Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-24
DARING LOG DRIVERS EXPLOITS
How They Are Plunged Down the
Occur d'Aene.

w nat Is COnSIbtTeu TIE greatest
single drive of logs down the North
Fork of the Occur d'Alene river in
the history of logging along that
stream has started with A. p. Bailey
of Occur d'Alene at the head of 81
experienced and hardy drivers. They
began operations at the mouth of Big
creek, seven miles north of Pritchard.
The drive measures 32.000.000 feet Of
logs. Last year $4,000, 600 feet was the
limit reached, but the demand for logs
and the good price received this year
increased activity among timber own
ers An army of choppers, fellers
and buckers worked all winter in the
woods along the North Fork and trib-
utaries. Few people understand or
know the order and care that prevails
in the well-regulated timber camp,
where each man has a certain work to
perform. His pay check depends up
ON his ability to perform that given
task. Green or inexperienced men, as
we'll as the man without an iron con-
stitution, are not looked upon with
favor around the camp.
OF the cut this season 28.000 900 feet
is white pine and 100000 feet cedar.
This ratio has been about the same in
the past years of timber activity
along this stream.
With 80 experienced drivers. Bailey
states, he will deliver the logs at their
destination i'll 30 days time. The
drive covers q distance of approx
mately IS miles from the headwaters
of the North Fork to Lake Occur
d Alene. To make good on his con-
tracts he must finish the drive in this
length of time or come out loser. Two
years ago he lost $500 for lack of an
expert boatman who could run a boat
in the swift whirling waters of the
North Fork, when it was running bank
full. A boatman from southern
drive was engaged. His second day
proved his undoing, when the boat
with all supplies was caught in n
swift eddy and overturned. The camp
| lost all its food supplies, tents and a
great number of instruments used in
the drive. These could not be replaced
| in 10 days. Bailey had to lay off his
crew, hold up the drive and send for
supplies.
The greatest foe the river driver
faces is the weather A sudden drop
| III lile water VI IL tOp ldDlb list WI no
| its hardshps and delays the drive. A
| drop hangs up the logs in the river
An overflow sends them out into the
brush and side currents. where 1T
| takes time and trouble to locate them.
| A jam in the river also causes its
troubles if not broken soon after start
| ing. Passengers on the idaho North
| ern last week were afforded an inter
esting display. when a jam of some
| G, 900 coo feet was broken by a dyna-
mite. blast near Haights place. Half
| the logs went out with a rush. and
| the river was almost swept bare of
its water as this great wall of rolling
| tmbers plunged forward. Those jams
| and the dangerous work of breaking
| them form the diversions of the drive
and give full play to the daring and
| skill of the driver
In five years Bailey has taken out
more than 25,0000O0 feet of logs. the
| greater portion of which has been
| white pine. The timber comes from
| the ground tributary to the banks or
the river and as yet very little cutting
has been done in any of the vast ter
ritory remote from the river. A large
portion of the North Fork district is
| now under forest reserve, but enough
yet lies without the borders to insure
some great drives in the years to come.
| Six large lumber concerns arc par
| ticipating in the drive this year.
Their mills are scattered along from
Occur d Alene city to Rose Lake. the
logs are scaled and bought from the
owners along the river by representa-
tives of the lumber companies ana
each company places it's mark on every
| log, some companies using as high as
three marks to a log. They are al.
then dumped into the river or placeu