112 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



Some of the men go thus all the year 

 round, but it is particularly the dress of 

 the driver, whose life depends on agility. 

 The boats, which were poled upstream 

 or hauled in during the fall, are over- 

 hauled, calked, and soaked tight. They 

 are long, flat-bottomed, double-ended 

 bateaus, with plenty of sheer and sides 

 that tumble home sharply, something 

 like a dory. Enough of them are sup- 

 plied to carry the whole crew when 

 necessary. Also there has been built 

 a craft called the " wanigan " (Indian 

 wangan -- bait) , larger, and constructed 



ning of April the first warm spring days 

 come, and the snow disappears rapidly. 

 For twenty-four ho.urs a warm heavy 

 rain falls. The brooks overflow their 

 banks and the river is no longer able to 

 carry off the increasing volume of water, 

 and rises rapidly. The weakened ice 

 gives way under the tremendous strains 

 imposed upon it. The heavy piles of 

 logs crush through and spread, and the 

 great mass slowly plows its way down- 

 stream through the rotten ice, driven 

 by the resistless thrust of the swelling 

 flood behind. 



DRIVERS AND BATEAU ( ADIRONDACK^ I. 



solidly enough to endure rough work 

 among logs and ice; a floating kitchen 

 and storehouse on the plan of a narrow 

 houseboat. 



Every day the sun mounts a little 

 higher in the heavens. Its warm rays 

 penetrate the forest canopy and daily 

 operate with greater power on the snow- 

 clad hillsides. At the beginning of Feb- 

 ruary the snow lay possibly three to 

 seven feet deep, according to the severity 

 of the winter. Now all this great mass 

 of stored water is being released, and 

 taking its way down every little runlet 

 to the rivers on its way to the ocean. 

 During the end of March or the begin- 



As soon as possible the logs are picked 

 apart and strung out, in order to avoid a 

 jam at some point below. Everything 

 must be done without delay now, for the 

 flood rises and falls rapidly on the large 

 streams, and advantage must be taken of 

 the upper stage to get the drive safely 

 past the troublesome places. All the 

 huge rollways of logs on the banks of 

 the river are successively launched into 

 the stream as soon as those which were 

 on the ice have moved out of the way. 

 The piles may be 30 feet or more in 

 height and very steep on the side to\vard 

 the river. The men work in most dan- 

 gerous positions at the foot of the poised 



