Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-01-15
The Red River Raft.

Tue great Ial6, which mas Oeeu an OBJ
struction in the Red River, in Louis
lana, ever since the advent of white
men in this country, will soon be re-
moved, and that navigation will be
opened for steamers from Shreveport
La, to Jefferson, Texas. The history
of the raft and the attempts to remove
it is exceedingly interesting. In 1905
the obstruction of logs reached one
hundred miles. Since that time RATS
have formed at various points IN the
river near Shreveport. One of these was
removed by Captain Shreve in 1880, by
the help of Congressional appropria.
ton, and another between 1910 and
1874, under a government contract, by
Gen. Williams. In 1854 the raft region
extended only twelve miles, and at that
time Captain Fuller, aided by a Con-
gressional appropriation of $3.50, 900,
attempted to remove it. At the end OF
two years, however, the appropriation
had been exhausted and nothing &C.
complished, and the work being aban-
doned, the obstruction began to in.
crease. The present raft region ex-
tended thirty.five miles from a point
of forty miles above Shreveport to the
Arkansas State line, and contained, be-
fore the present work commenced,
nearly fifty RATS, from one eighth of 4
mile to q mile in length, and occupying
the entire width of the river, navigation
only being accomplished through the
bayous around the raft, but us these
were only available at very high water,
navigation was insignificant. In 1871
the attention of the engineering de-
partment a again directed to this
work, and an appropriation Of $1O-
600 having been made by Congress,
the work of preliminary survey
ing was entrusted to Lieutenant Wood
ruff, who completed it in 1872, and
submitted plans and specifications for
the removal Of the raft, and thea an
appropriation of 800, 600 wal made
The plans were accepted, aud Lieuten.
ant Woodruff reached the raft region
in January last, with a snag-boat and
all the requisite machinery for his
work. The following description
shows the difficulties to be overcome :
Logs, roots, and snags of every descrip
to a tangled mass, becoming more com.
YuGO CdCu ycdI dS VIC pressure IRON
above increased. Annual freshets had
brought down mud and deposited it in
and owe this mass until it was entirely
covered with earth, small islands, or
stow heads" thus being formed. up
on these tow-heads were growing trees,
usually willows, three feet and moro
in circumference.
In addition to the removals of logs
by saving and cutting, blasting pow
der was used, but it did not prove of
any use. Dynamite was then tried,
but failed, refusing to explode even
with an electrical exploder. At last
nitro glycerine was brought into use,
and it never failed to do its work thor.
oughly. 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 ccom
plished in a few weeks. The obstruc:
ton of centuries will then have been
removed by the skill and perseverance,
of Lieutenant Woodruff. The saddest
part of the record Of this great work
is that Lieutenant Woodruff has not
lived to finish it, having died of yellow
fever at Shreveport, October l.-CMi-
c0gO tribune.