The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1917-06-07
fcontjnued from Page Seyep)

The Coburns were proud OF thoil
State. One day at a special railroad
meeting. some of the Maine Contra
officials who lived in Boston asket
to have the meetings held in tina
city instead of Portland where the,
always had been held. But Govern
or Coburn instantly arose, remark
ing quietly, Il have yet to learr
thai the distance from Portland tt
Boston is less than from Boston Il
Portland.
That Settled ii and there was NJ
more talk OF changing the meeting
place. The Coburns liked direct mef
and the Governor numbered among
his friends men such as John b
Brown of Portland. Josiah Drum
mond and Payson Tucker. He callef
Mr.. Tucker the best r"aroad man hi
:. ", saying, ne is a man of won.
derful tact in getting along Will
people.
The Cobun brothers controlled The
business of big lumber interests, the
traffic of the drive and the lumber
lacks of northern Maine. They had
no strikes to bother them for thai
was long before the trail of the UNI
ions was over the land. They gave
their men good wages and expected
fair treatment in return. Men were
always anxious to work for them
and returned year after year. When
the CoDurns first cut lumber, 5l
million was good cut. Then the VI
and down saws were used in the
mills and it was some years. later
before the band and circular saws
came into use. The Coburns had theiT
own stores where they kept then
supplies, buying flour and other sta
pies by the carload. They carried
their meals into camps in hogsheads
as il kept better that way.
In the days of old-fashioned log
ging camps, the fireplace was built
in the center of the camp and wood
cut six feet long would just fit 1t
There were three pair of hand dogs
the middle not coming up thru, was
Just a great bar of iron. All the
camp cooking was done at these
fireplaces. There had to be room foI
the big bakers and an iron crane
swung at one end. 1t would swing
either way and was used for frying
meats with iron pots swinging from
it. The teakettle also swung from
that and the great teapots were plac-
ed on the Goals. They had tea three
times a day. AT first there was nc
sugar and no milk, but the mer
sweetened their tea with molasses
Later condensed milk and sugar
were brought into the camps.
The Coburns fed their men well
The had hot biscuits, baked beans
doughnuts or gingerbread, Sweet
bread" sometimes meat. and always
tea. for breakfast. Dinner was much
the same but supper was little
pork. sometimes salt mackerel, gin.
gerbread and boiled potatoes and
tea. Often. when there were from
100 to 120 in crew, the cook used q
barrel of flour day.
In the Coburn days of logging the
big timber was near the streams and
it was not far to haul. They had
but one sled to haul the logs and
sometimes they would have eight OK
en- to one log. That was when d
single log would be 70 feet long and
have in it 5000 feet of timber. Often
one couldn't see the oxen, the logs
would be so high, much higher than q
mans head. AT first only oxen were
used in the woods but afterwards
they used horses.
Woods horses are strong and tho
they were hard worked. the Coburr
horses always looked well when they
came out in the spring. The Coburns
had big hay farms and then 1t cost
dollar a ton to have the hay cut
now it costs over four dollars to cut
it. Then the men worked for a dol
lar day, rain or shine; that is. they
got dollar every day even If II
stormed so they couldn't work.
The Coburns paid their men from
IL to 25 dollars and from Is to 4C
dollars a month, the head man get
ting four dollars a day. When young
men went into the woods to learn
the numbering business, they paid
them IL dollars a month and board
Then the next season they did a
mans work and got mans wages
The Coburn crews worked as did
others, with the view of leaving the
lake dam, the rear drive, by the
Fourth of July. This dam was by
Indian pond