The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-01-26


another.
Sure enough, after supper Orde sud
denly appeared among them.
Get organized, boys said he brisk
". We've got to get this pond all
sluiced before morning"
The men took their places.
"Sluice through everything but the
n logs" Orde commanded. Work
them of to the left and leave them"
The sluicing, under the impetus of a
big crew, went rapidly. There's near
a million an hour going through there,
speculated Orde, watching the burden
ed waters of the chute. And In this
work the men distinguished easily the
new white blaze marks on Heinzman's
logs, so they were able to shunt them
one side into the smoother water, as
Orde had commanded.
AS the last log shot through Orde
cried. Tear out the boomsE'
ed, as has been earlier explained, by
two rows of bcoms arranged in v, or
funnel, the apex of which emptied into
the sluiceWay and the wide, projecting
arms of which embraced the width Of
the stream. The logs. floating down
the pond. were thus concentrated to-
ward the sluice; also the riyermen,
walking back and forth the length of
the booms. were able easily to keep the
drive moving.
Now, however, Orde unclaimed these
boom logs. The men pushed them
ashore, clamped in their peavies and,
using these implements as handles,
carried the booms back into the woods.
Then everybody tramped back and
forth, round and about, to confuse the
trail. Orde was like mischievous boy
at a school prank.
The blazed logs belonging to Heinz
man. drifting slowly. had sucked down
into the corner toward the power canal.
where. caught against the grating, they
had jamineI. These logs would have
to be foated singly and pushed one by
one against the current across the pond
and into the influence Of the sluice
gate. Some of them would be hard to
come at.
~ guess that will keep them busy for
day or two" commented Orde.
This. as Orde has said, would be suf
iciently annoying to Heinzman, but
would have little real effect on the
main issue, which was that the Ger
man was getting down his logs with a
crew Of less than dozen men. New
ertheless Orde in a vast spirit Of fun
took delight in inverting and executing
practical jokes of the general sort just
described. One day the chore boy. who
had been over to Spruce Rapids after
mail. reported that an additional crew
of twenty had been sent in to Heinz
mans drive. This was gratifying.
We're making him scratch gravel,
boys, anyway said Orde.
The men entered into the spirit of
the thing. In fact. their enthusiasm
was almost too exuberant. Orde had
constantly to negative new and in
genious schemes.
No, boys said he. Il want to keep
on the right side Of the law. We may
need 1t later"
Logs rarely jam on rising water, for
the simple reason that constantly the
surface area Of the river is increasing.
thus tending to separate the logs. On
the other hand. falling water, tending
to crowd the drive closer together, is
prolific of trouble. There
fore. on food water the watchers
scattered along the stretches Of the
river had little to do-save strand
Heinzman's logs for him.
Up to certain point this was all |
very well. Orde took pains not to
countenance 1t officially and caused
word to be passed about that. while
be did not expect his men to help drive /
Heinzman's logs. they must not go out
Df their way to strand them.
If things get too bad. he'll have
spies down here to collect evidence
"a us" said Orde, and he'll Jug some
II us for interference with his prop
erty. We don't own the river
Inside OF two weeks Or1e had the
2 -r-~~~-@---~e-1A@ ~ AEAGHA1A& ludt
delnzman was working and working
lard-a crew of fifty men.
A pretty fair crew, even IL he was
aking out bis whole drive COM
nented 0rde.
The gods Of luck seemed to be with
he new enterprise. The water held
'ut to carry the last stick OF timber
yer the shallowest rapids. Weather
conditions were phenomenal-and per-
ect- All up and down the river the
york went with vim and dash.
After this happy fashion the drive
vent until at last it entered the broad.
leep and navigable stretches Of the
lver from Redding to the lake. Here.
Earring the accident of an extraordi-
larry food. the troubles were over. On
ne broad. placid bosom Of the stream
ne logs would foat AS Orde sat In
rs blackboard, ready to 60 into town
or first glimpse Of Carroll in more
han two months, he gazed with an
satisfaction oyer tho hroa9