River crew breaking a 'wing' of logs on 3rd/ Lake Stream, photograph by Leland J. Prater, Machias River, Maine, 1948. Maine State Museum. Gift of Robert Mercer, 2007.13
River crew breaking a 'wing' of logs on 3rd/ Lake Stream, photograph by Leland J. Prater, Machias River, Maine, 1948. Maine State Museum. Gift of Robert Mercer, 2007.13
Log driving was the most dangerous and highly skilled job in the lumber industry. Log driving began once the ice was out of the river, sometimes with the help of dynamite. Using peaveys and other tools, drivers rolled the logs into the water. Men drove the logs downriver from dawn to dusk seven days a week, often finding themselves in the icy water.
In this photograph, the drivers in a scow are breaking a logjam. A scow, like a bateau, is a flat-bottomed boat that provided stability in rough waters. Scows were instrumental in helping drivers break up "center jams" or logjams in the center of rivers.