Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1907-01-11
DANGERS OF LOG DRIVE
Agility and Bravery Needed
to Tackle a Log
Jam

1t is doubtful If there Is any occupa-
ton # peace, even that of the fireman
whom you highly resolved to be soon
after you first wore breeches, that is
attended with such danger as that of
the log driver. With his spike-nail
boots, his steel-shod peavey. his pow
erful but gaunt frame and general pic
turesqne unkemptness. your LUMBER
man as he risks death ia The jam is
f9ure which we'll lends itself to
romance and psetry.
Ths chief danger is the breaking
of ]ug jams IN mid stream in rocky
rapid The logs always pile up
against the rocks that are not covered
by the food and form long pile two
or three rods wide. anywhere from
one to 80 rods long, and perhaps six
or eigot logs deep. Thus a jam may
contain 5. O0O or 10. 600 logs. To break
q jam IF 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 "whife-
water men," because of their ability
to ride standing mp on log through
water that is splsshing and foaming
over the rocks. They land at the up
stream end of the jam. where one of
the men remains with the boat, while
the others go to the lower end of thu
jam to pick away, with their peaveys.
or levers, the logs close to the rock
against which the jam rests. They
seek for tho key log" which, when
pried out, starts the jam moving 80
that it either ''hanas up again or
breaks to pieces. When tho men see
that it is really breaking they run
over the heaving. boundinQ tangle of
logs to the boat at the head of the
jam. A slip or a misstep means fall
betw cen the grinding and tossing logs.
The l"gs may become so separate d
that it is impossible 70 reach the
bost. If this happens the white
water man. must make good hts
name by making his way to the shore
without getting wet. or maybe killed.
Perhaps the floating timber spreads
apart to such An extent that he Is
compelled to sick to single log, and
here it is that he best shows his abili-
ty as log driver. He balances him
self on ths upstream end of the log,
steadies himself upon his spike shoes
aud Steers clear of the rocks before
him. TIE men on shore stop to
watch. He may ride to salty and he
may not.
Some years ago, On the West Canada
creek. In the Adirondacks, forman
of log driving clew, who would
never send his men where he did not
dare 90 himself, went out with two
volunteers to break jam in exceed
irgly swift and rough water, says
the New York Tribune. With some
difficulty they reached the pile of
logs, and after q time succeeded in
starting them going. The logs
started much faster than expected,
and were soon scattered In such q
manner that the two men could not
get to the boatman aud both at the
head of tho jam. They did the best
they could to keep their feet and to
work their way toward shore. The
foreman was the more skilful 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 Ii or 20 yards of the shore,
the foreman braced his peavey against
shove, which sent it toward shore
"sVu VAAO AAoA' LII uoAA5 lA46 Vu0
foreman log vas sent far out into
the raging stream. He had intended
to work his way back again, while
ne was cutting" his log to stop it
rolling, but 1t struck rock. He was
hurled into the air and came down
head foremost upon the bowlder. His
body was found some days later mile
down stream.
Although the Whitewater man"
ia skilful in riding a log, 1t is obyi.
GUS that he cannot ride over water
fall or through an extremely rough ra-
pid. When jam forms above u wat
erfall or rough rapids. as is often the
case. the danger of ''busting'' il
greatly increased, since here it is alb.
solutely necessary to get to the boat
or the shore. When one considers that
in breaking jams the drivers are often
compelled to ride to shore on q log,
the danger can readily be seen.