124 TIMBER 
Montreal and other districts. Like the common habit— 
or formerly common habit it may be written—of seamen 
to dissipate their well-earned wages on returning from 
a voyage, these lumbermen by reckless dissipation, 
or what is popularly known among them as “ Blowing 
it on,” quickly rid themselves of their plentiful stores of 
hard-earned money. 
In the early months of the year, or at a period when 
the grip of winter shows signs of relaxing, another 
gang, whose business is to see to the floating and driving 
of the logs, is formed and proceeds to the woods Of 
all the operations connected with lumbering, from the 
first cutting of the timber to its arrival at the mills, 
no part is so full of anxiety to the extractors as this. 
The flooded streams have to be utilized while they are 
in this condition, or there is a certainty of logs being 
hung up, with a consequent loss of timber, loss in 
expenditure on labour, and a shortage of supplies to 
keep the mills at constant work. 
The huge piles, or dumps, on the river banks are broken 
up, a tool called a pelvie being largely used for this purpose. 
The Canadian dollar bill has on its face an illustration 
of lumbermen at work, the men having this tool in use. 
Frequently, at the commencement of the driving season, 
the huge dumps are so firmly frozen together that 
human efforts are unavailing, and recourse is made 
to the use of small charges of dynamite to break them 
up. This done, they are tumbled into the ice-filled 
streams and started on their voyage towards the sea. 
As previously mentioned, some of these tributary 
waterways or creeks that are connected with main 
rivers or lakes do not hold sufficient water to secure a 
passage for the logs, even in flood time, and dams are 
constructed to hold up the water. At these spots 
gangs of men are usually located, guiding and steering 
