﻿Ill] 
  Shreveport 
  Area: 
  The 
  Raft 
  167 
  

  

  Present 
  work 
  : 
  i8y'^-i8g<p. 
  — 
  Although 
  the 
  raft 
  was 
  removed 
  

   the 
  conditions 
  for 
  raft 
  formation 
  were 
  everywhere 
  present 
  along 
  

   the 
  river 
  for 
  60 
  miles. 
  The 
  channel 
  was 
  very 
  narrow 
  and 
  

   filled 
  with 
  silt, 
  snags 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  raft 
  ; 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  water 
  passing 
  along 
  the 
  main 
  channel 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  whole 
  discharge 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  the 
  balance 
  passing 
  out 
  the 
  

   numerous 
  enlarged 
  outlet 
  channels. 
  lyOg 
  jams 
  immediately 
  

   formed 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  broken 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  government 
  boats. 
  Now, 
  

   after 
  25 
  years 
  work, 
  by 
  removing 
  all 
  the 
  snags 
  and 
  by 
  closing 
  

   the 
  outlet 
  bayous 
  thus 
  forcing 
  all 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  flow 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  

   channel, 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  so 
  enlarged 
  itself 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  

   carrying 
  its 
  timber 
  with 
  only 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  forming 
  jams. 
  

  

  Effects 
  of 
  the 
  Raft 
  

   Changes 
  Due 
  to 
  the 
  Formation 
  of 
  the 
  Raft 
  

  

  Condition 
  of 
  upper 
  Caddo 
  bottoms 
  before 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  

   raft. 
  — 
  The 
  great 
  changes 
  which 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  Caddo 
  

   bottoms 
  in 
  recent 
  times 
  are 
  due 
  (i) 
  to 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  raft, 
  

   (2) 
  to 
  its 
  removal. 
  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  bottoms 
  before 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  can 
  be 
  approximated 
  quite 
  closely. 
  Red 
  

   river 
  occupied 
  very 
  nearly 
  its 
  present 
  position. 
  The 
  banks 
  of 
  

   the 
  river 
  were 
  probably 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  

   lower 
  than 
  they 
  are 
  to-day. 
  It 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  river 
  

   has 
  even 
  now 
  finished 
  cutting 
  out 
  the 
  sediment 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  

   main 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  during 
  the 
  raft 
  period 
  and 
  hence 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  reached 
  its 
  former 
  base 
  level. 
  

  

  A 
  sluggish 
  stream, 
  the 
  ancestor 
  of 
  Black 
  lake 
  and 
  Red 
  

   bayous 
  entered 
  the 
  northern 
  Caddo 
  bottom 
  basin 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  

   state 
  line 
  and 
  made 
  its 
  devious 
  way 
  through 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   bottoms. 
  At 
  what 
  time 
  connection 
  was 
  established 
  between 
  

   this 
  bayou 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  no 
  man 
  can 
  tell. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  

   bayou 
  occupies 
  parts 
  of 
  old 
  channels 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  its 
  

   journey 
  across 
  the 
  bottoms 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   river 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  period. 
  The 
  shape 
  of 
  

   Red 
  bayou 
  for 
  its 
  first 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  how- 
  

   ever 
  peculiar 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  constant 
  changing 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  bends 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  one 
  has 
  approached 
  the 
  bayou 
  

   channel 
  very 
  closely 
  and 
  during 
  some 
  period 
  of 
  high 
  water 
  a 
  

  

  