Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-06-06
view of the matter. and at once ap-
propriated $l5O,ooO to do the work.
THE WORK LAID OUT.

olina Bluffs, the foot of tho raft, t.
the head, little above O'Rouk
Slough, is thirty-two miles. IL
these thirty-two miles there are for
ty-two patches of floating raft an'
tow heads varying in length from
two hundred feet to one mile, aggre
eating seven miles of raft, the bal
ance of the distance being clea
spaces of water.
TOW HEADS OR SOLID RAFT.
The distance from Carolina Bluff:
to the Red bayou outlet is eighteel
and one-quarter miles. The ole
raft, as it is called, OF tow heads
are confined to this portion of th'
river. Here there are twenty-si,
tow heads or solid raft numbered il
the survey from one to twenty-six
The shortest possible distance
through those tow heads or soliG
raft aggregates a little over two
miles. Nearly all this portion o1
the river was once filled with float
ing raft, but in the course of time
the logs became water-soaked, sunk
under the others and were carried
down stream until they jammed and
formed solid raft or tow head
Frequent rises in the river have
packed these tow heads and filled
in sand and dirt until they are solid
and might properly be termed made
land. Vegetation, particularly cot
ton woods, flourish like q green bay
tree. In fact, these old tow heads
have all the appearance of mother
earth, and might with propriety be
termed unimproyed real estate.
The longer the tow heads the great
er the space of open water above.
proving that our theory of the for
nation of a tow head from a floating
raft to be correct.
The heaviest work IN removing
the raft as it is called, IS cutting a
channel through these tow heads OF
made lands. The proposed route
never leaves the bed of the river
In other words, there are no cuts
off, such as were made by Capt
Shreve, below Shreveport.
A navigablc channel must J c cut
through twenty six patches of solid
raft, which aggregate two and one
eighteenth miles in the shortest
possible route.
FLOATING RAFT.
From Red bayou to the head OF
the raft, which has extended about
three-eighths of mile since the
survey was made, the distance is
about fourteen miles. In this dis
tance there are sixteen patches OF
floating raft, which aggregate about
five miles. As the river here is
at least six hundred feet wide, and
perhaps wider, the great trouble is
to dispose of the immense number
of logs after they are cut up.
In the event Of high water, there
are four places ofdeposit that car
be utilized sufficient to hold all this
immense accumulation of logs
Hervey's canal, leading into large
lake; Adams first canal; Fuller's
inlet to Dutch Johns lake, and
Dooley's bayou outlet. In case o.
continued low water, the removal
of the floating raft will be mucl
retarded, as it Nill not do to force
the logs down the main river fol
fear Of choking it up again. This
is the work to be done and now
comes the
In the summet of 1872 Lieut.. E
A. Woodruff received instructions
| to open the raft in accordance with
the plans developed by the survey
The work as will be seen hereafter
was entrusted to competent hands
He at once purchased the steamer
| Aid at St. Louis and fitted her ou
after plan of his own, and righ
we'll has she proved that his judg
ment was not at fault. AT the sug
gestion of Major Howell, chief en-
gincer of this department, two
crane boats were added to the out
fit. Late in the fall of 1872 the Aid
with two crane boats, started III
Red river, but owing to low water
did not reach the foot Of Carolin;
Bluffs until Monday, the 27th da!
Of January, 1878. She commenced
pulling snags between the Bluffs anl
Cowhide bayou on the Goth, ant
has been kept busy at work eve
since.
SHORE OR HAND GANGS.
Previous to this time "shor'
hands," as they are called, had beer
put to work. On the 4th of Decem
ber shore party of twenty mel
were put to work just above Caro-
lima Bluffs. On the 9th two mor'
land parties were put to work, on'
near Posten bayou and the othe
near the first party, above Carolin:
Bluffs. On the 29th of January tn
fourth party was put at work tw'
miles down Dooley's bayou to clea1
out the raft and keep open com
munication with the adjoining lakes
the latter to be used as receptacle
for the cut logs. All of these fou
shore parties have built flat boats
20 by As feet, and each boat ha
two steam saws Of the most ap
proved pattern for cutting floatin!
| logs. These boats set low in tn
water and it is astonishing will
what rapidity and facility they Gu
up logs into small pieces. The las
of these boats was finished abou
the first of March, when Lient
Woodruff. had the following fore
at his command: Steamer Aid, tw'
crane boats and four flats, manne'
by 100 men. At the time we spea
of, the work Of removing the raj
was fairly inaugurated and ha
since been forced with all the powe
at his command. Two months late
the steamer Kalbaugh was adde
to the isat. She acts in the capaci
ty of transport, and keeps tn
lower part Of Old river free fror
"jams."
{ THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED so FAI
What has been accomplishe
|, since the work of opening the raj