LAKING 



631 



Sluicing Logs Through a Dam 



incident resulting in four river drivers 

 nearly passing in their cheeks. Ten 

 sticks, held together by toggle chains, 

 had been carefully worked around into 

 the current above the dam by a boat's 

 crew to be sluiced through for use 

 below. This crew was rowing hard to 

 straighten it, when the powerful suction 

 at the gate seized upon the forward 

 end, and commenced drawing the whole 

 line through with ever increasing mo- 

 mentum. As it straightened out, the 

 last log drew in upon the regular perma- 

 nent side boom upon which four men 

 were standing. Suddenly a stray branch 

 of dead wood caught between the toggle 



chains, twisted out of water and 

 descended about knee high at lighten- 

 ing speed upon the men. Not a second 

 was given for reflection; it meant 

 death to be thrown into the whirling 

 maelstrom that sucked through the 

 gates. The first man saw the danger, 

 gave a cry of warning, turned and 

 hurdled the flying stick and came down 

 cat-like in his place. Instinctively 

 each of the others in succession did the 

 same, no one losing his balance, but 

 coming down right side up and unhurt. 

 The next section sluiced, you may be 

 sure, was extremely straight before it 

 started. 



Booming Out at a Dam 



