300 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
fountain, that they could not exhaust the water 
afterwards. Such cases do not often happen, we 
know, but it is well to provide against them, and 
after water is found in full supply, the quicker the 
well is walled up the better. 
-«CM-—-- 
How to Build a Log-House. 
According to the request of a correspondent, 
and as a matter of interest to many Eastern peo¬ 
ple, we give a brief description of the manner of 
doing an indispensable labor in the first settle¬ 
ment of a family in the “ woods,” where saw-mills 
are unknown, or if common, not always available 
in furnishing the primary want of a newly re¬ 
moved pioneer or settler—a dwelling. 
We will premise, however, that there are two 
kinds of log-houses—one, the unadulterated rough, 
round-log tenement; the other, the logs hewed 
down on two sides, set edgewise each upon the 
other, and called by distinction, the “block house.” 
This is, ordinarily, the second degree in luxury 
from the primitive habitation of the first back- 
woods settler. We have had divers experiences in 
each of these descriptions of house-building; ac¬ 
counted ourselves a master workman, even 
among the craft, and after five-and-twenty years 
interregnum in that neccessary branch of archi¬ 
tecture, firmly believe that we can yet “ carry up 
a corner” equal to the best of their builders. 
To commence : “ The proprietor,” selects his 
site, cuts down the heavy trees within “ falling” 
distance of the spot the future house is to occupy, 
and clears away the stumps and underbrush close 
to the ground. The day fixed for “ the rolling,” 
his neighbors—to the number of ten, a dozen, or 
twenty, according to the magnitude of his build¬ 
ing, and the extent of finish to be given to it—are 
invited ; and, after an early breakfast, with two or 
three yoke of oxen or spans of horses, as they 
may own them, assemble on the ground for ac¬ 
tion. The company are then called together, and 
some one, usually conceded by the company to 
understand the matter thoroughly, is agreed upon 
as “boss” for the day. Four athletic, active 
choppers, each with a true eye in his head, are 
then selected as “corner-men.” There are more, if 
the house is to have log partitions—one to each 
“ butt” or at the intersecting point where the end 
of the transverse logs lie upon the bodies of the 
front and rear of the main ones of the house, as in 
fig. 2 
A man with an ax stands upon each intersect¬ 
ing point to “ carry up the corner,” the foundation 
being first laid by a course of heavy logs of dura- 
Fig. 1. 
ble timber laid flat on the ground, and on them 
the sleepers for the main floor ; or, if convenient 
to be had, a large flat stone is l(iid under each 
corner of the building, and, if a double house, 
under each partition. This preliminary lab.or is 
sometimes done a day or two previous, by 
the owner and the help of a neighbor or two, 
but in most cases is left for the day when the 
rolling up of the house itself is to be performed. 
Well, the company assembled—the men parti¬ 
tioned off, each to his allotted branch of labor, in¬ 
to “boss,” “corner men,” “teamsters,” and 
choppers—they commence work in earnest. The 
boss selects the trees, the choppers fell and 
“ butt” them at the lengths which the boss marks 
them out; for he, with ax and pole in hand, must 
be round among them constantly, to see that no 
mistakes are made in these particulars. Or, 
sometimes, when a very rough house only is in¬ 
tended, each chopper selects his own trees, and 
draws his own measurement by aid of his ax- 
helve, or “paces” it off, and even lets the butting 
go ; but the measurement and butting is the bet¬ 
ter way, usually. As fast as the trees are pre¬ 
pared, the teamster, with handspike in hand, is 
ready to hitch on to one end, and his cattle, with 
a wonderful knowledge of the kind of work 
from being used to it, are off- in a moment; and, 
after one or two logs are hauled, they stop with 
great accuracy at about the very point where the 
logs are required for rolling. It is also well under¬ 
stood by the teamsters—the word being given by 
the corner men as they proceed—whether the but, 
or top end of the log is to go forward, for the house 
must go up on as near a level as possible. This 
is accomplished by putting the but end of a log 
at the corner which happens to get the lowest. 
The log being at its place on the ground, four 
or more men, as may be required, with ‘hand¬ 
spikes’ (levers), and their stout arms and shoul¬ 
ders, roll it up on ‘skids’ (pieces of timber with 
one end on the ground, and the other on the log 
Fig. 3. 
last put up). When breast high, it is carried fur¬ 
ther up by aid of crotched poles cut from forked 
saplings. When nearly up, to get it over the pro¬ 
jecting corners, the corner-men, with handspikes 
or larger levers placed across the last laid log, 
raise it over the projecting ends of the transverse 
logs. They lay it on its proper side for “ notch¬ 
ing” to fit the bearing logs which have been pre¬ 
viously “saddled”—that is, scarfed down from 
the top on each side, like this letter a (&> fig- 3). 
