Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland. Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill. Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Say would you ever think that a lumberjack fears anything? Now you take a big strapping bruiser like Frenchy Doucel, how could that giant of a man fear any living thing? The big fellow has hands like bear paws and muscles made of steel. He stands six feet six in his stocking feet and weighs 240 pounds. Frenchy afraid of something? Well that's almost the joke, but it's the truth. The big congenial French Canadian has one fear even greater than that of forest fires. You'll find out what it is by listening to the story, The Log Jam. This is the sound of a swollen river, a river swollen with spring fall waters from the snow covered mountains. This is a sound that lumberjacks like. That means that now they can get their sea legs in shape by riding logs down the river. Of all the jobs a lumberjack does, this is one of the most dangerous, but yet it's the most thrilling. Pike pull in hand, he hops and jumps from one racing log to another. He spins the huge pieces of trees with his spiked boots. He shouts with joy as he outwits a log trap. Yes, the lumberjack is happy when he can ride log back style. Let's join Frenchy and his men as they get ready to send loose logs and log rafts down screen. All right boys, let's pay attention now. All in, you take your crew and move the loose logs out so you will be way ahead of the rafts. Yeah sure boss, I'll be and do that right away. We'll be yonder on the spot if we stay one yump ahead of you fellas with them rafts. Come on let's go boys. Okay. Come on, come on. Tony, you and your men take the first raft. Give only about three hours start down the river. Sure boss, Tony and his men they push the bigger raft down the river like a robot. Never mind being a robot, that pile of log weigh a hundred ton. I do not want it spill all over the river like toothpicks, understand? Okay Frenchy, we keep our watch out for bigger rocks in the river. Come on a man. We run into trouble where you be boss. Right in my private log. Frenchy here's got his own private log and he beat you all down the river. Frenchy isn't joking about his private log. The big fellows picked a perfectly round log and he uses it to transport himself along the river as he keeps an eye on his men and rafts. With the skill of an Indian and his canoe, Frenchy guides the logs into midstream and then brings them back to the river bank by making them spin under his racing feet. His men watch him with admiration. Here's a boss who can outdo any and all of his men even though they're experts and specialists in their own fields. This is one way Frenchy keeps his testimony for the Lord alive and real. Yes, he's a Christian in every sense of the word since Bill led him to the Lord. Boy, I got spring fever. I sure love the newness of spring. Yep, every spring I can't help but think of the new life the Lord gave me when I accepted him as my savior. I'm not right. Old and dead pastures turn to new and green fields. Trees grow leaves and flowers bloom. It's a sign of new life. Yes, nature shows us that what seems to be dead can come to beautiful life. We can compare that to ourselves. Once dead in sin, but now through Christ having new life. New life is eternal. Yeah, how can any man not believe in God? Look at those flowers, how delicate they are. Each one is the work of a master creator. Boy, I sure do enjoy the springtime. We all do, pal. Yes, sir, you can say that again, young fellow. Say, where are we going now, anyhow? Oh, no place in particular. We're heading in the general direction of home. Our work's caught up for the moment. We're going to the town. Just enjoy yourself. It's plenty good idea. It does man's heart good to be in outdoor country. Yep. It's the best nerve tonic I've ever heard of. Even famous doctors prescribe it for folks who got the jitters. That's why we need to mosey along and drink in some of this medicine ourselves. Have you got the jitters? No, not right now, anyhow. Sometimes you fellas get me jumping pretty hard. You mean you get to be a jitterbug or a jerky turkey? Pretty good, don't you? It seems that everyone's in a gay mood in this fine spring weather. The lumberjacks are taking their logs to the mill and soon they'll have a rest from the tight logging schedules and severe winter weather in which they have to work. The gigantic log rafts are floating rapidly downstream in the swift current. Large wooden rudders, one on each side of the raft, are manned by several men. Frenchy seems pleased as he rides his private log and keeps an eye on the rafts. Suddenly the big Frenchman comes alert as his eye spots a large rock right in the middle of the river. Jump on those rudders and head for the right side. What do you say, boss? Rock ahead, get over. Rock ahead, boss. Lean on those rudders and steer her off the turn shore. Dead it over, Tony. We ain't gonna make it, boss. The river's shittered too fast. Jump forward and swim ashore. Go on, jump. Jump on it, boys, and swim ashore. Jump on it, boys, and swim ashore. Jump on it, boys, and swim ashore. A gigantic pile of logs held together by huge logging