390 LOGGING 



attached to the boom sticks on the outer side of the raft. New 

 sections are then made up in the same manner, twelve to four- 

 teen constituting the usual tow. Two rafters can make up 

 about six sections or from 260,000 to 300,000 feet during a tide. 



When the rafting is done in rivers where there is a strong 

 current a slightly different procedure is followed. The rafters 

 start at the near end of the rafting pocket and hang out three or 

 four sections of boom sticks. The logs are then run in the rafting 

 pocket and guided with a pike pole to their place in the "tier." 

 Great difficulty is experienced in turning logs end on in a swift 

 current, if they get crosswise of the rafting pocket. In case 

 piling is not used to confine the rafts, each section is kept from 

 spreading until completed by the use of a rope or cable also 

 called a ''swifter" which is fastened to the outside boom sticks. 

 When the sections are completed the "swifters" are removed. 



The cost of unloading and rafting logs is approximately 10 

 cents per thousand feet, and the cost of towing to the mill 

 averages i cent per mile for each thousand feet. 



OCEAN RAFTING 



The first attempt at rafting logs for transport on the high seas 

 was made about 1884 when a large raft was constructed in 

 Nova Scotia, launched from shore and started toward New York 

 in charge of a tug. This raft was lost because the tug left it 

 to go into port for coal and on return to the high seas was unable 

 to again locate it. After a long period it washed ashore on the 

 Norwegian Coast. The same builder later went to Coos Bay, 

 Oregon, where he built two rafts for transport to San Francisco, 

 one of which reached its destination safely. In the construction 

 of the latter rafts the use of cradles or floating frames was first 

 adopted. 



In 1894, raft building began on the Columbia river, where it 

 has reached its highest development. Several rafts now leave 

 annually for San Diego, California, with no losses during recent 

 years. The rafts are built cigar-shaped and from 700 to 1000 

 feet long, with a depth at the center of from 30 to 35 feet and 



