reached the pile Of logs and, after
time, succeeded In starting them go
ing. The logs started much faster than
expected and were soon scattered in
such a manner that the two men could
not get to the boatman and boat at 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 a hard
time to keep on top. Having come
within fifteen or twenty yards of the
shore, the foreman braced his peavey
against the other mans log and then
gave 1t shove, which sent it toward
shore with the man. In doing this the
foremans log was sent far out into the !
raging stream. He had intended to
work his way back again while he was
cutting" his log to stop it rolling, but |
1t struck a rock. He was hurled into |
the air and came down headforemost |
upon the bowlder. His body was found |
some days later mile downstream.
Although the white water man" is |
skillful in riding a log, it is obvious
that he cannot ride over a waterfall or
through an extremely rough rapid. |
When jam forms above a waterfall |
or rough rapid, as is often the case, the
danger of busting is greatly increas-
ed, since here 1t is absolutely necessary
to 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 log, the danger
can readily be seen.
Gene McBeth, one Of the best driv-
ers that ever rode log, met his death
on Mill creek in just such a situation.
a 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 McBeth went out on
the logs and began picking them loose
in search for the key log" After
working an hour, all at once the lam
leaped forward and was In full mo-
ton.
The men turned and started up the
jam, McBeth In the lead. When they
reached the single place over which
they could pass McBeth stopped to
help his less able companions and to
let them pass ahead of him. 1t was
a fatal move on 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 bis friends, but now there was
a ride for his life over the tangled
mass Of groaning and tossing logs
When he saw what it all meant he
turned about, held the peavey as bal
ance pole tight in both hands and faced
the hopeless fight for life.
The men on shore ran along the
stream, unable to render him aid, and
the greatest log riding they
had ever seen. At times he would
Jump waist high to another log that
As might get nearer shore or to avoid
q tumbling wave with a log on its
back. Again he would jump from one
tossing log to another, and once as
log swung about which would have
struck his knees he jumped clear over
y - It. passed under him snd lapdsd
ksRs<~e.