The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-12-20

Sealing at MOxie Gore

Through the courtesy of Morrill, C.
Rowe of Bingham. We have learned
something about the operation which
is going on this winter at Moxie Gore.
Sometime during last summer, the
American Shoe Finding Company
made a trade for stumpage on that
tract, the other party to the contract
being the Coburn Heirs. The cut
ting is of white birch and goes to the
factory of the Shoe Finding concern
at Bingham, to be made into shanks.
Camps were built last September of
fir logs with cedar splits and tarred
paper for roofing. These are located
near Fish Pond, small body of wat
er of perhaps thirty acres. They
consist of one large camp for eating,
where of course, the cooking is done,
bunk house for twenty men, a
blacksmith shop and hoYel for the
horses. All these are honey and
comfortable The hunks are fitted
with spring beds.
Mr. Rowe went to work on the 18th
of September. He has the rather
unusual distinction of being on the
pay roll for both parties. The un-
derstanding as to the cutting is that
each stick must be nine inches in
diameter breast high and six inches
at the top, and that 1t must be cut
down to the twirl of the root. 1t
is permissible, however, If a good
smooth stick, a little smaller than
nine inches breast high, stands in
the way or where it would be broken
down by the fall of other trees, it
may be taken 1t is a part of Mr..
Rowe's duty to see that these stipula-
tons are observed.
He uses a scaling wheel to get the
length of the stick and then measures
on the diameter at the middle with a
caliper rule. From this measure
ment he gets the number of cubic
feet and then at night he divides by
122 to convert his figures into cords.
1t is Mr.. Rowe's aim to arrive at
what is known as a sound scale. If
there are shakes or seams at the butt,
a discount has to be made thereof.
He also has to deduct anything more
than one-third red heart.
He is a sworn surveyor of long
experience. He worked for Forrest
Colby for eight winters and after
that four years for the American Shoe
Finding Company. Mr.. Rowe was
hired on behalf OF the Coburn Heirs
by John Hutchins of Bangor, one of
their agents.
Eddie Kinds of The Forks Is cook
He has a woman to help him and to
wait on table and her husband is one
of the crew Ed O'Neal is foreman
of the operation. Everett Fenlason
has the contract for cutting and
hauling Mr.. Rowe speaks in the
highest terms of these men. Says
they are very efficient and that every
thing is going along very smoothly.
The birch is hauled with horses over
a So mile road to Moxie Station.
Bingham Cutting and yarding was
done along thru the fall and the
hauling of course had to wait for
snow. Jim Kitchen and Charlie Phil
pot of North Arson are chopping.
George Copp and Berry Skillings of
North Arson are driving team.
There has been very little game
around that section thkS year. Some
signs of moose and deer and In the
fall there were a few birds. Snow
hung off very late and the swamps
did not commence to freeze until the
middle of December. In going in,
Mr. Rowe gets off at Moxie Station,
rides on the stage as far as the Boil
due Field and then has a walk of
about one and one-half miles.