chains heads for the large rock in midstream. The cumbersome raft can't be steered around the obstacle, so it'll crash into it and there will be logs all over the river. There they go. The heavy chains snap like paper straws and the logs scroll across the river and continue downstream. There are approximately a thousand of the big trees running amuck on the river and this could mean trouble for Frenchy and his men. I'm sorry, Frenchy. We could have not steered the raft around the rock. She'd come on too soon. Oh, forget it. What is done is done. You fellows, get dry clothes on. Grab your bike poles and get to work. We have lots of logs that need watching. They must be brought under control or we have logs down when they get to narrow spot in river. Joe, you and your boys go up river. Stop all the rafts. Tie them up. Keep them tied up till you hear from me. Okay, Frenchy. Right away. Let's go, men. I don't think that there's anyone busier than a lumberjack on a floating log. He's got to maneuver the logs around him so they won't cross and jam. He's got to keep his balance because one slip and a fall between two of the giant sticks of wood and he'd be a goner. Tony and his men have caught up with Frenchy and they work feverishly to keep all of the logs heading straight into the current. The narrow spot in the river is just ahead. Frenchy keeps the men alert and going full blast. He keeps right on working as he directs his lumberjacks. Hey, Pedro. Look behind you or I'll wish you hard. Olly, what you do up here? I think maybe you need help. Our logs got through the narrows okay. Stick with your logs. You see that they get to the mill pond. Frenchy, he's got enough help. Hey, Tony, you got cross log in back of you. Make it straight or we have jam. Okay, boss. Hey, do not let those logs ride on top of the other ass. We can't help it. There's straight cross logs here. Straighten them up. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. We can't help it. There's straight cross logs here. Straighten them up. We can't. Oh, what you tell Frenchy? Here, I show you. We can't budge them, boss. Hey, boss, look up at the river. Hey, what you see? The river's covered with logs. Where did they come from? They're not ours. Oh, no, Frenchy see everything. Those logs, they are wild. Everybody, get to river bank on the double. Or you'll get killed. We'll have a log jammer now. That's the one thing for sure. It's happened. A log jammer. This is the one thing above all others that the lumberjacks fear. The jacks watch as the huge logs slam into each other and pile up across the river, making a great dam. Thousands of tons of timber grind to a stop. The pressure within the jam builds to terrific intensity as it grows bigger. The logs wrestle each other, and the smaller ones are splintered like balsa wood. The great fear the lumberjacks have is of finding the key logs. These are the logs that cause the jam. While the men are looking for them, they are intensely alert for a cracking sound or any indication that the key logs are giving way. Right now, Frenchy's more concerned with the mass of strange logs that descended on them than he is with the jam itself. This is a fine kettle of fish. What a mess. Oh, we, you tell Frenchy nothing he do not know. When I find out whose logs those are, Frenchy put him in the kettle and burn him with the fish. Only he's a coming out. Maybe he's able to tell us who is the brand on the logs. What you find, Olly? Those logs belong to Ben Larson by Yom Pinyimini. Ben Larson? Yeah. Wait until Frenchy get his hands on that dumbbell. I make him wish he had not done this. Maybe you better go and cool off, boss. You're too mad to talk to anybody. Oh, we, Olly, you are right. Frenchy almost forget the Christian. Anger, she is not for Christian. Hey, here comes the Ben Larson and his voice. Hello, Ben. Hello, Frenchy. Hello, Ben. Why is he a long face? You're not angry? I was. But when Frenchy remember he Christian, Frenchy also remember he make mistake too. Sometime very bad. You mean you're not going to start a fight about the log jam? Ben, we got enough trouble without starting fight. A fight only make our problem bigger, not clear them up. Frenchy, for a long time, a lot of us have looked at your change to religion as sort of a softening up on your part. But I have just changed my mind. Religion hasn't softened you up. It's given you a change of thinking. It's made a real man out of you. I'm beginning to think that this religious stuff might be good for all of us. How about it, man? Why, I try to leave a Christian testimony in front of all you men. At time, I do not think I do very well. Thank you for those fine words. But I guess we better take a look at the jam, huh? I'm sorry it happened. Got my dates mixed up and I realized that after the logs had started down the river. It was too late then to do anything about it. Oh, Frenchy has had worse ones than these. Let's take a look and see what we do, huh? Henry, don't fall asleep in the saddle. Mine fall off, really hurt yourself. Huh? I'll be all right. There, big rattlesnake. Huh? Where? I don't see it. You guys are falling by the leg. It's better than if you fell off and broke it, sonny. Yeah, I guess so. Boy, it's