Introduction 



To make my story more intelligible to readers not 

 acquainted with rafting or steamboating, I will explain 

 some of the terms and expressions used frequently in 

 our daily work: 



To keep a raft-boat going on steadily required a 

 double crew; that is, two pilots, two engineers, two or 

 four firemen according to the size of the boat, two ash 

 haulers and two watchmen or "Nigger-runners." Half 

 of these are "on watch" (on duty) at a time and the 

 other are "ofif watch." 



On a few boats they stand straight six-hour watches 

 changing at breakfast time, dinner and supper time, 

 and at midnight or i A.M., but on most boats they stand 

 the "Dog watch" in which they divide the day in two 

 and the night into three watches changing after break- 

 fast, dinner and supper as usual but at 1 1 P.M. and 3 

 A.M. or at midnight and 4 A.M. 



To "call the watch" means to wake up the other pilot, 

 engineer and firemen who are to go on duty. This is the 

 pleasant part of the watchman's life. The mate on raft- 

 boats and his crew on deck do not stand any regular 

 watch. They are called up when needed. They often 

 get "all night in" but sometimes they strike what is 

 called a "Dutch watch" which means "twenty-four 

 hours and come on again." 



The men in the deck crew are entered in the Portage 

 Book as Seamen but in practice are called Roosters, 

 Rousters, Rousthands or The Men as "Get the Men out 

 and tighten up the lines" a common order. 



