Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-07-11

quickly IS coled spring and when
the strain Is thrown on the line the
break grows larger With amazing
rapidly. When one Of the big strands
break the teamster knows Of X by
the convulsive Zip Of the line and he
Is on the alert at once II the line
breaks be yells ut bis horses ana sehos
his whip stinging about their heads
The intelligent brutes instinchVely
feel their danger when the line snaps
and throwing themselves forward into
their collars they start on race with
death down the hillside. The driver
sticks to his post as long az he can
and does his best to guide his sleeds.
He IS comparatively SAFE, for be can
Jump at my time without much DAP
ger OF injury In the deep snow.
Horees Racing From Death
Not so with the horses. however.
The great load OF logs goes sWaytnS
after them as fast az they can run.
even though they were not harnessed
| to the sled. All the frightened AMI
mafs can do is keep their feet nnG 90
their best to keep tho toad from run
ming onto their heels CT, leaving the
road. to crash into the trees and take
! them with It. II one 0! the horses
| falls or anything about the sled breaks
| it IS all up With tho poor brutes. Some
| lines the swayjng Of the loGG Will
break a chain which holds tho legs on
| mo sled and let the great sticks go
| shooting out over The heads Of the
| horses. perhaps catching the teamster
| unaware also.
| The breaking 0? tho srub line does
not always hGvc tragic result. II Is
| the miraculous escape of men ma
\ horses that the men like to tell about
| qftcrward. 1t often happens that the
| teamster guides his flying steeds and
| their swaytng Io@d d0wn over the
steep hill and brings them 10 a stop
| after q mad rush OF q quarter OF
mile. covered with lather and with
| sides heaving and nostrllS distendcd'
| but victors IN the race with death.
| In the above method Of using the
| snub line one end of the line passes
J back I'D the hill while the end at
4 ,achcd to the load IS going down. BY
\ This method ono end Of the line is al
! ways on the top and the teams are
\ saved the trouble Of carrying the line
} back mp the hill
! This method IS practicable Oh most
4 hills, but there are places In the
| woods where the grade Is 50 long and
1 steep that another method had TO be
ldopted. The other method, while
seemingly safer, IS. as matter OF
4 fact, fraught with more danger to men
I and horses than the first. The big
| line IS made fast about tho load as It
| was in the first instance. and two or
| three turns are taken around tie
! stump. The rest OF the line is c0;led
| I'D q few yards away. The tcamStor
starts his horses down the hill and
| two men take the slack end Of tho
| line and pay it cut gradually rs the
! load descends. always keeping the line
taut and running around the stump as
| smoothly as possible. These men
wear mlttens with thick leather palms,
so that they can grip the line without
| having their hands torn and blistcrod
By the line passing through them. II
the line gets the better of them they
have q way of checking It by taking
! cantdos and using it as lever 10
throw the line harder against the
stump, increasing the friction and
checking the load.
Sometimes the snub end gets the
| better OF the men handling 1t and in
stead OF paying out smoothly goes by
| Jerks, getting from four inches 10
! foot of slack line at every jerk When
this happens there is trouble IN store
for somebody unless the men can stop
the line with their lever. Every SIP
~ rho line sends q thrill through the
whole length and sets it 10 Topping
and swaying and vibrating just as the
violin string vibrates when the bow is
| drawn across it. This makes great
strain on the line and II there is the
| slightest imperfectinn II 1t Is likely TO
snan or in Its great gyrations 1t may
eat the better of the men and ruin
| through their hands SO fast that the
leather palms OF their mittens smoke
and they have to drop It to save them
selves. They send a shout Of warning
down to the teamster and another
race ensues. with life and death tosa-
ing q coin to see which wins.
Same Thind.