Page:Final Report of the Northwest Territory Celebration Commission.pdf/34

 were cranky to handle, and did not have large cargo carrying capacity.

If they could be widened out, they would be much more stable and easier to handle and the carrying capacity be enormously increased. This was accomplished by splitting a log canoe lengthwise and inserting between the two halves a flat section, rounded up at the ends to conform to the ends of the original canoe. The three sections could be fastened together by dowels, or straps, and with the two seams caulked with pitch, made a splendid seaworthy and roomy boat.

These were the great cargo carriers of the pioneers before the days of flat boats and batteaux built of whip sawed plank and hewed timbers.

"Wefel"—a log canoe of "800 pounds burthen".

The chances are that the "Wefel" and the "Allen" were from about the same size logs. The value of the pirogue design can be seen in the difference between 800 pounds and 2,000 pounds burthen.

The celebration plan required the rebuilding of these boats, by tools of this same sort and under conditions as near the original as possible,

Considerable trouble was experienced in finding standing timber suitable for the purpose, and all of it had to be hauled from 1½ to 4 miles. The people of West Newton had agreed to furnish the timber gratis to the commission, but it was so scarce and so high priced that the commission finally was forced to assist financially.

Every stick was to come from trees which had to be cut down, trimmed up and logged into the boat ways at West Newton.

The oxen and horses were used for this purpose. At the boat ways six saw pits were erected and five pit and whip saw crews cut the logs into planks, while others used adzes, broadaxes, etc in hewing timbers. As the beginning of the work it might require a two foot diameter log to get two 4 × 10 hewed gunwales, but as the work progressed, these college student pioneers become quite expert with the totally unfamiliar tools and operations,

In the woods, crews were felling and logging cut timber, and hewing and burning out the canoes.

Only one man suffered any injury of passing moment. One neophyte pioneer let an adze get away from him and nick his shin pone.

While engaged in this work the party was quartered in an old brick residence, under somewhat trying conditions but all that was available in the community. In the ironic humor of Americas youth, this domicile was dubbed "Shangrila". The local committee for the celebration furnished the building, and generally did a fine job of cooperation.

West Newton, now a town of 3,000 people, probably never has and may never again see so much activity as visitors poured in to watch the boat building operations. It is estimated that not less than 100,000 people visited the town during that period,

The modern pioneers had but one professional boat builder,