The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-10-02
ROMANCE OF THE LOG.
Story of It's Course Down the Connect
cut River to Mt. Tom.

The story of the saw log is a romance
even though the motor boat nabobs Ours
them in accents deep and long From tn
| time that the first log is cut in the ial
until it is stacked ON the piles OF tn
| company at Mt. Tom or loaded on thu
cars to be shipped to points lar an'
near, 1t Is a race against time and ma
ture. The logs are cut, stripped OF the
branches, and stacked in the woods. Al
soon as the first snow falls they are load
ed onto sleds and driven 10 the bank OF
the nearest stream that empties into the
river. BY the time that the big 'thaw
sets in about the first OF April the ice on
the water and both banks are covered
with logs When the first crack of the
ice gives warning that the spring is near
the axman oils his heavy boots, with
Spikes" a couple OF inches long, and be
comes river man. Then comes the dan
gerous trick of breaking out the, roll
ways Many a river dog has paid the
penalty of being careless or second too
slow to move with his life. A foreman
with years of experience behind him
will take "can dog, One of the handy
instruments to roll logs and pick out the
key log in stack on the river bank and
pry it loose. The pile melts away and
the daring boss climbs straight up the
face of the disappearing mass
Then the rolling begins. The horses
that have been hauling logs to the roll
ways all winter are loaded onto the RATS
and float down the swollen stream. Mag
nificent beasts they are, the best that
money can buy, and they seem to thrive
on their hard labor and long hours. They
have it easy for while until the water
banks and on the ''gravels" are left high
and dry They then disembark from their
home of logs and snake" the big trees
back into the water and start them on
their way again. But meanwhile the riv
erman himself is busy. As soon as the
rollways are broken out, the big drive
gets under way. You can imagine the
Jun of getting up an hour before sunrise |
md stepping into the water when cakes
If ice are racing down with the logs out |
n mid stream. The riverman is wet from |
his hips down from April to September.
The only thing he insists on keeping dry
lining of the SLOUGH hats.
The icy water has no effect on the
hardly river dog. IT is only late in the
eason when the warm water of July and
august chafes and swells his feet that
hose extremities bother him. His rem
dy is heroic, for he applies white lead,
tself poison, to draw out the water
olson. A glimpse at the drive IN action
rould make one think there was neither
hyme nor reason in it but that is the
iggest mistake you ever made. An army
not better drilled than this machine of |
len and horses. The advance guard is
lade up of the teams and drivers, with D.,
ttendants to drive in and knock out the s
dogs" by which the ''snake" is made
hese are under the direction of ''grav- I
boss" and the business of this corps (
to clean the logs off the big sand bars G
the river. Next in order is the "roll- i
G" rear, who follow down both banks t
I'd with their cant hooks roll the logs S
ong the bank into the stream Often !,
hen log is lodged in the bushes, h
out will bring dozen husky boys and I
ey will hook their peavies into the a
lex and lift it bodily from its hiding Il
ace. N
The third corps of the army is the h