The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1920-05-07

now, well known In San Francisco as
n manufacturer of split-redwood prod
uctS. the purchasers sending Their
own schooners for the cargo. And
! presently John Cardigan mortgaged
all OF his timber holdings with San
Francisco bank, made n heap of his
winnings and like a true adventurer
staked his all on new venture-the
first sawmill in Humboldt county.
The timbers for Il were hewed out by
hand: the boards and planks were
whipsawed.
1t was a tiny mill. judged by present.
day standards, for in Il fourteen-hour
working day John Cardigan and his
men could not cut more than twenty
thousand feet of lumber. Neverthe-
less, when Cardigan looked at his mill,
his great heart would swell with
pride.
Here" said John Cardigan to HIM
self exultingly when a long-drawh
wall told him his circular saw was
biting into the first redwood log TO be
milled since the world began, Il shall
build a city and call ii Sequoia. BY
tomorrow / shall have cut sufficient
timber TO make Il start. First l snail
build for my employees better homes
than the rude shackS and lighthouses
they now occupy: then | shall buiid
myself fine residence with SIX
rooms. and the room that faces the
4 l., NhAn Il epn
afford it. | shall build more houses,
| shall encourage tradesmen TO set up
in business In SequOia and to my city
| shall present a church and school
house We shall have a volunteer fire
department, and If God is good, l
shall. at later date, get out some
long-length fir-timber and build a
schooner to freight my lumber To
market. And she shall have three
masts instead of two, and carry half
million feet oe lumber instead of
two hundred thousand. First, how
ever, l must build Il steam tugboat to
tow my schooner in and out over
Humboldt bar. And after that-tah,
well. That is sufficient for the
present"
Thus did John Cardigan dream. and
as he dreamed he worked. The city
Of Sequoia was born with the Arge-
nauts six-rOom mansion of rough red
wood boards and dozen three-ror';.l
cabins with lean-tO kitchens; and the
tradeSpeople came when John Cardi-
gan. with something of the largenesS
of his own redwood trees, gave them
ground and lumber in order to EN-
courage the building OF their enter
prises Also the dream Of the school
mousse and the church came true, as
did the steam tugboat and the schooner
with three masts.
At forty John Cardigan was younger
than most men at thirty, albeit he
worked fourteen hours n day, slept
eight, and consumed the remaining
two at his meals. But through all
those fruitful years of toll he had
still found time To dream, and the
spell of the redwoods had lost none
of its potency.
At forty-two Cardigan was the first
mayor of Sequoia. At forty-fOur he
was standing OH his dock one day,
watching his tug kick into her berth
the first squarerigged ship that had
ever come to Humboldt bay to load 4
cargo Of clear redwood for foreign
delivery. She was big Bath-bullt
clipper and her master lusty down
Easter. widOwer with one daughter
who had come with him around the
Horn. John Cardigan saw this girl
come up on the quarterback and
stand by with Il heaving-line in her
hand calmly she fixed her glance
upon him, and as the ship was shunted
In closer to the dock, she made the
| cast to Cardigan. He caught the
light heaving-line. hauled I'm the
heavy Manila stern-line to which
1t was attached. and slipped the loop
Of the mooring-cable over the dolphin
At the end of the dock.
"Some men wanted aft here to take
! up the slack of the stern-line on the
| windlass. sir" he shouted TO the
skipper, who was walking around on
| top of the house That girl can't
haul her in alone"
Cant. I'm short handed" the
skipper replied. Jump aboard and
| help her"
Cardigan made long leap from the
lock to the ships rail, balanced there
lightly moment. and sprang To the
ieck. He inserted n belaying-pin in
the windlass, paused and looked at
the girl. Raise chantey," he sug-
gested. Instantly she lifted a sweet
contralto in that rollicking old ballad
of the sea-"Blow the Men Down
Round the windlass Cardigan walk.
ed, steadily and easily, and the girls
eyes widened In wonder as he did the
work OF three powerful men. When
the ship had been warped in and the
slack OF the line made fast on the
bits she said:
'Please run ford and help my
father with the bowlines. You're
worth three foremast hands. Indeed.
I didn't expect to sec sailor on this
dock"
II had to come around the Horn
to get here. Miss" he explained. "and
when a man hasn't money TO pay for
his passage, he needs must work IT,"
aI'Yp tho aannpd mate aha aypla In