THE LUMBER-JACK AND HIS WAYS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 274, 11 May 1917, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LUMBER-JACK AND HIS WAYS.

ROMANCE OF PIONEER LIFE

The introduction of corps of Canadian lumbermen to undertake the work of felling timber in some of our Royal and other forests during the war is an occurrence which, at any other time, would probably have attracted a much larger sharks of the pubr'c attention than baa fallen to its lot. The Western lumberjack is, as a matter of fact, as characteristic a type as the more popular cowboy, and his occupation (though it has, as- will be presently shown, its sordid and unpleasand aspects) has that touch of romance which must inevitably belong to the life of the pioneer of civilisation.

RESTRICTING DESTRUCTION

In tho lonely forest-elad valleys 01 British Columbia, of New Brunswick, and of Northern Ontario, the first sign of the coming of a new order of things Ls —save for the occasional visits of hunter and trapper—tho lumbercamp. Frsfc of all comes tho "cruiser" or surveyor, whose business it is to tako the census, as it were, of the trees in tho area concerned, which are to bo taken and which left, what amount of sawn lumber they may be expected to yield, and all the other business details which are the preliminaries to the actual work of felling the trees and starting them on their long journey to tho sawmill. Canada has learnt a lesson from tho experience of tho United States with regard to tho conservation of her natural resources in tho way of timber. The ruthless way in which-the big American lumber magnates absolutely wiped out of existence the forests which were so fruitful a source of wealth, and should havo remained so for generations to come, has been taken to heart too late by tho Government of the United States, not too late, fortunately, by the Government of Canada. The strictest provisos and regulations are now enforced as to the amount of timber which may bo curt upon lands covered by timber licenses, the period for which such licensei are given, and so forth, otherwise the eager lumbermen of the States would rapidly deprive the Province of British Columbia of what is perhaps her most important industry.

THE LUMBER-CAMP

This however, is by the way, and we must return to the ''lum'berjapk," who is tho subject of the present article. Following on the preliminary "cruis-i ing," tho lumber-camp soon makes its appearance with its bunk-houses and caboose, its slipways, chutes, and other paraphernalia of tho lumberjacks' calling, so soon to transform the appearance of the primeval forest, where the bear, the cougar, and the timl>er-wolf have roamed undisturbed sinco the beginning of time. It would be difficult to find anywhere a more cosmopolitan collection of typos of humanity than that which makes up tho population of tho average logging camp. There, perhaps, is a huge Swede, Dane, or Norwegian; Scandinavians are very numerous among tho loggers, which is, of course, only likely, since they have probably been engaged in similar work at some time in their own country. They are generally a fairly decent, law-abiding set until they get to town with pockets full of hardearned dollars to spend on a " jamboree, " when they become in many cases raging maniacs, "fighting drunk," and in violent collision with tho authorities. " Became,"t one should rather say, for the introduction of prohibition on the Pacific slope will have put an end to a good deal of tho drinking among the lumbermen. To say that it will put an end to all is perhaps hardly safe. In wild new countries such as British Columbia tho opportunities for running illicit stilis arc sure to bo pretty frequent, ' and the police and preventive service will no doubt find their hands full in enforcing prohibition throughout the country.

DRINK AND THE LOGGER

However that may be, such a measure, even partially enforced, will put an end to the crying scandal of drunkenness among loggers. Anyone who had occasion a while ago to travel by ono of tho small steamers running up tho coast could not but be struck by tho amazing proportion of drunken men coming aboard from tho various logging camps; nor did tho evil -«top there. vSmall "saloons" or "hotels" were generally to bo found in the immediate vicinity of tho camps, and it was by no means infrequent to find men who had literally sold themselves, body and soul, to the keepers of these iniquitous places. The hotel-keeper would supply tiie man with drink on the security of coming wages, and when pay day oaino round tho unfortunate wretch would find himself with no money in hand, possibly in debt already for his bygono "sprees/' and—wth a crajring for drink strong upon him. And so the process would go on, the miserable slave of drink sinking deeper and deeper into tho mire, until death alone could put an end to his degradation.

RACIAL TYPES

To return to our survey of the racial types to !>o found in an average "crowd" or "bunch" of lumberjacks, tuero are almost sure to be a few French-Canadians, sometimes purebred, more often " brood?*,'' or men with a dash of Indian blood ill their make-up. Sometimes this strain is shown in a rather n<|uiline and aristocratic type of feature, keen black eye- 1 , and swarthy colouring, indicating that somewhere in tho pedigree is to bo found a trsY-o of either lake or prairie Indian blood; 'at times the broad flat cheek-bones and short stature indicate a or Pish Indian ancestor. These

''breeds," of whichever type, are generally clever woodsmen: but tliey liave tlie.'r racial faults, chief among which am a great tendency to be quarrelsome and an unparalleled ferocity in a "row." It is no rare thing to see limi-bernit-n whose car.-i and noses have been marked for life by the teeth of some fighting-mad "breed." Fists, feet, teeth, and spiked hoots are freely brought into play in a lodging camp '■rough-house," and the injuries sometimes UinV-tcd in some really trifling quarrel are often truly appalling. It has been truly said that you can find iii one of these communities representatives of all nationalities and practically all the learned professions The ex-clergyman, tl x-lawyer, the oxdoetor, to say nothing of the well-lmrn rolling-stone of no profess'on, rub shoulders with the unlettered peasant of Southern Europe, and the typical American lumberjack from Oregon or California, and the black calf o .shirt I and rasrtred dnngnri es are a wlr'ch bides the -tragedy of manv a broken life. '

MAKf.YG GOOD

N'.if, (li.it all the demVeiH n," ihc lum ber-e.-mp are either drunkard-, ua bus

or "has beens." Plenty of them are quito steady, honest settlers, using this opportunity of making the necessary money to keep the pot a-boiling during the early and unremunerative days of their pre-emptions. But those —such is the contrariety of human nature —aro neither conspicuous nor so interesting as the freaks and failures of our kind!

In outward semblance the lumberjack is not strikingly picturesque, though he is generally of notable physique, broad shouldered and muscular, hist appearance generally marred by ;; curious slouching gait and rounded shoulders. H's costume usually consists of the black shirt just mentioned (thia worn till it is rags, wlu>n he throws it away to garnish the landscape!), very dilapidated dungaree overalls, sometimes terminating half down his calves, at other times tucked inside his high, spikesoled "cruising" or prospector's boots. A shabby "Stetson" hat (something liko a Hoy Scout's head-dress) completes the rig-out. The cowboy with h's silver spurs, woolly cluiparejos, gaudy neckerchief, and high-heeled boots, is outwardly v, much more romantic person.

But the lumberjacks' Undo has ii-ks and adventures in plenty: whether the severed pine falls in the wrong direction, '-uTyMig terrible death in its wake, or the logs "jam" in the river and a life is -arriliced in the perilous task of "breaking the jam." he carries his life in his hand many a time, and hence possibly come-i his attitude of rather reckless gaiety in his moments of relaxation, an attitude common more or le-s to ;ill those who earn their livelihood in rough and dangerous ways.