12 



the spring rains and thaws commence, the streams open, and, the 

 spring freshets insuring an al)undance of water, the operation of 

 driving the logs to the mill begins. The logs, which were piled on 

 the shores of the stream during the winter, are now rolled into the 

 stream and the swiftly moving water carries them rapidly along. As 

 they pass down the stream the logs form "wings" along the banks 

 wherever a projection extends into the stream. Very often — in fact, 

 nearly always — this is a help rather than a hindrance, for were it not 

 for the wings that turn the logs toward the center of the stream a 

 jam would soon be formed which would cause considerable difficulty. 

 There are places along the stream where in spite of the wings jams 

 are to be expected, and at these places men are stationed. 



Often jams are formed in spite of the efforts of the drivers to keep 

 the center of the stream clear. When a jam is formed which the 

 driver can not break with his cant dog, he resorts to dynamite. It 

 must be remembered that all the while logs are pouring down the 

 stream from above and it is necessary to work quicklj^ Frequently 

 the breaking of one log may start the whole jam. If possible that 

 log is cut with an ax. Seldom, however, is the log in such a position 

 that an ax can reach it readily. Then one or more sticks of dynamite 

 are attached to the end of a long pole, a fuse is lighted, and the whole 

 thrust into the water in the immediate vicinity of the logs causing the 

 trouble. Occasionally it is necessarj^ to repeat the operation several 

 times before the whole jam is started. Ever since the jam has formed 

 water and logs ai-e backing up and often form a great "head." Of 

 course, the men who work on these jams are in great danger, and it 

 is not a rare occurrence for a limb to be broken or even for a man to 

 be killed, and at all times the work and the strain are severe. 



While the logs are being started from the head of the operations, 

 or from where they were left by the lumbermen the winter before, a 

 logging camp is often near enough at hand for the men to stop there, 

 but as moves are made down the stream tenting out is the method of 

 living. After all the logs have been started from the landing it is 

 necessarj^ for a crew to go along the banks of the stream and "break" 

 all the "wings" and start the stray logs; this is known as " sacking 

 the rear." The purpose is to get every log, and in order to do this 

 men are often wet to their hips. It must be remembered that the 

 snow is still on the ground and the water is ice cold. 



At the mouth of a stream that flows into a lake, boom chains made 

 of logs chained together at their ends are stretched, and each end is 

 attached to the bank so as to form a big U at the mouth of the 

 stream. When a boom is filled it is closed, and then a crew of men 

 start with it across the lake, moving it forward by means of head- 

 works much as in the days before steam engines a ship was "warped" 

 from point to point. 



On the drive the crew get up at 4.15 a. m. and breakfast at 5. First 



