﻿164 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  IvOuisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  Assuming 
  60 
  or 
  70 
  years 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  since 
  the 
  oldest 
  inhabit- 
  

   ants 
  at 
  Natchitoches 
  saw 
  the 
  raft 
  at 
  that 
  place, 
  Paxton 
  concludes 
  

   that 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  retreat 
  was 
  about 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  advance, 
  

   that 
  is, 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  a 
  year.* 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  retreat 
  between 
  ,1805 
  and 
  

   1833 
  was 
  abnormally 
  great. 
  If 
  it 
  be 
  the 
  true 
  rate 
  of 
  retreat 
  

   the 
  original 
  raft 
  160 
  miles 
  long 
  would 
  have 
  destroyed 
  itself 
  in 
  

   less 
  than 
  62 
  years. 
  This 
  is 
  manifestly 
  an 
  impossibility. 
  

  

  Growth 
  of 
  vegetation 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  raft. 
  — 
  The 
  decay 
  of 
  

   the 
  logs 
  and 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  silt 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  

   will 
  afford 
  a 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  plants. 
  In 
  summer 
  the 
  

   weeds, 
  vines, 
  small 
  cottonwoods 
  and 
  willows 
  which 
  spring 
  up 
  on 
  

   the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  may 
  entirely 
  cover 
  the 
  raft 
  with 
  foliage 
  ; 
  

   giving 
  to 
  the 
  raft 
  a 
  false 
  appearance 
  of 
  solidity. 
  

  

  In 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  Lieut. 
  Woodruff 
  says 
  :t 
  

   ' 
  ' 
  No 
  trees 
  grow 
  upon 
  floating 
  raft 
  except 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  cotton- 
  

   woods 
  and 
  willows 
  which 
  have 
  taken 
  root 
  in 
  some 
  decaying 
  log 
  ; 
  

   but 
  the 
  whole 
  surface 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  rafts, 
  except 
  the 
  newest 
  forma- 
  

   tion, 
  is 
  covered 
  in 
  summer 
  with 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  weeds, 
  vines 
  

   and 
  small 
  willows. 
  It 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  supposed, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  compact 
  raft 
  affords 
  at 
  ordinary 
  stages 
  secure 
  

   footing." 
  

  

  EARtY 
  Attempts 
  at 
  Removing 
  the 
  Raft 
  

  

  Period: 
  i82p~i8jo. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  century 
  when 
  

   the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  was 
  first 
  turned 
  to 
  internal 
  

   improvements, 
  the 
  continued 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  congressmen 
  from 
  

   the 
  State 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  and 
  the 
  Territory 
  of 
  Arkansas, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  the 
  difficulties 
  experienced 
  in 
  transporting 
  supplies 
  to 
  Fort 
  

   Townson, 
  caused 
  the 
  government 
  to 
  undertake 
  the 
  improvement 
  

   of 
  Red 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  appropriation, 
  $25,000, 
  made 
  May 
  23, 
  1828, 
  was 
  

   almost 
  entirely 
  consumed 
  before 
  1833 
  in 
  preliminary 
  examina- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  passage 
  around 
  ths 
  raft 
  safer. 
  No 
  

   attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  raft. 
  

  

  *2oth 
  Cong., 
  2d 
  Sess. 
  Senate 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  No. 
  78, 
  1829. 
  

   f 
  Report. 
  Chief 
  of 
  Eng. 
  for 
  1873, 
  also 
  43 
  Cong, 
  ist 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  

   Doc, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  part 
  2, 
  p. 
  642, 
  1873. 
  

  

  