Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-09-30
Co,r,S,o,,,leues of tHc Philadelphia NORTH Amer
icogt and L. s. Gd-ette.
CLEARFIELD, Pa, Sept. Il, 1891.

Co,r.snou,leuee of fHc Philadelphia North Amer |
ico7, and Z. 5. Gd1ette.
CLEARrIELD, Pa, Sept. II, 1857.
Mr.. Editor-My attention was drawn to an
article in the Republican, the Democratic organ
of this county, in which it is intimated that you
are not acouainted with the lumber business
of this reg ion, the manner in which 1t is con-
Quoted, &c.
The Journal which makes this accusation does
not, however, presume to enlighten the pnohc
upon a matter which is of more interest than
is generally supposed. With your permission,
| will state a few facts that may give an IlslSHt
into the business.
The rafting business, as it is termed, Is the
one that is of the most VITAL importance to the
people of this county. Rats are constructed
out of square timber, or out OF spars, ana
Others of boards and other manufactured stuff
An ordinary timber raft contains usually about
from 5000 to 1000 cubic feet, being about from
200 to 2I0 feet long, and about p feet wide,
which is the size of all RATS generally. These
rafts are hoated down the Susquehanua in the
spring, when the waters are high, and are man
aged by means of oars. The rapIdlty OF the
current is such as to render their safety some
what prccarious, under favorable circum-
stances.
There is another system of numbering car
| ried on, however, which conflicts directly with
| the rafting, and is called clog floating" This
| system is carried on by comparatively few
| capitalists of Williamsport and Lock lIaven,
| to the dctriment OF the rafting business. Dur
| ing the winter, immense numbers of saw logs,
| usually about 16 feet in length, are cut and
| hauled to the streams, and in the spring are
| also put in the river, when the waters are high,
| and being uurestTained, and allowed to DRIFT
! about at random, they get under the large rats,
| render them unmanageable, and generally cause
| their destruction. This evil has become so
serious as to render the rafting very danger
Gus and extremely precarious business OF late
| yeaIs.
have been thus explicit that you may un-
derstand something of the practical working
| of both systems OF numbering.
/ Now l wish to say few words relative to
| the amount and extent Of the rafting, rs well
| as OF the floating business. Log floating, as
stated before, is carried on by Il few indiyid-
| nals The business is only calculated to i'm
| roverish us, by carrying off our timber at q
mere nominal price, very little more than pay
| ing for the labor of getting the logs into the
| streams. On the other hand, the rafting
business is immense, the lumber trade of Clear
field county alone amounting to about two mil
lions of dollars annually. Mills from Muncy
| to Baltimore scattered along the Delaware,
Schuylkill. Hudson, Raritan and Connecticut
| rivers, procure lumber from here; your bridge,
| wharf, piling and building timber can be furn-
ished by our dealers; our government and
private ship and boat yards, from Bangor to
Norfolk, obtain spars, decking, keels, whaling
and ship plank from this region; and the bus
mess of Lewisburg, SelinSgrove: MillerSburS,
CoXcstowB, Harrisburg. Columbia, Ports
month Middletown. Reading. Lancaster, Mar
rietta, York, West Philadelphia, kensington.
Southwark, and numerous other places is more
| or less affected by the prosperity of the TGft-
ing business of this section of country.
+ In 1856 a memorial was presented by COM
. mittee of the citizens of this county to the
Legislature, giving statistics relative to the
I Of IN
that memorial the committee say: 'SThe bus
, mess has gradually increased, and for the last
three years the following has been the average
| yearly business:
| I00, 200, 600 feet sawed lumber ut
market. $1,000 ,OOt
10 ,t56( 600 900 shingles at market, i$0,OO(
20O0 timber RATS at $500 each, 100000
making an aggregate of S2,l3O ,OOC
per annum from this article of export alone
and still the amount is increasing yearly. Be
: sides there are now erected in the numbering
, region of the counties of Centre, Clcarfeld ane
, Elk, 385 saw mills at a cost OF not less thai
S1.000,000.'
! From this statement you can form some ide:
: of the extent and Importance of the lumbe
business, and of the injury that is being dom
, it by log floating. | will only add a few word
relative to the manner in which Gen. Packe
happens to be interested in it. In 1888 Mr.
n Packer assisted to defeat bill in the Legsla
ture to prohibit or restrict the floating OF ZOOS
logs, and under date of Jan. %, OF that yea
: wrote a letter to couple of gentlemen, ap
: pointed a committee at meeting held in Cen
e ire CO., in which he cOngratulates himself upo
! having been instrumental in defeating the bill
which he says was 's,CrOng tR erery point" an
= met with his ssunquaffed disapprObation.
S You may well imagine that this action on hi
S part, and such Views, will not be much rclishc
# by the people of this county, nineteen-twen
| tiethS of whom, at least, are opposed to log
! ! floating, which he favored in 1853. Furthe
| than this, his recent letter is considered as
Y very dubious aud uncertain affair, and is any
n thing but satisfactory to the people of this re
gion. Whether this question will affect MI
i Packers prospects here, remains to be seen
g but if the people of Clearfield can, under tn
' circumstances, vote for him, they are MOI
y blinded to their interests than [ am willing
believe. But not alone are the interests
/ Cearfed at stake; Philadelphia herself
deeply interested. Her ship and boat builder
her manufacturers, her merchants who sc
re large stocks of goods TO dealers here, al
G. many others that might be named, have muC
=, at stake in the business peculiar to this regio
and it might be well for them to inquire in
IL it. OLDTOwS.
v. AMERICANS AND REPUBLICANS.
Is The election is near at hand, and it behoOv