The Winslow mail., 1915-05-29
FORTUNES IN LOGS
ON RIVERS BED
1,0o0,ooo,ooo Feet of Timber Covered
by Waters Of Muskegon and
Its Tributaries.
LOGS ARE NOW BEING RAISED
Lumber Man Buys Up Rights to This
Treasure" That Sank in
"OId Days"

MuSk9gOn, Mich. - The operations
which are being carried on along the
Muskegon river and it's tributary
waters beat hunting for buried treas
ure all hollow. Ordinary treasure
hunting, that is, for these operations
are literally hunting for buried treas
ure, with the additional advantage that
those who are carrying them on know
just where to hunt for the treasure,
and are able to convert it into cash as
surely as if it were the minted money
of other days.
The treasure consists of approx
mately 1,000,000,000 feet of logs which
have rested on the bed of the river
ever since the palmy days of the
numbering industry in western Michi-
gan
For two decades, beginning almost
half century ago, this part of Michi-
gan was the greatest lumber center
in the United States and the world as
well. Here were the tallest trees, the
biggest timber Here existed the typi.
cal methods of cutting lumber in that
period. Timber was so plentiful that
it was gathered recklessly. The
methods of taking a claim were such
as to attract large numbers of lumber
men and for hundred miles up the
river the sound Of axes and saws was
heard on every side, far back into the
country.
Logs in a profusiOn seemingly end
less filed the Muskegon River. They
filed it not only on the surface, but
the entire river bottom was clogged
with logs, even to the deepest part of
the channel. They were piled in the
river in such numbers that logs on top
pushed other logs to the bottom and
still others came on top of these, till
the river for many miles was in places
solid mass of logs.
Two years ago the dam at Big
Rapids was carried away Then was
revealed to the present generation the
amazing fact that the entire bottom of
the MuskegOn River was mass Of
logs When the dam broke great was
the astoniShment at the sight of that
thick floor Of logs. The Muskegon
Company bought the rights Of the ori-
ginal owners and began the work of re-
moving the timber. The work of TAX
ing the logs from the river bottom has
progressed until timber piles line the
banks to a width of many rods for
miles and miles.
Old time lumbermen of this district
become loquacious and tell of the in
teresting scene of the time when the
"river hogs" as the waders were call
ed, made things lively in western Mich
igan. Muskegon was Mecca for all
kinds of workers in logging, but es-
pecially those who were skilled in set
ting loose huge piles of logs which
had become blocked in enormous
stacks while floating down stream.
These logs would often become wedg-
ed together when a skillful river
hog would, with a cant hook, remove
the keystone log and let the immense
heap go tumbling free with thunder
ing noise and swirling currents, only
perhaps to become blocked again In
another place.
1t is probable that in all the United
States there have never been such
numbering scenes nor such deeds as
have been done in this last year in
Big Rapids.
James Cow of Muskegon is the man
at the head of the work of raising
these sunken logs.
In order to have undisputed title to
the big timber which he brings to the
surface, Mr. Cow has purchased 26 per
cent of all the marks used by the old
time loggers in this part of the state.
He now owns 934 marks and controls
many others. These marks make him
undisputed possessor of all timbers lie
uplls out of their bed Of mud at the
bottom of the river, which runs from
Muskegon on up past Big Rapids.
One thing Mr. Cow had to contend
with for some time was the claim that
because the logs have remained in the
river with apparently no ownership
for so long a time, any person had the
right to salvage and keep them. One
sawmill started to cut up some OF
these logs without securing any title
to the marks, but Mr.. Cow finally won
out by buying up the marks from the
owners and then fighting the matter
out in the courts. The state supreme
court has ruled the title to logs marked
in any way lies in the owner of the
marks on the timber. Thus Mr.. Cow
has a practically exclusive right on
Muskegon River. He is bringing to
the surface an almost Incredible
amount of lumber from the bottom OF
the river In the last two years 58one
he has secured over $4,000 logs. OF
this astonishing number about half
have been secured near Big Rapids
The rest have come from Maple Island
and MuskegOn Lake vicinities At the
latter two places the logs are raised by
a machine known as log litter, which
is little more than scoW lifted up
with machinery
Delicate intimation