The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-07-16
LOG DRIVE PUTS IN
BELATED APPEARANCE
Showed up Opposite This Town
Yesterday Morning.
SOUTH WIND HOLDS IT BACK
Considerable Trouble Experienced in
Getting Logs Over Dam at Bellows
alls-Possibility That Present Drive
Down Connecticut Will be the Last.

The drive of the Connecticut River
Lumber company did not put in its ap
pearance off the coast of Brattleboro until
early yesterday morning, although the logs
have been within a few miles of the vii
lage for several days. The drivers have
experienced considerable difficulty in get
ting the logs over the dam at Bellows
Falls. Owing to the low water it was
found impracticable to run the logs
through the old sluiceway on the Vermont
| side of the river and a new runway was
made on the New Hampshire side, be-
cause of the crib work left below the dam
at that point after its construction last
! fall. This is the first time in the history
of log running on this river that logs were
sent along at Bellows Falls except on the
| Vermont side.
| On July at | p. m, the work of sluic-
ing the logs began at Bellows Falls and all
the mills below the hill, with the excep-
ton of the pulp mills, were shut down, to
give the logmen enough water, The pulp
mills shut down on Tuesday. On Friday
there We're short delays owing to jams
in the eddy. On Saturday morning the
wind changed and blew up stream the
there was headwind and no sluicing was
done. A channel on the New Hampshire
side was blasted during the afternoon. On
Monday morning the weather was un-
favorable for sluicing and Mr.. Van Dyke
set his men to work at building a sluice-
way on the New Hampshire side. All
that night the wind blew up stream and
it was impossible to sluice any logs if
other conditions had been favorable. The
new sluiceway was completed at 4.3O Tues
day morning and is 40 feet long with
raised sides for holding water and guiding
of logs through sluice to a safe berth be-
low. The logs ran well, the wind was not
favorable but changed to fair, There were
but few short jams.
Day and night the drivers have been at
work using dynamite to clear the jams
at Bellows Falls. On Monday the Canal
company secured diver from Boston to
clear the passage of the crib work on the
Vermont side. About two-thirds of the
crib has been removed.
The run of logs, all things considered,
progressed fairly well, with three days of
head wind and the troubles of the under
tow at the cribwork. About $4,000, 900
feet had passed over the dam at Bellows
Falls Wednesday morning:
The Canal company had gang of men
to aid the drivers and were busy all the
week at the dam. The head cf the drive
passed East Putney Tuesday night while
the last of the drive is expected to be be-
low the dam at Bellows Falls by the
middle of next week. Since the head of
the drive reached Brattleboro the wind
has Snl1Jeu TO Jue sOulH duu n dtIitdhy
no progress has been made in the journey
of the logs. No little trouble has been ex-
perenced in arranging for sending the logs
over the dam at Vernon and Mr.. V an
Dyke was unable to say Wednesday
whether the drive would be sent directly
over the dam or sluice-boomed and sent
through the sluceway at that point.
Mr.. Van Dyke was in Brattleboro
Wednesday on business connected with
the drive, and speaking of the tariff bill
recently passed by Congress, said that the
lumber interests had no reason to feel
that any hardship had been imposed upon
them by the schedule pertaining to lum
Der which the bill contains. He said that
the difference Of 90 cents made in the
schedule was really of no consequence.
Speaking of the operations of the Con I
necticut River Lumber company, which |
embraces the building of large mill at
McIndoes Falls in the town of Barnet, |
Mr.. Van Dyke said that it would eventu
ally mean the end of log driving on the |
but he could not say that the |
drive now on the river would be the last.