really a day for sleeping under the old apple tree. We don't sleep anymore today. Look what come toward us. Jumping tadpoles. The river's overflowing its banks. You're not just joking, sonny. We got a flood on our hands. It's only a mile to the river. Let's get over there and take a look. Come on, kids. Come on, go. Come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on, go. Come on, come on. Mu-mu-mu-mu-mu, oh. Oh. Come on, they're waters. Fall, fall. Come on, fall. Help, come on. Oh, I fell. Oh, no. No, no. Come on, don't fall. Let's go. Oh, no. No, no no. I give up. I was gonna ask the same question. Hey, the ideal lights are going on in your eyes, Bill. This is log floating time, fellas. All the lumber camps take their logs to the mill during the next couple of weeks. Yeah, that's right. Frenchie is a first man down the river every spring. I wonder if he's got a log jam down the stream. Man alive. If he hasn't, he's really got trouble. Tons of it. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. Boss, she's a big beauty of a log jam. I can't find the key logs. Frenchie not find either. Buried down under the pile. River's flooding behind the jam. If we don't break this up soon, we're gonna have a real mess. How about dynamite? That is what we use. Tony, Olay, get the dynamite charges ready quickly. I'll help you set them. Maybe we blow the top logs off, then find the key logs underneath, huh? Okay, boss. We get them ready quickly like a rab. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. How far down do we have to go before we know if there's a log jam? I don't know, pal. What's the jam? Rock and river could start key logs turning sideways and start jamming. Hey, those fellas got their hands full. Yeah, I'd still like to know where the jam is. Well, my guess is that it's at the Narrows. Yeah, that's the place for it, all right, Taylor Maid. They have jam in Narrows, then they have real problems. Yeah, so do all the people in the valley of the island. The river running over its banks. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. Yo, we did a good job of setting them sticks. They ought to blow the top logs all the way to the mill. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. If that happen only, then we quit trying to offload them down the river and just blow them to the mill. That way we'll stop the log jams. She's ready to blow, Frenchy. Everybody, round for cover. I will set timer for ten seconds. Blows the warning whistle, Tony. Whistle blows. Chanting. Get back, man. Explosion. Hey, boss, we're just a waste of time. Yeah, all we did was blow a few of them top logs off the pile. Boy, sure made a mess out of things. We might have had to snake the logs off with cats one at a time now. Do not discourage yet, Ben. Frenchy set these sticks deep this time. Bring the dynamite. Follow me. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. Blow whistle, Tony. Round for cover. OK, boss. Whistle blows. Chanting. Come on, guys. Hold on. Watch it. Explosion. Chips are no good, boss. The logs, as they stick alike, they're nailed together. And how they do. We better send for our cats and chains and start snaking the logs off the pile. We'll be here until the end of summer. No, no, no. Take it easy, boss. It'll take three days to get the cart and snaking gear down here. Frenchy not give up so easy. Frenchy scratch his head a while, eh? Maybe he come up with good idea, no? I sure hope so. My boss will hang my head to the highest tree for this if we can't break it up. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. [♪ music playing in the background. And there it is. Right in the nose like you said. Yeah! Brother, that's a big one! Hold it up here, fellas. 社 rights rebellion. Oh, utility! Watch up, sonny! Why I was stopping here? You fellas take off down the valley from here and spread the word. Tell the people not to get excited. As soon as jam is broken, the water will stop overflowing right away. overflowing right away. I'm going out of the jam and see if I can help. Right Bill. Okay. After you're through, come on back to the jam. I hope by that time it'll be undone and everything back to normal. That's the whole story Bill. A Frenchie, he'd be glad to see you. Maybe you'll idea how we break up logs. Yeah, Tony, you do many things. Maybe you can help us. I'm not a lumberjack fellas, but I'll be glad to take a look at the logs. That's very dangerous. We never know what when key logs give way and then the whole jam will move down the river in a hurry. Nobody ever lived through that. Yes, I understand, Oli, but I think Frenchie's idea is the best. Try to get up under and inside the center of the pile and set the dynamite there. If key logs not break loose, then we'll be here week and week working night and day to pull these apart log by log. Right. All the other lumbering outfits will be madder than hornets because the river will be tied up and they can't get their logs to the mill before the river level is way down. Well, we won't get anything done standing here. Let's get under the log pile. Tony, Ben, Oli, you men stay here. Give us the dynamite and gear. No sense in all of us risking our lives. Frenchie, you got big problem to squeeze between