The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-12-06

From tie Baltimore american.
THE BOON.

THE BOON.
Before giving a sketch ofthe new town,
to which reference has just been made, and
speaking OF what VIC saw there, we will give
some particular account of The great boom
of the Cecil and Hartford County Boom
Company" Tho Company, as already
stated, was chartered at the last session Of
the State Legislature, with capital of
$500, 900, with the privilege of increasing
the same to S5O0,000 They immediately
set to work constructing their boom, which,
as we are graiitied to say, has 60 far pro.
crossed toward completion as to leave no
doubt that 1t will be 10 readiness to receive
logs early next spring, or so soon as the
season for "drying l.. So shall have open.
cd.
The charter of the Company gives them
authority to erect their boom in the Sus.
quehanna river above sloop navigation,
with side boom OF booms lower down the
river, so as not to Interfere with the gene
raj navigation Of the river.
The side boom is that portion of the
structure just about completed, aud of
which we first propose to speak. The side
boom commences at Coolies Point, on the
right bank Of the river, about II miles
above Havre de Grace aud within % miles
of the head of tide.water The construc-
ton may be described as follows Im-
menso cribs of the heaviest timber strongly
boted together, forming an obong frame
work ~ feet by 20 feet at the base Slnp.
ing upward on one side 50 as to make the
structure at the top 20 feet square, are
filled with heavy stone and sunk so as to
rest securely GU tue bed of theriver, form
ing what are called the piers of the boom.
These piers ojact several feet above high
water, aud are placed at intervals of $50
feet apart. The side boom commences
with pier at the shore, from which a
line Of piers each one hundred and fifty
feet apart, runs straight out toward the
channel for distance of about 1000 feet
This forms tho base line of the boom. From
the ninth pier another lice of piers, each
$50 feet apart, start northward up the
river, at an ob!ique angle from the base
line, to a distance uf miles, gradually
approaching the chanuel of the river
The boom proper, is made of heavy pieces
Of timber 20 inches square, which are
united together by clovioes and heavy
chains Of wrought iron. These timbers,
thus united together, form the boom and
float upon the water, outside the piers we
have been describing, to which they are
all securely attached by ponderous links of
chain. Thus, we have IL line forming q
vast basin one aud half miles long, twelve
hundred feet wide at the base, with its up
per end open and expanding toward the
central portion of the river, 50 as to permit
the entrance Of floating logs as they drift
down from the upper portion of the river.
This is the "side BOOM" At a point far
ther up tbs river, just beyond sloop navi
cation, another line of piers, yet to be
constructed, starts from the opposite o.
eastern bank Of the river forming an OBJ.
lique angle with that side Of the Susque
hanna and extending down the stream in
the direction Of the upper end of the la
sin of the side boom, first described
These piers are to be supplied with line
of beam timbers, attached in the same
manner as those of the side boon. The
lower end of this main boom will terIni.
nate some distance north of the side boom,
but slightly within its outer edge. Thus,
it will readily be perceived that logs drift.
ing down the river must, on reaching any
portion of this upper boom, be carried By
the current over toward the right or west
EN- bank Of the river, and finally bring up
within the basin of the side boom. As we
have already said, this portion Of the boom
is not yet constructed, but this will not Sc
riously interfere with the use of the side
boom, as, it is proposed to have tempo,
rary line of boom timbers extending from
the upper pier in a line reaching oblique-
ly up aud well across tie eastern half of
the river to be secured IN their places by
heavy anchors. Of course, care will be
taken to guard against obstructiog the
main channel, but it should also be remem-
bered that at this point IF the river there
is really no navigation except for RATS
coming down from the lumber regions of
Pcnusy lvania.
No doubt, Ivy this time some of our
readers are Imagining that the Susquehan-
ma must ba pretty well blocked up, aud
are ready to predict that the whole affair,
piers and all must inevitably be swept Of
by the masses of ice and floods which come
down the river when winter breaks up
We will stop'a moment 10 meet and an
swer these difficulties, which quite natu.