The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-22
The Red River Raft.

There is now certain prospect that the
great raft, which has been an obstruction
in the Red river, in Louisiana, ever since
the advent of white men in this country,
will soon be removed, and that navigation
will be opened for steamers from Shreve-
port, La, to Jefferson, Texas. The his
tory of the raft and the attempts to remove
it is exceedingly interesting. In 1906 the
obstruction of logs reached one hundred
miles. Since that time RATS have formed
at various points in the river near Shreve-
port. One of these was removed by Cap
tain Shreve in 1880, by the help of con-
gressional appropriation, and another
between 1S40 and 1874, under a govern
ment contract by General Williamson. In
1854 the raft region extended only twelve
miles, and that time Captain Fuller, aided
by congressional appropriation of $780,
600, attempted to remove it.
At the end of two years, however, the
appropriation had been exhausted and moth
ing accomplished, and, the work being
abandoned, the distractions began to in
crease. The present raft region extends
thlry-fve miles, from point forty-five
miles above Shreveport to the Arkansas
state line, and contained, before the pres
ent work commenced, nearly fifty RATS,
from one-eighth of q mile to mile in
length, and occupying the entire width of
the river, navigation only being accom-
plished through the bayous around the
raft, but as these were only available at
very high water navigation was insignifi.
cant. In 1871 the attention of the engi-
neer. department. was again directed to
this work, and an appropriation of S10,-
900 having been made by congress the
work of preliminary surveying was intrust-
ed to Lieutenant Woodruff, who completed
it in 1872, and submitted plans and specifi-
cations for the removal of the raft, where
upon an appropriation of $3.50, 200 was
made. The plans were accepted, and Lieu
tenant Woodruff reached the raft region
in January last with snag-boat, two
crane-boats, and all the requisite ma
chinery for his work. The following
description shows the difficulties to be
overcome:
Logs, roots and snags of every descrip-
ton had been crowded and jammed into a
tangled mass, becoming more compact
each year as the pressure from above
increased. Annual freshets had brought
GOWN EnuQ aDu uepOSltcu IL III duu oFer ohiS
mass until, in places the raft itself had
become entirely covered with earth, small
islands, or ''tow-heads," thus being
formed. Upon these tow-heads were
growing trees, usually willows, three feet
and more in circumference.
In addition to the removal of logs by
saving and cutting, blasting powder was
used, but it did not prove of any use.
Dynamite was then tried, but failed, re-
fusing to explode even with an electrical
exploder. At last nitro-glycerine was
brought into use, and it never failed to do
its work thoroughly. All that remains to
be done now, is the blowing out of some
tow-heads and improving certain points in
the channel, which will be accomplished in
few weeks. The obstruction of centu-
ries will then have been removed by the
skill and perseverance of Lieutenant Wood.
ruff. The saddest part of the record OF
this great work is that Lieutenant Wood
ruff has not lived to finish it, having died
of yellow fever at Shreveport, October l.
Chicago Tribune, II.