FLOATING AND RAFTING 427 
are then poled down the run and stowed parallel to each other 
in the first section of })oom sticks. Each row is known as a 
"tier," and two tiers usually constitute a section about 75 feet 
square. As soon as two tiers have been stowed, boom sticks 
called "swifters" are placed across the end of the section at right 
angles to the tiers, and attached to those on the outer side of 
the raft unit. New sections are then made up in the same manner, 
from twelve to fourteen constituting the usual tow. Two rafters 
can make up about six sections or from 260,000 to 300,000 board 
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 into the rafting 
pocket and guided with a pike pole to their place in the "tier." 
Difficulty is sometimes 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. 
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 known as the Benson type, are built cigar- 
shaped and from 700 to 1000 feet long, with a depth at the center 
