1904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



logs, wrenching and prying at those 

 which hold back the rest. 



Suddenly they give way, and the 

 larger part of the towering mass ava- 

 lanches with a roar into the water. 

 Every log is launched and sent spinning 

 downstream. Some of the men go with 

 the main body of the logs, riding them as 

 surely and fearlessly as circus perform- 

 ers tread the backs of running horses. 

 Their ' ' cork boots ' ' prevent them from 

 slipping, and their pike poles are used in 

 maintaining their balance. They run 

 about on the rolling, swinging logs with 



on, while in the ordinary course of af- 

 fairs they would tie one forefoot up to 

 the saddle-horn and conquer the beast 

 on a soft spot in a corral. Professional 

 pride is a strong point with these gentle- 

 men of strenuous lives. 



A part of the crew follows behind, 

 gathering in the stragglers. The freshet 

 is liable to rise over the river banks, in 

 which case many logs float into thickets 

 on low ground or are detained in side 

 ravines or in eddies. All of these must 

 be returned to the stream, and this work 

 entails a great deal of heavy lifting, and 



LOGS RUNNING FREELY IN FLOODED STREAM ( ADIRONDACK^) . 



the activity of cats, pushing here, pulling 

 there, always keeping the mass of tim- 

 bers from becoming too compact or turn- 

 ing across the current, so as to be liable 

 to catch on a snag or rock. The heart of 

 one who sees them thus for the first time 

 is constantly in his throat with appre- 

 hension, for every minute they appear 

 to be in imminent danger of death by 

 drowning or crushing. 



It may be that they are not averse to 

 a little display of their skill and hardi- 

 hood at the times when anxious specta- 

 tors are observed upon the banks. 

 Westerners say that their bronco-busters 

 will let a bad horse do his \vorst on hard 

 ground if a woman chances to be looking 



not infrequent wading hip-deep for hours 

 in the icy water. When a man becomes 

 numbed he takes a run on shore or 

 stands on a log \vhile his fellows beat 

 circulation into his limbs. Occasionally 

 one slips or stumbles and takes an in- 

 voluntary bath among the logs and 

 floating ice. This is the signal for a 

 roar of laughter and much merciless 

 chaff from the more fortunate. The 

 rest of the day he must work in sodden 

 clothing. A cold, wet shirt discourages 

 loafing, to say the least. 



Under such conditions the average 

 man would expect nothing less than 

 pneumonia, but the rivermen are sel- 

 dom troubled with sickness of any kind. 



