The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-02-02

had to blow 'em up before we could
saw them. That was years ago, when
We had the old up and down saws.
Those we're the days of big deals
and rich timberland. The Coburn
brothers were the lumber kings of
North country then. knew them
we'll. They were good friends to me
and taught me my first lessons in
wood craft And now they've divided
the property. 'Tis a long time the
heirs have been about it, The CO.
burns were worth fifty millions. You
could reckon it right up, easy.
know the Coburns fixed the valuation
at 80 cents an acre at the same time
they sold land at 81 an acre, and
that was the cheapest they were sell
ing. Only they didn't care. When
they called it so cents an acre some
of it sold for 81. Now they've got
land worth $40 an acre after all these
years OF cutting.
All kinds of trees in Maine unused
the lumberman, land you can tell
where some of EN- are found, just by
the names. There's Alder stream,
there's Sapling town. could give
you lots of EN-. With me twas most
ly pine and spruce, and hard work to
get EN-, some years.
"One time we wanted to get our
logs down and the folks above want
ed all the water for themselves. Water
was low that year. and it was late
and many of the men had gone home;
wouldn't stay. Twas kind of hard
outlook The other company had
three men stationed with guns on the
shore and wouldn't let us have the
water.
"One of my men was born fighter,
the worst in the crew. Never was
happy unless he was fighting some
body. He said he would go down and
get the dam 'histed for us.
All right l said, Go ahead.
Twill make us short handed, but
we've got to have that water
He took two more of the crew and
down they went He walked up to
one of the three guards and told him
straightway that he could fight him
Allowed he could lick him and do up
the others. Got EN- all to arguing
pretended he wanted to see their guns
and when he got 'em away, wouldn't
give 'em back Did it so good-natured
like they couldn't get mad. Then
while one of my men guarded the
enemy, the others histed the dam, got
the water coming all right, and tolc
those guards to skedaddle If they
didn't want to get killed. Naturally
they skedaddled.
I'VE got our logs down all right
and then the other company sued; but
we were too smart for EN-. We got
a lawyer from Skowhegan, Merrill
think his name was, and he went to
work and sued 'em for trying to take
away from us the natural flow of wa
ter. Our lawyer sued for $5000 anC
after that, we never heard any more
of the suit that company had threat
ened to bring against US.
I'm the days of the Coburns thu
crews worked Sundays, getting in tn,
firewood. 1t came each crews turf
about once a month. The men Gu
the trees and hauled EN-, clean
llmbed, to camp. The cook Away
had TO cut his own firewood. Their
weren't any cookies until later w,
got along with as small crews al
we could and do the work well. Late
on, came the big crews.
1T wasn't so easy, getting in sup
plies then. We carried dill our meals
into camp in hogsheads, a hard wa!
to do, for they were heavy, but wher'
. they laid round out doors so much, /
was thought the meal kept better il
the hogshead; no danger of damp o
wet.
I'VE didn't have much butter frs
along, but generally, the last Of tn
winter we gave the men butter. Bean
twice a day, morning and noon, cook
ed in bakers, first along, they wer
7 baked in the ground. For breakfast
we had beans, biscuits, doughnuts
tea, never coffee in the woods, an,
5 no sugar ors milk. We used molasse
for sweet'ning. Dinner was much tn
same. At night there was Away
fried pork, salt mackerel, boiled pc
tatoes, doughnuts and sometimes
gingerbread. / tell you that sal
pork and mackerel and boiled pota
toes tasted good.
> Some years l had rough crews
rougher than ordinary, and that
saying considerable. One time l caugh
: man drinking rum. He didn'
: know / saw him. | didn't allow an,
liquor In camp, none of the lumber
men did that | knew. l went to tina
mans chest after he got away ant