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CHAPTEE IV. 

 WOOD TRANSPORT BY WATER.* 



TRANSPORT of wood by water consists either in floating 

 logs, scantling or firewood, piece by piece, down streams, 

 or in rafting them, after they have been bound together 

 in rafts. 



This is the oldest form of transport known, and is referred 

 to in the Bible in 1 Kings v., when Solomon rafted large 

 cedar logs from Tyre for the construction of the Temple at 

 Jerusalem. In the Roman provinces of Germany, only logs 

 were floated, the floating of firewood being a more recent 

 industry. At present, timber-transport by water is carried 

 on more or less in many streams, especially in mountain- 

 regions where it is most highly elaborated. 



SECTION I. FLOATING. 



Under this section the floating of single pieces of wood to 

 their destination will be discussed. 



The section describes : the natural suitability of any 

 stream for floating ; artificial improvements of streams ; 

 erection of the works necessary for the maintenance of a 

 proper supply of water and for catching the wood at its 

 destination, and the methods employed in floating wood. 



All streams cannot be used for floating wood : they may be 

 too weak or too strong, with too narrow or too wide beds ; 

 they are sometimes too winding ; bad banks, rocks, boulders, 

 etc., may interfere with the floating in an otherwise suitable 

 stream, or floods may effect serious damage. In the most 

 favourable cases similar protection must be afforded to the 

 floating-channel, as to a stream driving water-mills or other 



* There is very little literature about water-transport of wood. The best 

 German works are Forster : " Das forstliche Transportwesen." Vienna, 1885. 

 Barth. " !>!< (icschictc (ier oboren Kin/lir." ISllf.. 



F.U. A A 



