Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-03-11
Thrills of Rafting
Days on Wisconsin,
Early Day Method Of Tran pOrtaton Meant Great Hardship
and Resulted in Slany Deaths Along With Thrills.
By E. D. King, Prairie du Sac
By E. D. King, Prairie du sac

pleasantly ana comfortably enjoyed
in good old Wisconsin. if ere takes
sime to read and think of the incidents
OF early days without going e the
congested winter resorts Of Calfor
MIA or Florida The History of Sank
county is very interesting work,
consisting of two large handsome vel
umess which describe the nasl5hips,
and privations Of the early settlers.
One of the most important changes
since then, is to be seen in transpor-
fation facilities. Remembering some
incidents Of lumber transportation Of
48 years ago, only as far back as
1872, I will try to describe, briefly my
experience in the spring Of that year.
a call from the north was sent to-
Barabo0 for riyermen. Eighty-five
dollars was offered for suckers" Gas
inexperienced men were called) to
run from Wausau to st. Louis. Elk
perienced men received over $1e0.
Stephen Burdick took five men and
Charles Davis took sixteen, with their
teams from Baraboo on the 18th of
March S1eighing was fair mos. Of the
way. The first day we reached Col
oma Corners, Adams county. The
teams carried us as far as Stevens
Point. From there we walked Tie rest
of the way passing through tract OF
she most beautiful pine timber imagin-
able. have never since seen such a
dense growth of tall straight trees.
We arrived at Wausau in good time
and from then on received free board
and lodging in a commodious bunk
house where 40 raftsmen slept and ate
Three story hunks were arranged on
each side Of the single room and long
plain tables extended through the CEN
ter. Tin plates were used for food ana
tin basins for coffee, which was drunk
without milk or sugar, unless sweet
ened with brown sugar. There was
mo railroad there then, AMI tote
seams" brought in supplies Of hearty
men, who were all good peacable fell
lows. 1 will give the names of the
men as far as recollected: Henry
Snider (of KilbOurn steam boat fame)
was the foreman and the agile, mus
cular man who plotted the RATS oyel
the dangerous places. 1t was wonder
full how quickly he handled those
heavy oars, dipping them at the right
place to miss a huge rock in the rush
ing, roaring current of the different
rapids. He knew every rock, and
turn in the Wisconsin river. fIe would
fake stroke first one way then the
other with four husky fellows push
ing like tigers, and when Inc blaue
came out of the water it would flop
like fish tail. If the next stroke was
TO be the opposite way, the men
Jumped over the o0ar stem or swung
alnder quickly. John Snider, his broth
ser, was second boss. The others as
remember were Mute Cruson, Culver,
Jerome Nichols, H. Hall, IS. G. Perry,
Will and Henry Briscoe. Ira Burdick,
j. B. Fowler, John Fancher, Chauncey
Blake, Ed. Turney, Elmer Haines, Nate
McGilvra, Jack Crawford, Jack Cusick
Riley, FL. Rolfe, Sam Houston, Pete
Wintestein, Amos Johnson Solomon
Williams (our cook and Fred my
bowsman We commenced rafting
i'm on the ice, at first However the
river channel was open, and we could
see RATS of old soggy lumber, (which
had been stranded by low water the
previous fall) coming over Big Bull
Falls, which was just above our loca-
ton. When they came over the dam,
the RATS were completely submerged.
The pilot, holding his oar down to the
binder plank was completely sub
merged until the lumber came to the
surface; the others, hanging to The
sucker line, were up to their waists
In the ice cold water. Some of the
scribs were wrecked on the r lcks and
&wo of the men were knocked off, in
"A most strenuous effort succeeded in
reaching a place of sarety from that
terrible swift current.
Car Kills Painter
Our lumber was nice and dry in big
piles, ready to be run down TO the riv
er on car The first car load that
passed on an elevated track by the
corner of the mill caused the death of
a Mr. Pomeron, who was painting the
mill Perhaps it was his fault IL at |
taching the staging to the rail. How
ever, when the car was pushef, along
his support collapsed and he fel.
about sixteen feet, alightirg head
first on the ice. The poor fellow pre-
scented gruesome sight. Ills skull
was exposed largely, while red paint
and blood were equally mixed, cover
ing his clothes. Henry Briscoe took
charge in rendering first aid. He iiv-
ed about six weeks.
chauncey Blake Injured
After that accident Chaunoey Bake
was injured somewhat although the
work proceeded with a rush to form
the first crib. as follows: three 2x14