670 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE LOGS LINE THE RAILROAD TRACKS AS WELL AS THE RIVER BANK FOR MILES. 



of workers in logging, but especially 

 for those who were skilled in setting 

 loose huge piles of logs to float down 

 the stream. These logs would often be- 

 come wedged together, when a skilful 

 "river hog" could, with a cant hook, 

 remove the keystone log and let the 

 immense heap go tumbling free with 

 thundering noise and swirling currents, 

 only perhaps to become again blocked 

 in another place. 



These old-time residents are inter- 

 ested in deciphering the various marks 

 on the ends of the logs, and in pleasant 

 reminiscence they talk of the "good 

 old times" when such men as "Doc" 

 Blodgett and others were active. It is 

 probable that in all the United States 

 there has never been such novel lumber- 

 ing scenes, nor such deeds as have been 

 done in this last year in Big Rapids. 



Mr. James Gow, of Muskegon, 

 Michigan, is the prime mover in this 

 work. He is and for a long time has 

 been the president of the Muskegon 

 Log Owners' Booming Company. He 



has been personally able to purchase 

 ninety-six per cent, of all the marks 

 that were used by the old-time loggers 

 on the Muskegon Lake and Muskegon 

 tributaries. At the present time Mr. 

 Gow owns nine hundred and thirty- 

 four marks and controls others. 



He and his company have been se- 

 curing and will continue to secure an 

 almost incredible amount of lumber 

 from the bottom of the river. In the 

 last two years alone he has secured 

 50,000 logs. Of this astonishing num- 

 ber, 24,000 were raised in the vicinity 

 of Big Rapids. The rest have been 

 taken at different points between Maple 

 Island and Muskegon, where his mill 

 is located. At these points, aside from 

 Big Rapids, the logs are raised by a 

 machine known as a log lifter, which 

 is practically a scow fitted up with the 

 proper machinery. When the dam was 

 removed at Big Rapids the water ran 

 off. It was then a simple matter to haul 

 the logs out of the muddy river bed 

 to the bank, where thev are left to 