They then cut into the last received log, a corres¬ 
ponding notch to fit closely upon the other, thus, V 
(a, fig. 3); then roll it over, and, if properly done, 
it fits snugly, and, with the aid of a correct eye, 
the corner is carried up perpendicularly from sill 
to plate. 
In the process of going up, the places for the 
doors and windows are either marked in the logs 
by the corner-men by cutting a scarf into them, 
or cut out altogether, as they may have time. 
When the first, or lower story is up to a sufficient 
hight, the beams are laid on, scarfed in by notch¬ 
ing and saddling, according to the extent of finish 
to be given to the house. The bearers, however, 
are previously flattened, so that their upper sides 
may receive the floor when laid upon them. Thus 
the house goes on until the proper hight is reach¬ 
ed ; and, if a very rude one, the gables are then 
laid up in the same manner, only that the gable 
logs are scarfed off at the ends with a slant to give 
the roof the desired pitch. The rafter logs, laid 
lengthwise, are notched upon them, so that when 
finished with its ridge-pole, it is the perfect 
skeleton of the future cabin, in all its majestic 
length, breadth, hight, and proportions. 
Thus, the rolling is finished, and, according to 
its magnitude and extent of hands employed, may 
take only a forenoon, or the entire day. This 
heavy chopping and lifting, if at a regular “ Rais¬ 
ing,” is seldom done without at least something 
good to eat, and it used to be something to drink 
about once in an hour or two—a custom happi¬ 
ly gone out of fashion, in part at least. Then 
comes a most vigorous and hearty dinner of 
baked pork and beans, and other substantial nu¬ 
triment, at “ noon-time,” eaten on a clean bass¬ 
wood, maple, or hickory chip, with jack-knife for 
carver, and fingers for forks, a merry crack of 
jokes, and a generous “nooning” aftenvards. A 
grand time we used to have at these same log¬ 
rollings, many and many a day. We have, at 
such gatherings, witnessed repeated jovial dis¬ 
plays of wit, joke and glee, the memory of which 
will only escape when life goes out. We have 
carried up many a corner, where young men rol¬ 
led up the logs to us who have since become dis¬ 
tinguished in agriculture, in commerce, in the 
halls of legislation, at the bar, on the bench, and 
in the pulpit—no “ border ruffians” either, albeit 
inhabiting a new country, and blocking out Iheir 
future fortunes, as pioneers of great and flourish¬ 
ing States and communities. 
If the labor consumes the day, a bounteous 
supper is provided at a house near by—if there 
be one—if not, each tired laborer “ homeward 
plods his weary way.” The next day, or soon 
afterward, the owner returns with an extra 
man or two to assist him, and in the course of a 
day or two finishes up the house, by cutting out 
doors and windows, laying the floors, and putting 
on the roof. In the absence of boards, the doors 
and floors are made of “ puncheons,” that is, logs 
split into short planks. The roof is covered 
either with boards or newly peeled bark, laid 
lengthwise from the ridge-pole to the eaves, and 
battened, to keep out rain and snow ; or, more 
frequently, perhaps, the roof is covered with thin 
staves split from oak, laid on and held fast by 
poles which are withed at the ends, to keep them 
in place and firmly pressed upon the staves to 
make the joints close. If there be time, the in¬ 
side logs are hewed down to a face, the corner¬ 
men, or an extra hand or two having “scored” 
them with axes as they were rolled up. A clay 
hearth is laid at one end, a chimney, built up with 
split wood and clay, and the house is ready to 
move into, in a day or two, at farthest. Such is 
the history of a pioneer log-house in America. 
Now, to such of our readers as were born 
and bred in a ten or twenty .thousand dollar man¬ 
sion, with furniture and trimmings to match, if 
any, haply there be, and who cannot imagine how 
anybody good or great can have abided in such an 
humble domicile as this, we simply tell them that 
sundry Presidents of these United States, and 
many illustrious statesmen, and others distin¬ 
guished in all ranks and professions of American 
life, drew their first breath, and lived many years 
within the humble walls of a log-cabin ! But, 
they did not stay in them always. It is unneces¬ 
sary to tell of their progress. We all know their 
history, and it is, perhaps, to the very hardships 
and privations of their early lives, that we are in¬ 
debted for the beneficent labors and enduring 
fame of these illustrious men. We may speak Oa 
the “ block” house hereafter. 
