The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-04-05
HOW THE RIvERMAN RIDES.
Performs Peculiar Franks Upon His
Precarious Perch.

First and foremost your true river.
man can ride log, says Stewart
Edward White in Outing. This does
not mena merely that he is able TO
stand upright or to jump from one to
another without splashing inthough
even that il no mean feat, as trial
win convince you.
That is only the Kindergarten OF It.
The saw log in the water is the means
of transportation of your true Iiverman
who, when on drive, almost never steps
on land except TO eat and sleep.
A Journey down stream in to him
an affair Of great simplicity. He push
esi nto the current stick of timber.
Jumps lightly atop Of it, leans against
his peavy, and floats away as graceful
and motionless as Grecian statue
When his unstable craft overtakes
other logs. he deserts IL, runs forward
as far as he can--the logs bobbing and
awash behind Is spring and so con-
tinues on anolAer timber.
| Jack BOYD once, for a bet, rode for
twelve miles down Grand River on q
| log he could carry to the streams bank
acFos his shoulders. Fully half the time
his feet were submerged to the ankles.
Nor does quick water always cause
your expert riyerman to dismbark.
Using his peayy as balancing pole,
and treading with s4uirrelike quickness
ash is footing rolls, he win run rapids
of considerable force and volume
When the tail Of drive passes
through the chute of dam there are
always half dozen or so Of the rear
men who out of sheer brayado will run
through standing upright like circus
riders and yelling like fends.
Few river drives finish without losing
man. There are magnificent rescues
narrow escapes However, these men
appear TO accept whatever comes as a
matter or course; or, perhaps more
truly, it Il their pride never 70 show
emotion of any sort.
One man was dragged ont by the
collar from very dangerous predica-
ment between two parts OF a breaking
jam. To gain safety his resener, bur.
dened byt he victim Of the accident, had
fairly TO scale the breast of the falling
logs.
For ten seconds if looked like sure
death to both but bv combination OF
audacity and sheer luck they reached
| the bank Most people would have
paused for congratulations and to talk
it over. Not they The reseuer. still
retaining his grip on the mans collar
twisted him around and delivered one
good kick.
eThere, damn youi' said he; and the
two fel 70 work without further COM
ment.
Just AZ cowboy likes to show Of
Ehorsemanship which can have no practi
cal application to his trade, so does the
rivermsn do his tricks. A man in
Marinette, whose name have forgotten
could turn somefsault on log; in
Vulnerable others like to lie down at
hdgth while floating with the currents
i Jack Boyd could "upend" a railroad til
without falling into the water, and IL Il
very cold water indeed that can scar,
Of an occasional brling match
/ The riyernan never knows when hi
Il licked. As long as he remains con
scious he will continue the struggle.
big man once had a little man dowr
and was Furnishing him severity. Friendi
Of the little man attempted 10 inter
fere
"Let him alonel' cried that warrior
LET him alonel may be on top in {
few minutes
Dave Walker Is now foreman Of onI
Of the fire engine stations in Crane
Rapids. For many years he FOLLOWED
the drive in our employ He is not {
large man An enemy Of Dawes once
attached him with an axe. Agar
friends attempted to interfere in so on
sided combat
"Let US bel" cried Dave, "there's al
axe between us