The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1910-04-15

iOSS, 81 they were dpic W Snuht chSAA
one side into the smoother water, as
Orde had commanded,
AS the last log shot through Orde
cried, ''Tear out the booms!'
The chute to the dam was approach
ed, as has been earlier explained, by
two rows of booms 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 rivermen,
walking back and forth the length of
the booms, We're 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
ut 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 jammed. These logs would have
to be f1Oated 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.
II guess that will keep them busy for
day or two" commented Orde.
This, as Orde has said, would be suf-
ficiently 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 a dozen men. New
ertheless Orde in a vast spirit of fun
took delight in inventing 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.
Were making him scratch gravel,
boys, anyway" said Orde.
Lit Iucu eultTeu lutO Iue spirit VI
the thing. In fact, their enthusiasm
was almost too exuberant. Orde had
constantly to negative new and in
genious schemes.
mo, boys" said he, 81 want to keep
on the right side Of the law. We may
heed it later"
Logs rarely jam on rising water, for
he simple reason that constantly the
surface area Of the river is increasing,
thus tending to separate the logs. On
the other hand, failing water, tending
to crowd the drive closer together, is
especially prolific Of trouble. There
fore. on food water the watchers
scattered along the stretches Of the
river had little to do-savey strand
Heinzman's logs for him f 4FA
UP to a certain point this was all
very well. Orde took pains not to
countenance it officially and caused
word to be passed about that, while
he did not expect his men to help drive
Heinzman's logs, they must not go out
Of their way to strand them.
"If things get too bad. he'll have
spies down here to- collect evidence
& on us, said Orde. land he'll jug some
Of us for interference with his prop
erty. We don't own the river"
Inside Of two weeks Orde had the
great satisfaction of learning that
Heinzman was working-and working
hard-a crew Of fifty men,
"a pretty fair crew, even if he was
taking out his whole drive" COM
mented Orde.
The gods Of luck seemed to be with
the new enterprise. The water held
out to carry the last stick of timber
over the shallowest rapids. Weather
conditions We're phenomenal-and per-
feet. All up and down the river the
work went with vim and dash.
After this happy fashion the drive
went until at last 1t entered the broad
deep and navigable stretches of the
river from Redding to the lake. Here
barring the accident of an eXtraordl-
nary food the troubles were over On
the broad, placid bosom of the stream
the logs would float. AS Orde sat in
lis blackboard. ready. to go into town