Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-03-03
MODERN LUMBERJACk
THRIFTY AND FRUGAL
No More Does He Give Calling Stigma
of Disgrace by Dissipation.


The woodsman or lumberjack, as
he is better known, has begun to
come cut of the timber, says the Anti
go Journal. Hundreds of laborers in
the forests of northern Wisconsin are
arriving here and branching out for
other points of endeayor. The lumber
men are leaving early this year on
account of the extraordinary mildness
of the winter. Cutting for the most
part has ceased owing TO the absence
of sufficient snow, and the jObberS fear
the season will be so shortened that
they will be unable TO move even the
logs already cut to the mills and load
ing sidings. Consequently the sawyers
have TO more work TO do and will not
have unless there is providential
and heavy fall of snow.
The evolution of the "lumberjack"
has been especially marked this year.
The popular conception of him is no
longer correct.
The old-t1me sawyer came to the
woods in the fall, sawed down trees,
a horse and ate heavily and let his
beard grow until the end of the cut
ting season. Then he went to the
HCdlOSC dIlu W
make northwoods history.
Stirring tales still are told of the
''huskies" who travelled alone and
fought for love of fighting. In the
old days, when a lumberjack came
out of the woods the first act was to
sandwich q shave and bath between
two drinks. Then he sailed out TO
paint the community a deep, dark
crimson And mo nSna1lU cllnNQn6nH
admirably.
The end of the interval of idleness
between the completion of the cutting
and the beginning of the log drives
found the lumberjack broke and
afflicted With an aching head, some
times in Jail but ready to return to
work.
The breaking up of winter and the
clearing of ice from the streams found
the woodSmen back on the Job again
for the "spring drive" The winters
cutting was simple compared TO the
labor of moving the logs down the
river and for weeks members of the
''lost legion of the NORTH coolly took
their lives in their hands to bring the
drive" to its destination on time.
Clad in hob-naiied brogans and
welding ''pike poles'' and "peevies''
the lumberiacks plotted millions of
feet of lumber down the river on the
crest of the spring freshets. Log
jams were daily occurrences, and
hundreds lost their lives in passing
rapids and going through narrow
channels where the swollen streams
were swift and treacherous.
The end of the drive meant an
other visit to the barber and the
QuenchiDg Of the long neglected
thirst. and at the close of the spring
debauch the lumberjacks lost them
selves until the saving season began
again the next fall, finding employ
ment in the sawmill, on farms, and
railroads, and even shipping as sea-
men on lake vessels.
Here and there are still to be found
the old type of picturesque woods
men but the modern lumberjack is of
far different stamp. Many of them
are thrifty foreigners or young
farmers who work their clearings dur
ing the summer months and spend
the 2 lter IN the camps.
Many bring their own teams-and
these men are greatly desired by the
different panies-and some. come
distances from comparatively old
farming settlements.
The modern lumberjack is far from
a romantic character. He is disposed
to live quietly and peaceably, and the
chances are the opportunities for saw
ing money are what called him into
the woods Many lumberjacks are in
the woods for their health. Hundreds
of men are attracted by the oppor-
tunity of making good wages and the
absence of temptation to spend them.
Log drives in Wisconsin are practi-
cally at an end, their place having
been taken by tramways and ice roads
built in the woods. Nor is logging
now confined entirely to winter.
Many jobbers cut timber through the
spring and summer and give their
employees steady year-around work.