634 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Starting a Boom of Logs Through a Dam 



a drvim, spindle, rope and anchor; tow 

 this to the length of the rope by bateau, 

 drop the anchor and wind in the boom 

 logs by hand. At the point where the 

 anchor rope stretched across knee high, 

 it was said the men, thoroughly ex- 

 hausted by many hours of labor, and 

 fast asleep between their rounds, with 

 their breasts leaning on the reaches, 

 would regularly step over the rope 

 when they came around to it in unison 

 with the rest. Biit when creeping 

 from headland to headland a strong 

 wind caught the raft away from the 

 shore, the anchor would drag like a 

 plow in the deep soft bottom, or the 

 rope would part, and then back down 

 the lake they would go and lose all 

 the labor of the day and night. The 

 adaptation of the tow boat, however, 

 made successful the older methods by 

 adding speed and power, and brought 

 out a whole new field of experience and 

 adventure. The lore of the pioneer of 

 the old order of things was still most 

 valuable. Their knowledge of con- 

 ditions had been gained by a prepared- 

 ness to take advantage of nature in her 

 every mood, and to note with care the 

 sweep of the wind from each valley, 



and the protection furnished by each 

 promontory or bay. The potents of 

 the morning and the fulfillments of the 

 day were their capital and long in- 

 heritance, and such lore was now 

 reenforced by the careful weighing of 

 figures and the scientific comparison of 

 hulls, engines and textile strength. 

 Dinner had just been called by the 

 cook in his usual drawling voice, and 

 all hands had flocked to his long table 

 to forget the excitement of the moment 

 in the relish of beans and a huge bowl 

 of custard, when a mighty lurch threw 

 us all into a heterogeneous composite 

 of legs, plates, fat cook and dessert. 

 The scramble that ensued was full of 

 fl^'ing arms and profanity, but having 

 finally extricated ourselves and climbed 

 to the deck, the cause of the commotion 

 was seen. Two enormous spruce were 

 bending slowly out over the water near 

 the shore in response to the over- 

 ]:)Owering strain of the 2-inch hawsers 

 which were slipping up their trunks in 

 violent tugs, that snapped branches 

 like pipe stems and drew tough roots 

 from their long resting places. With 

 a mighty lift and a last splash the far 

 end of the boom swung clear carrying 



