MAY
1940@PopularMechanics _ March 2019 67How to Foil an Alien Abduction
JUNE 2003LIGHTWEIGHT BICYCLE
WEARS METAL “PANTS”
NOVEMBER 1935When the riverjacks can’t break up the jam with their peavey hooks, a dynamite charge blasts the logs loose.banks. A solid pha lan x of 12 to 15 million feet of timber blocks the
river at this spot until rising water frees it.
When working on jams, riverjacks always have nearby a bateau—
a double-prow, flat-bottom boat 32 feet long, six feet wide, manned
by two men with oars and two others with long poles. When a man
goes overboard, the bateau can be quickly maneuvered into posi-
tion so that he can be pulled out.
Much of the time, riverjacks work in ankle-deep icy water and
frequently up to their chests in water. A man who plunges in up to
his neck is said to have “washed his clothes”; if he goes in over his
head, he’s said to have “closed the door.” But no matter how wet they
get in the icy water, riverjacks keep on working. Woolen clothes and
exercise keep them fairly warm if not dry.
Principal tools of a riverjack are his pike pole and peavey. The
pike is an eight-foot staff with a hickory handle and a steel point at
the end. It’s used mainly for pushing and guiding logs. The peavey
is a five-foot tool with a hook at the end used principally for turning
logs over. These two tools, plus the old reliable, dynamite, have a
long history among American loggers.
No riverjack would get near a log without a pair of well-calked
boots. He calks his own—as often as once a week, depending upon
how soon the needle-sharp points are dulled by granite rocks.
A slippery-shod pair of feet is an invitation to disaster. Worn-out
calks are removed promptly with chisel and hammer. This leaves
gaping holes in the outer sole of the boot. These holes are filled with
square pegs of white pine and new calks driven into the wood. As
the wood gets wet, it swells, the calks becoming a solid and insep-
arable part of the boot. Some riverjacks prefer to use small pieces
of overall cloth instead of wood.
When a riverjack finds himself on a single log rushing down-
stream, he’s thankful for his calked boots. It’s a highly skilled art
to remain upright on a slippery log, 24 inches in diameter, as it
bounces along in rough water. Balancing with the body and arms
and turning the log with the feet is an accomplishment known as