Adirondack Museum - Traditional Logging in the Adirondacks

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	Often a log would lodge on a rock; another log would catch on the first and quickly a jam would extend itself upstream or from bank to bank. Some jams were dislodged by dynamite, but more often were attacked by men with peavys and pike poles working from the shore or from boats known as jam boats. On the Hudson River, jam boat crews consisted of three men - the bowsman, the oarsman and the sternsman. When the oarsman had rowed to the jam, the bowsman hooked his pike pole into the nearest log and pulled the boat alongside. The oarsman jumped out to hold the boat, followed by the bowsman and the sternsman, who went forward to attack the pile of logs with their peavys. The jam was apt to break suddenly. At the first sign of loosening, the men ran for the boat, jumped in, and rowed away at top speed. Occasionally they were killed when boats overturned amidst the swirling logs. Previous Next Table of Contents Home Copyright 2000 The Adirondack Museum. All rights reserved. Click here for details of acceptable use.