Document text
Forms to be Fillejl ovk fqr cfl Ipterview
FORMA
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER May Swenson
ADDRESS 228 West 22nd Street, New York City
DATE September 29, 1938
SUBJECT TALL TALES IN THE LUMBERJACK REGION
1. Date and time of interview
2. Place of interview
September 28, 1938
His apartment
3. Name and address of informant John Rivers
656 West 179th Street, New York
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
f
John Rivers lives in a four -room walk-up apartment with his daughter-in-law
and her husband. Back room, apparently his quarters (window looking on alley)
containing iron bedstead, table with blue and white cheoked linoleum cover; news-
papers two 'Bicycle' decks of cards, pipes, copies of Western and Adventure
nags, a copy of "Call of the Wild", National Geographic mags. A copy of
latest issue of "Esquire" also on table, strikes an incongruent note. High-
backed chair of spring -rocker type, with faded corduny upholstery, contraption ex-
tending from arm holding ashtray, standing near window. Three odlendars on malls,
all of different years; the largest with dramatic picture in color, of railway
engine and train hurtling round the bend, flaming smoke trailing over top, switchman
leaning out of window. A framed photograph of a stud horse hanging over bed.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the misphor to which the material refereA)
STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM
pers9nal History of Informant
New York
May Swenson
228 West 22nd Street, New York City
September 29, 1938
TALL TALES IN THE LUMBERJACK REGION
.1. Ancestry
2. Place and date of birth
3. Family
4. Places lived in, with dates
5. Education, with dates
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Description of Informant:
John Rivers is a man 72 years old.
Stocky, square build. "I'm six
foot four if I straighten up," he
told me. A hunch in his shoulders
makes his neck thrust forward sharp-
ly. He is big -sculled, has prominent
cheekbones and a flat, broad nose which
gives his face a bull -doggish appear-
ance in profile, especially since the
lower jaw has a forward thrust. He
has no visible teeth and his wide
flat underlip continually sucks at a
pipe, making a wheezing sound. Hair
black, close cropped up the back,
leaving a shaggy tuft in front. The
tuft is a yellowish grey. Eyebrows
black. Hands large, crooked and
gnarled, with flat uneven nails. The
forefinger on his right hand is miss-
ing two joints.
6. Occupatious and accomplishments, with dates
7. Special skills and interests
8. Community and religious activities
9. Description of informant
10. Other Points gained in interview
He was wearing worn black trousers and
vest (unbuttoned), no coat; a soiled
white shirt further set off in its
shabbiness by a clean starched detach-
able collar. Wearing a spotted white
knit string tie, the ends of which
must have been dunked in soup.
Talks ramblingly in order to tease
listener and create suspense; story
interspersed often with a husky
chuckle. His small, alert brown
eyes dart up and down over listener
as he talks, and he gets huge
appreciation out of listener's response
to a joke or sly thrust.
STATE
NAME OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
New York
May Swenson
228 W. 22nd Street, New York City
September 29, 1.933
TALL TALES IN THE LUMBERJACK REGION
"IT WAS SO COLD THAT
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Wal, it was back in '83 or 4, that cold spell we had. Nothin been seen
like it since. And it gets pretty cold every winter up in Wisconsin ..plenty cold
every year in the mountains buokin logs. Y, gotta buck the timber durin winter so's
when the thaw sets in early spring, they're ready to send down the river. Th' logs
go down the river soon's the ice breaks Course that was them ,:e.ys now they
skid (lumberjack jargon for felling or sawing trees, and hauling or floating the
logs) the logs down diff'rent ways, by rail in some parts, by team and tressle but
mostly in the north around the Lakes there, the river's still the best way for skidding
timber ever invented.
By golly that year --'83 I believe it was it was so cold that that the
lumberjacks ain't quit talkin about it yet And that reminds me of Happy Jack
he was in our outfit.
Bet you never heard of Happy Jack and his Derby hot. The boys always kidded
this feller Happy Jack about how he was always wea±ing a derby. Wherever he went he would
have this derby stuck onto his head wouldn't matter if it was morning or night or
if he was in a parlor or a poolhall or out buckin timber or what winter or summer,
rain or shine, this feller Happy Jack had on his derby. And some said he slep in his
derby, too, because he'd feel like he was takin an arm or ear off if he took off his
derby which was just like some part of himself like an arm or a foot see?
-2.
Mal, and some said Happy Jack musta been born with that derby on, and
couldn't take it off. And the boys around the logging camp was always kidding
him about it like that.
By golly, one feller a close pal of this here Jack even used to say he rememe-
bered how when Happy Jack got married and they had the church wedding down to town,
how he just simply balked at taking off his hat in church. And that old greasy
old derby nodded up and dawn when he said "I do." And after that his wife
couldn't make him ever take it off either, and sure enough it sure looked like he'd
worn it in bed it was so bent and buggled and battle -worn
Heyl I started out to tell how cold it was that there year, didn't I?
Golly, I almost forgot about how cold it was, 'splaining about Jack and his derby.
But well, you'll see haw this here derby of his cane .to be the most important part
of the story. Yup if it hadn't been for Happy Jack's derby
Mal, you see around the logging camp in 'Cousin back in them days, that winter
that it was so cold coldest winter I've ever seen Nobody yet can tell you the
exact temsrature because of course it was so cold that any thermometer couldn't
hold together for a minute the thermometers they all just went out of commission
for 200 miles around. But the very coldest spot in the whole district was right
there in camp where we was holed up in our bunkhouse almost two month and not a single
tree was blacked during that time we couldn't do no work it was so cold. And
as for getting dawn canyon to town to get mail or provisions or anything, it was
just out the question. You step two paces away from the fire just two or
so feet away and you darn near paralyze with the frost.