logs. Not much room, eh? I'm having the same difficulty, Frenchie. It's almost like a small cave in here where the under logs are held flat and the middle logs jammed up. The middle logs are the trouble-maker, Spiegel. I can believe that. Now we got to find out which of these overgrown rolling pins is the chief jammer-upper. Really, the big problem is that there is always more than one. This time there may be a dozen. If we knocked out a few, wouldn't that start the ball rolling? The explosion would build up terrific pressure underneath here. How about these six? Frenchie think if we knock them out, maybe we start something, eh? Yeah, they're in the center. I think they're the most likely to work on. Frenchie agree. We get dynamite ready. Right. Instead of tying bundles of the stamp to the logs, stringing the bundles around several of them, why don't we wedge the sticks in between the logs carefully, then wire them in series and when they blow, I think they'll create a much more powerful pressure wedged in between the logs. Oh, Frenchie, you think you've got a good idea. Maybe that's what we should do before, eh? Here are sticks. Cops are in my pocket. I'll give you some. What's the matter, Frenchie? Oh, the cops Frenchie run out of. Now get new supply. What a memory I have. Well, we both better go back out while I get dynamite cops, eh? I'll be all right here, Frenchie. You'll make faster time alone. You're not afraid logs, my chief? Well, if they do, it won't make much difference. They couldn't get out anyhow. Oh, Frenchie, hurry, so we get out of this death trap. You all set now, boss. This the time you have all the cops you need. Oh, Frenchie, go now. Bill and Frenchie, be out soon and we try break up this for good. The logs are moving. Oh, come on. Come on, we've got to help here. Well, Ben Larson, I hope you're satisfied. Your mistake, she just killed Frenchie's best friend. Bill said he hoped the jam would be broken by the time he got back. He didn't say he'd be beneath it. Frenchie, forget dynamite cops. Take valuable time. Go back for more. Frenchie, he accused Ben of making mistake. Frenchie made bad mistake too. Frenchie just as guilty. Oh, Frenchie, you can't blame yourself and you can't blame Ben. This was an accident. Bill had many close calls. The fellow can't defy death all his life and get away with it forever. Dumpy speak truth. Maybe you'd be dead now too if you had caps with you first time. Isn't there any chance he could get out? Not even one small chance. Not even small chance, Henry. Bill crash under thousands of tons of logs. What am I going to do? I lost my father, my brother, my friend all at once. Henry, you've got to take this awful bitter pill like a man, like a ranger. That's what Bill always said. Oh boy, you can't dodge the realities of life even as terrible as they are sometimes. Bill's the Lord's chief forest ranger now. Probably in this part of the country going to miss him bad. They're not another man who can take his place. There are only one Bill Jefferson. Yep. Well, fellas, better get about the gruesome job ahead. What's that? Find Bill's body so we can bury him. We broke river three times now and still not find Bill's body. Fresh he thinks it no use. Yep. I guess you're right. We might as well go home and try again in the morning. Fresh he fixed place for you to stay out here. Thanks, but we have to go back to town. We've got to tell Bill's mother. Who's going to do it? Won't ask me to. No, Henry. I'll tell her. We tell her together. Well, let's get started. I'll lead storm back to town. Everybody will know when they see the empty saddle. Well, storm's in his stall. Seems like he do, didn't he? You see the way he kept turning his head looking for Bill? Yep. He didn't like the empty saddle any more than we do. Let's go in the office, get a drink of water before we go and tell Bill's mother. Yeah, I could use one. Hello, fellas. Bill! Wow. I almost had a heart attack. I'm not joking. What do you mean? We almost had three of them. That is true. How'd you get out alive? That's what I want to know. Well, when those key logs began to move, I knew my only chance was underwater. You'll remember that the narrows have rock banks. I knew that there might be small caves underwater. So I dove under the logs and swam for sure. The Lord sure helped me because I found a small cave in about a minute and a half. Just when I thought my lungs were going to burst. Inside the cave, I was able to get my nose above water and breathe. Wow. Boy, you've had some narrow ones. I think this is the narrowest. Bill, how do you know when to come out? That's where the Lord guided me again. I waited until I thought the danger was over and came out. I didn't see you fellas around or a living soul for that matter, not even a storm. So I walked to the highway and got a lift to town and changed into dry clothes and here I am. Well, that just goes to show you the Lord can do the impossible. Daniel got out of the lion's den and Bill got out of the log jam. Phew. I don't know about you, but the hair on my head is standing straight up. I really thought Bill was dead, but it was the Lord's will for him to live. We'll see you next week for more Adventure with Ranger Bill.
