•11. 



WATKU-'J'llANSrORT. 



except oak. Whilst, therefore, all other woods may he used 

 alone to form a raft, oakwood must be mixed in rafts with other 

 species which are light and will support it. For this purpose 

 coniferous wood is always used, and is distributed among the 

 oakwood in the raft-sections, so that they may be weighted as 

 uniformly as possible. 



Poles are thus used, and are fastened to the lo^s witli iron 

 nails. In countries where the necessary coniferous wood is 

 scarce, old wine-casks (on the river Moselle) are used to buoy up 

 the rafts. It should also be noted that some oakwood will float 

 well, and in that case rafts may be made-up entirely of light 

 oakwood, as for instance, Avell seasoned Spessart oak. 



(b) Rafts of Sawn Timber. — Of sawn timber, it is chiefly 

 boards, planks and buttcns which are transported in rafts. [In 



India, rafts are mude-up of 

 logs, railway-sleepers and 

 other scantling, and bam- 

 boos. — Tr.] Boards are 

 fastened together in various 

 ways in different countries, 

 one of the commonest methods 

 being as follows : — Ten to 

 fifteen boards are fastened together on a bank of the stream, and 

 () or 8* such bundles of boards so placed that the two outer 

 bundles {d a) project beyond the others (fig. 245), and besides, 



the lowest board of each bundle projects about 10 centimeters 

 (15 inches) beyond the other boards. This is done, so that in 

 making-up a raft out of the sections the latter may dovetail into 

 one another. The (> or 8 bundles are now fastened together by 



* These immlM 

 100, 120, or loO 



illy choseii, so tlial each ralt-seotioii may contain 



