The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-10-02
The Red River Raft.

The New Orleans Times gives IN inter-
sting sketch OF the great raft which has
j'r many wears INSTRUCTED navigation in
Red river, and which is now being de
-iroNcd. 1t is thought by some that the
yellow fever prevailing 50 teartully ut
Shreveport. La, is due to impurities in the
air arising from immense quantities Of de-
,3vyd vegetable matter liberated by the
destruction OF this raft Red river is one
of the first tributaries OF the Mississippi.
IL whole course is through one Of the
OIrhe-t and most productive sections OF
'IT country lis entire margin consisting
d tho best quality OF cotton-producing
.4ud- 1t its origin. in the Llano Estaca-
IN. il is said to hay a width of six miles.
., hch yaric, and diminiShes all the way to
i.~ mouth At Black river it is seven hun
diced and eighty five feet wide at Alexan-
,lria. seven hundred and twenty feet, and
81 TMeNe-Mile Bayou it is only about one
andrrd feet AT lis .iuyction with the
Mississippi it is one thousand eight hun
drcd feet wide This varied condition OF
,,,,l river results from the loss of it, Wa
lrl-~ INTO numerous bayous and lakes AT
points ranging from five hundred to seven
hundred miles above its mouth. From i
period heNomd the reach of Anglo-Sa XOl
discovery ON this continent, there has OK
tied an immense raft. which now com
nlrnce- at about forty miles above Shreve-
.wt1 This raft is not continuous. but eN-
I.t- al intervals for more than thirty-tivC
miles. completely blocking the river against
4ItigHtion. Tradition tells many Il Won
dcllul tale respecting it, and authentic ac-
lam taching back to $50, establish the
to1 -. ii once extended as low down as
l.,r , Ample settlement. and extended mp
Ae river a hundred miles IN lS13 III,
..nulc distance DISTRACTED by the RATS mp
rruNimaled thirty five miles, the interne-
'dr space being filled up with over forty
tiuMmo raft and towhcadSS With cleHl
y..-v- between, The rats and toWhcad~
together aggregate over seven miles
uanN attempts have hitherto been made tC
t,muNe these obStructlonS, but all wholly
I'D partly failed. Congress having made
a appropriation OF SlJO. 900 last year the
AIalttr was intrustcd to the Engineer
dp, and Lieutenant T. a. Woodruff
.. az detailed 10 take charge OF the opera
fa1u>. He procured Il Wrecklng vessel
Ilt. Md, -hlpl,cd crew OF Michigan lum-
Io!mcn, and Taking on board , 300 lbs
.t DOW der. eut IT, New Orleans to com
.,lrJt Ms outfit There he received ,Uh
.t- OF dynamite, or giant powder, mlt
.hpprd the necessary steam pumps
portable steam saws with portable boil
,l-. and with TWO months provisions
lutt / for the scene of his operations 81
tAc 9TH Of November, 1872, having il
loW tWo crane boats The Aid rcache,
lrolna Bluff Jan Is. the two cranes ar
1.,tt.
luled M 10 the tirS tow head al CoWhd,
ulNou and began making a channel
Blasting Was found exceedingly difficult
The LOGS mmbeddcd in the loW-head> pre-
.eatinw the sinking ot shafts sufficiently
,ircp H. rrudrr the blasting effective
Reasonably favorable results were hoWey-
az obtained bl blasting in water, an,
making holes around the logs thus getting
h,neath Them The powder blasts. ignit
IN hl electric eNplodtr~. We're found etfec
tive. each explosion being followed bN
Washing with The steam pump of the Aid,
lhr hoSe tor that purpose being @uidet
uuder wafer 10y two men. As fast as the
.u4- appeared they We're seized bN DRAG
hooks and pulled out by steam capstanS
he cotton wood logs. which Lieut. Wood
ruff estimates must have been at the bot
tun ut The river tWentv-eight on twenty
4iue Years. As soon rs relieved Of mu,
located lightly, but the stumps We're Gu
ii IN many eases, and sank 10 bottom. 1t
Na- otherwise with ash, elm and cypress
whilst cedar was invariably found buoy
AMT After Two weeks of lnceSSant ant
A.ud labor, a channel was obtained through
iht Tow heads and the Aid passed up int
The Oittu water below raft No. l. The