Mal, so after two or three weeks we was all out of grub and starvin. All
right, something had to be done something had to be done about getting some food.
Mal, the most possible thing we hit on was to go out to the river, down around there
a little mays where the logs were floated down a half mile from camp it was
and bore a hole in the ice and let down a line and snub SOMB fish. So it might work
-3
and it might not, but anyhow the men out cards to choose who should try it. Mal,
Happy Jack got the deuce of spades and that being the shortest number, old
Happy Jack saw haw right there he was in a "deuce of a fix!"
But anyhow, being good natured and willing to try anything to get his belly full
especially, he said OK get me a piston drill and get me a hacksaw, I'm goin. 1141.1,
we gave him a drill case the ice wouldn't give to the saw, and first we rigged him
up in all the coats and jackets and woolen shirts we could spare and still keep
ourselves from freezin. And he put on all these duds and four pairs woolen socks
and his leather boots and top ol them a pair hightopped rubber boots and when
Happy Jack was ready to go out he looked like something to make your eyes bung
he looked like something stuffed up and bloated out and was as big as a brood mare
and musta weighed pretty near as much. Yes sir, being not 'xactly a lean sort of
a feller to start with, and all togged out like that, he musta weighed about 350
td 400 pound.
Mal, Happy Jack picked up the torch and the saw in his mits he had 6 pair nits
on, 3 wool and 3 leather, furlined and muffled up to the ears. And on top of his
ears o'course was settin that little old derby. And Jack took a long swig out oil
the bottle to keep his gut warm and said o K so long, and he opened the door and was
barely able to edge through sideways, and he went out the bunkhouse.
Now AO waited and waited for Jack to coma back. And it was three days we
waited thlout knawin what might a happened out there. Course we knew it might
tdce some time to get through that thick floor of ice and some more time for the
fish to bite but we figured if Happy Jack couldn't make a go of it, he'd show
up to tell us so and as for his having perished of cold if Happy Jack with all
that pertection went and froze to death, where mould be the sense of any of us leavin
the fire and going out to find him and sure get froze to death too?
So we just waited, taking turn cuddling the bottle, and playin 21. And
it was hard playin too on account our fingers mould stick to the cards, they was
so cold. It was hard shufflin em, they was like hunks of glass, and every card
you could hardly see the numbers or colors they being filmed white
with frost.
Anyhow, after three days the cold let up a little --just
a little. We could tell by rubbing our beard and hair. The tinkle
of the icicles in our hair and beard had a different sound --and by
this we knowed the spell was lettin up some. So it being not quite
so bad, the bunch of us decided to take and wrap around us the
blankets and things we had, and padding with newspapers and one thing
.another around the house, to keep us as warm as possible ---and go out
to the river and look for Happy Jack.
Wel, it was a sad procession, we running out there -we
all of course expectin to have to skid Happy's corpse back with us.
And one of the boys I 'member said kinda mournful, Jacks's! gonna
look mighty queer in his coffin with that derby hat on him --but
I for one am here to see that no one tries to take it away from him
Might happen his Maker wouldn't recognize him without itl
We all ran out there to the river feeling fearful sort of
and looked around for Jack. W 11 the ice on the river stretched
clean across and it was as solid as a bridge of steel 50 inches
thick —and clean swept --not a mark or a sign of a human foot on it.
Then far out near to the middle, one of the boys spotted a
little black object --and when we got close we saw it was Happy
Jack's hat laying there on the ice. Just his hat layin there alone
looking on the ice.
Wal, golly, it looked mighty funny to see that derby
without its owner stuck on to it. In fact it made tears come to
our eyes. And that wasn't so good because the wetness right away
-5
froze over our eyes before it had time to trickle down, and made
everyone of us a pair of goggles, so we looked like a bunch of
near-sighted professors/
But anyway we ran fast as we could up to there and one of
the boys reached down for the derby. Bit it 'peered to be froze
fast to the ice --nobody could budge it. Still an all you could hear
a sort of burbling sound underneath there and around that hat the
ice was a darker color like water near the surface, and we came to
conclude that Happy Jack had fell in the hole he'd made and the ice
had fdrzen over again, but not had time yet to freeze so thick.
Wel, what with kicking at that derby and hacking at the
ice around, finally a piece broke away around the rim of that ol
hat and as many hands as could grab hold got a hold of that derby
and all yanking together, we lifted er up, and the ice making a
screeching and crackling as it busted loose.
And what was rammed on to the rim of that derby hat but
Happy Jack hisself frozen hard as a clinker. Yes sir, that derby
was rammed on so tight it held up a man weighing about 400 pound,
and more with the coat of ice on him. YUp, it had held him up and
kept him from drowning.
Wal we all started a-slappin his back and rubbin his face
and pumpin his arms and legs up and down, and he finally came to
and cracked a smile. I mean he worked his jaws till a couple of
inches of ice crakked loose, and we could see him grin. Thelhe
reaches down in his boots and drags out a string of fish 14 years
long --fluff to last us ample over the cold spell.
-6
"When I was hangin there by my hat, they came and swam
into my boots, "Happy Jack said. *Quests the poor critters was
glad to find a place some warmer than that river in this weather."
So, wal, course we went back to the bunkhouse and had
us a right smart juicy fish dinner. Yup, and it seemed like right
from that day the thaw set in and the cold spell was broke. But
it never did get warm enough to thaw that derby off ol Happtls
head. Nope, Happy Jack couldn't let go of his derby no way
it stuck to him through thick and thin. YUp, through thick and
thin ice that derby stuck, and that was one time it even saved
his life, by golly.