The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-03-02
MAINE LOG DRIVING
Has Been Reduced To
A Science
Storage Basins Power Engines Have
Been Adopted for the Work and
Expense Is Much Less Than for
Previous Years.

Log uIlAluB OH lle llAeIb VI hdllt'i
like numbering in the Maine forests,
has been reduced to as nearly a sci
ence as the nature of the business
will allow Profting by years of eX-
perience, the log driving companies
now take their drives from the small
streams far in the northern woods to
the different mills upon the large
rivers in Il much shorter period of
time and at much less expense than
in former years This is done with
the loss of hardly a log, while in
years past ii was not unusual to leave
whole winter cuttings on some OF the
streams on account OF lack of water.
In the early days il was the custom
for the drivers to take large lot of
logs and drive them through to a
lake or a wide place in the river
where the water was still and then
walk back and bring down another
lot and SO continue their way down
until the logs were distributed in the
different booms. This was done at
the cost of much time and money and
many of the logs did not get to the
mills until the second year owing to
the low water. Immense jams were
continually forming upon the lodges
and dams, it sometimes taking weeks
to remove them.
/ For the last few years large sums
Of money have been expended by the
log driving companies in clearing the
streams of distractions and building
storage basins to hold the surplus
water in reserve for use in the dry
season. In the main rivers large
stone piers have been constructed to
hold the booms. lodges have been
blown out and sluiceways built in
all the dams.
The main river is NOW divided into
sections and a crew of men is kept
on each section during the driving
season whose duty il is to keep the
| logs moving all of the time Each
section is provided with Il comfortable
camp for the men, so situated that
it can be easily reached by the crew
and during part of the season they
go to the camp for their meals. When
at work some distance from the camp,
lunches are taken to them by the
cooks assistants.
Every section must necessarily
have several boats or bateaus called
Driving Bats" by the men. Each
boat is in charge of two boatmen
and it is their duty to convey the men
wherever their services are needed
and when the crews are breaking a
jam, to stand by in readiness to take
off the men should the jam start sud
denly. These boatmen become very
proficient in handling a boat and
command large pay.
At the camp is stationed cook,
helper, called cookee. and black
smith There is also a clerk or time
keeper whose duty it is to keep the
mems time, order the supplies and
report each week to the treasurer of
the company.
The cook is always a man and as
river drivers are more or less fasti
dious, he must be an adept at cooking
and very neat. Otherwise the men
will not work and many a crew of
good men have left camp because of
an inferior or unclean cook.
The story is told of an aristoCratiC
lady and her two daughters from
large city who once visited a river
drivers camp during dinner hour and
much to the amusement of the men, |
one of the young ladies' WAS heard
to exclaim: why mamal | thought
river drivers ate hay"
Excepting style and fancy dish
es, the menu of a driving camp is far
ahead of many hotels and the food
is certainly more palatable. Delicious
beans baked in the ground are served
twice a day and hardly a day passes
without several visitors from town
who come for plate of these beans.
Fresh meats or fish are served every
day and cookies, cakes and pies are
always in evidence. The camp is
we'll supplied with fresh milk butter
and eggs.
The men eat four times daily.
Breakfast at five, luncheon at nine,
dinner at two and supper at seven.
This is because of the long hours
and hard work.
The stream drives start as soon as
the ice is out which is usually about
the time the logging camps break up.
These drives are short but very
strenuous as the men must work
swiftly while there is a high pitch of
water. The men are obliged to stand
in the ice water all of the time but
after the first wetting in the morn
ing their limbs become accustomed to
the cold. Rarely do they suffer any
i'll effect from this exposure.
The Kennebec river drive starts as
soon as Moosehead lake is free from
ice, usually from the tenth to the
twenty-fifth of May. The logs from
the streams and rivers emptying into
this lake are then lowed down the
lake by steamers and sluiced into the
KeLnebec. From then on they are
continually moving until the last log
is at it's destination.
After the ice is out of the lake, the
large gates at the dam are closed and
the lake allowed to fill to the high
water mark. This lake which is the
largest body of fresh water In New
England is about forty miles long
ana In places several miles wide.