52 A RAFT PILOT'S LOG 



When the tow-boat came to take these pieces away, 

 she would move alongside slowly, while the mate and 

 his men threw off the cross lines, reaching across the 

 three brails, and the windlass poles, with which they 

 were drawn up and made taut. 



Then they would turn the boat around (not by any 

 means an easy task in such a close place), hitch her 

 into the stern of the raft, with head lines straight out to 

 the check works to back on, and breast lines from her 

 head to the right and left, to keep her stem, or nose, on 

 the butting block, and guy lines out from the midship 

 or after-nigger to the stern corners of the raft, to hold 

 the boat in any desired position. 



The butting block was a big log securely fastened, 

 by timbers and chains, to the stern boom, to tow on. 



Then part of the crew ran out the long A lines, run- 

 ning diagonally across from the outside booms, crossing 

 X like in the middle (these to keep her straight and 

 prevent buckling), and others put on the corner lines 

 to prevent the heavy strain on the guy lines from pull- 

 ing the corners back. The mate with one or two good 

 men, put on and tightened a heavy monkey line, to help 

 the butting block. When this was done, she was all 

 ready to back out, with the "Little Hoddie" hitched in 

 across the bow, to back or come ahead, moving the bow 

 to right or left, to clear the other pieces on either side 

 of the channel, just wide enough in places to let the 

 bow through, sometimes the outside booms rubbing on 

 each side. The mate and a few men watched close to 

 loosen her up if she caught anywhere. 



Sometimes she would catch and foul, and tear a brail 

 loose, or make a drive. Then came the call "tie up, the 

 catch boom is closing," and a general tie-up of two or 

 three hours would follow, till the loose logs ahead were 



