. Canada : a descriptive text book . m running but a log is sure to stickbefore long and those coming swiftly behind pile up and make a jamthat closes the channel. The men rush down and try to let off the jambefore it gets too big. They work hard, hopping about from log to logwith the utmost dexterity and every moment running risks from whichonly their skill saves them. Presently the key log is found and worked 38 CANADA. loose by means of cant-hooks and pike-poles. Then there is a rush offoaming water and tossing logs, over which the men must run or becrushed to death. To the onlooker the tas
. Canada : a descriptive text book . m running but a log is sure to stickbefore long and those coming swiftly behind pile up and make a jamthat closes the channel. The men rush down and try to let off the jambefore it gets too big. They work hard, hopping about from log to logwith the utmost dexterity and every moment running risks from whichonly their skill saves them. Presently the key log is found and worked 38 CANADA. loose by means of cant-hooks and pike-poles. Then there is a rush offoaming water and tossing logs, over which the men must run or becrushed to death. To the onlooker the task seems impossible, butthey dash across whirling logs, balancing themselves like acrobats,leaping hither and thither and never missing their step on the heaving,tossing mass. Every man wears boots whose soles are studded withsharp nails to prevent slipping, but despite this their skill and coolnessare wonderful. To see a man poise himself daintily on a rushing log,moving his feet rapidly to keep on the upper side, then with a mighty. Saw Mill Interior. leap, land on an equally unstable footing and keep his balance whilethe foam tosses and the water roars about him, is a sight to stir thecoldest heart. As the logs come into a lake they are caught in booms and towedacross by a steam tug and so they move slowly down stream taking thewhole summer for their journey and reaching the mill usually about theend of August or first of September. The saw-mills are built on thebank of the river, at some point where there is good railway orsteamship connection. Ottawa, the Dominion capital, is the chief ofthese lumber centres. During the summer a saw-mill presents a sceneof the liveliest activity. At night electric lights are called into service CANADA. 39 and so night and day the busy hum of the saws is heard. The logs arehauled up from the river by endless chain carriers, placed on movingcarriages and cut into lumber by the lightning band-saw and thegang-saws which cut up half a dozen logs
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