The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1910-08-25
The Dam At Nun,ber Three
~ DlLLY ALEcK.

l
that's lift in tho bush.' said Martin
O'Leary, the fire-ranger. az we rat and
puffed at our pipes on the stoop Of
the bosa's once 1t Burnt Lake station
TT was after twelve-mile tour
Through the bush. personally conduct
"a BY Martin. made in order to feast
our eyes on . real bit Of virgin pine
bush that fully repaid US for the I'VE
days struggle with paddle and PACK
ere We reached our destination.
On the tramp that afternoon we
passed through section which bore
traces Of the operations OF the pre-
vious winters cut with all the wreck
and ruin left behind after the shanty
boys had taken out the timber. Dead
brush, fallen trunks and stumps left
a scene Of desolation not unlike a
fires ravages In city's industrial
centre. These wastes Of brush are the
bane Of the fire-ranger After long
drouth it is Just so much finder,
ready for the lighting stroke.
Not far on we passed typical log
shanty of the woods differing from
the larger camps in that the one
building served as clerks ONCE, bunk
house and cookery. The rude fur
ishings and remnants Of broken
chains. cant hooks. peavies and dis
rarded axe heads. with the huge cyl
indrical heating stove and business
like shanty range. bore ample testi-
mony that there had been doin's here
the previous winter. Camp Number
Three was at point where Alder
creek suddenly became ambitious to
spread itself and the sluggish stream,
which up to this point had meandered
lazily through swamp and muskeg,
took sudden drop and changed to a
miniature rapid. thus requiring dam
to hold back the logs with sufheient
body of water TO float them safely
Iover the numerous rock shadows In
the spring.
Il was always a'feared Of the re
serve DAM" said Gidoux. the boss.
"The frost wasn't out o. the ground
when Pat Green put down that frame.
and I knowed she'd go when the ice
broke"
Twas lucky the gang was there
when she broke. Gaw-da-mighty
couldn't have stopped ii n Pat hadn't
been watchin' II like cat said Mar
| tin.
"The lads we're at supper when Pat
flushed in: She's goin' boys, Out. all
OF yez.'
Every one jumped, some selling
peayies as they ran. Some were told
on to bring bales OF hay from the
keep-over. others to cut brush. while
the rest got busy with shovels. fll-
ing bags with sand. The water had
risen fully two feet after the last two
days Of steady March drizzie. and the
brown food was churned into foam as
II swept down the rocky bed below
The upper works. well traced with
timbers and weighted with boulders
would withstand the water that rushed
over It: twas the hole below that had
10 be plugged
Fourteen bales Of hay we're rammed
down. only 10 be swept through the
gap and tossed like corks down the
swiftly rising stream. II was neither
comforting nor tactful of MacNeish
the handy-man. to speak OF what had
happened on the drive two years
back. when the dam at the head Of
the Cedar rapids had collapsed. ant
the logs run wild down that three
mile stretch OF angry white water. I
tied up a drive Of $4,000 logs for I
year and three brave lads there me
a watery grave. A foreman's reputa
ton is not enhanced by such mlshapl
as these. and no wonder Pat, tn
young boss. was In desperation. tn
anxiety OF the previous hours o
watching had strung him up 10 con
cert pitch. and he showed the gam
he was no Highlander lie saw tn
only hope was 10 get two bales dow
at once and jam them into the breacl
together. 30 with his peavey he dashe
across through the curving water O
top Of the dam. and big Louis LeF7eu
followed. Crossing their peavies the
forced them Into the bed OF the STREAM
the next two bales fell fair across thel
pcavies and these two giants stoo
waist deep. every muscle tense. hol,
ing back The tide Of destruction. The
came more hay. then the brush.
"All night long we worked" sal
Martin. Twenty men holdin' lantern
an twenty cuttin' brush. and We ~
down 400 bags OF sand before IN
boss would let up. and II the win
hadn't changed in the mornin', We
be workin' ON II yet. No one though
OF grub en- we'd been wors1n V
hours, but then the shanty boys ar
like camels and can eat four meals
one. and you can bet the cook dIdn
stint the chucIa Nothin' was sal
either when the boys didn't turn OF
, the next mornin' TN six intead ,
7 flour"
SO $4,000 logs we're kept afoat. an
In their proper time and season wei
guided by the river drivers throur
the lakes and down the long and 10
|. tuous waters Of the Pctewawa to u
y big mills Of the company AZ Amprio