FLOATING AND RAFTING 



385 



necessary number of ring dogs. This "joint," as it is called, is 



then floated out of the pocket and down the "ratthng run" to 



the "bottom makers" who place two boom poles across the raft, 



and bore holes through the boom poles and logs which are then 



fastened together with hardwood pins. The rattling lines are 



then removed and the bottom passes down to a loading machine 



where a top load of logs is placed on the "bottom." The joints 



are then scaled and floated downstream where from five to seven 



of them are fastened together by short pieces of poles, called 



brackets, and hardwood pins and then towed to the mifl by 



tugs. 



For many years rafts on the Mississippi and some other 



rivers in the Lake States were made into "brails" or sections. 



The logs were fastened together with 



poles in a manner similar to the 



Ohio River method, except that rope 



and rafting pins were used instead 



of chain dogs. Two-inch holes were 



bored in the log on either side of the 



1 1 ,, 1 r 1 , ,' Fig. iiq. — Method of fastening 



pole and the ends of a short section x, r^- r. 1 ^ t u 



^ Ratting Poles to Logs by means 



of rope placed in these holes and of Rafting Pins. A method for- 



firmly held by hardwood rafting marly used on the Mississippi 

 pins driven in behind them. This ^'''^^' 

 was an expensive method because of the large amount of rope 

 required, and it has now been superseded by an improved method 

 patented by an employee of one of the boom companies. 



The brails as now made consist of a set of boom sticks form- 

 ing a rectangular pocket which is filled with loose logs. The 

 boom sticks are held together by a 3-link chain 10 inches long 

 (Fig. 120, d) through the outer links of which the pin (Fig. 120, b) is 

 passed and then driven into 2 -inch holes bored in each boom 

 stick. These pins are made of oak and turned to a minimum 

 diameter of 2 inches and a length of 11 inches. The top end 

 has a swell 2j inches in diameter, with a slightly smaller swell 

 in the center. The head is large enough to prevent the 

 chain link from slipping over it and the swell in the center 

 binds on the wood and holds the plug fast. A cable is passed 



