Daily globe., 1879-03-19
THE ST.. PAUL BOOM.
ERAT rs BENG DONE IN THIS
GREAT WORK.
a visit to the Scene Of Operatfons-A Hun
dred Men Busily at work-Naking a
Boom with all the Modern Improvements
Detailed Description of the Plan of
Operations.

public was given news Of the progress of tn
ST. Paul boom. Vigorous effort, not littl
due to Messrs. J. W. MoClung and John 8
Prince, overcame the obstacles that seemed de
signed to thwart its successful accomplish
ment. First money was to be obtained to star
the business; and secondly the outside opposi
tiou to the project was to be overco me
The money was partially obtained, the com
pauy organized, the contract for the BOOM
construction let, and seemingly the boom was
accom- mplished. All the above steps. taken IL
due course, have heretofore received mention
In detail But since actual work has beer
begun the boom, little word accoun,
has been given of the progress
If the thug of the hammer, Or the buzz o1
work has sounded about the vicinity of the
site of the boom, the sound has been lost be-
fore it reached a hearing in st. Paul, through
the papers or otherwise.
To determine the extent of the work anc
how far along it had been finished, GLOBE
represen tative pulled down his ear-muffs
wrapped around him a buffalo," ano
in company with Mr.. Kempt one Of the con
tractors visited the boom grounds yesterday
Arriving at the site, he saluted with an
animated and busy scene. O1e hundred work
men were busly engaged. And if Indications
60 for anything there loomed up along the
river the appearances of very nearly finished
boom. But to be more definite
v
kindly put himseif at the service of the pub
lie, and explained the work in detail.
GREAT ENTERPRISE.
To premise, the affair is a great enterprise.
The BOOM as an institution, looms up. Tu
many the peculiarities and nature of a boom
are known, but for the sake Of those unac-
qnainted with such an 'insttution," the
following description is given. 1t may be
added thai the St. Paul boom is constructed on
new method involving many i'm provemerts
over the old system, and in this instance ''the
description' may be even profitable to those
who know all ab tut a BOOM"
WHERE LOCATED.
The ST.. Paul boom is To-
Gated at the foot of Pike Island,
in easy range Of Fort Smelling. and ex-
tends to a point about 800 yards below the old
boom-in use years ago. Connected with the
boom proper series of works and con-
trivances, which begin at higher point up the
river. As now contemplated, and 80 arrang' d,
ashear-boom, $40 feet long. is placed on the
left bank of the river, above Fort Smelling,
to sheer or direct tho logs
from a lodgment behind and
against two island. at this point. Next anoth-
or sheer boom 400 feel long is attached to the
right shore just below the Fort Smelling bridge;
this to direct the logs from slough leading to
the back of Pike Island, and into the river.
Near the middle of Pike Island, attached 10
the shore, another sheer boom 500 feet in
length is placed to prevent the lodgment of
logs against the shore and keep them in the
current Of the river.
Last a iointed sheer boom 800 feet long ia
stretched from pier near the foot of Pike Isl
and across the river channel to direct the
floating logs into the bonn proper, which has
beginning abont $50 to 200 feet below the
point.
THE SHEER BooMs.
These sheer-bo7ns are fat-Aoats extending
from the shore into the current. They are
constructed of heavy IL by IL timbers bolted
at every four feet, timber joints breaking and
bolt heads counter snnk; at the upper side, the
lower edge of each sheer-boom is provided with
projecting four inch plank of oak "a lip to
prevent the logs from lodging underneath the
sheer-booms. These booms are movable floats
and are given direction in the current by pad
dies or rudders on the lower side, twenty feet
apart, to twelve feet wide, four inches thick
etthe butt taperlng to one and a half inches at
the feather edge These paddles are connected by
a wire rope attached to windlass at the sta
tionary shore end of the boom, and by q
turn of the wlndlass the rudders controlled
and give the inclination of direction to the
boom to sheer in or off the floating logs. The
first three booms are made of three thickness of
timber, and are unbrOken in length.
The last sheer boom. s0O feet long, situated and
attached to pier at the lower end of Pike
island, is in two lengths, the shore length being
$40 feet and the outer length 5O0. This boom
stretches full across the river channel, and the
joint is made to let the outer, river length,
fall with the current to allow the river channel
to be unobstructed when the necessity arises.
The mechanism is simple, and can be moved
and operated by one man. These booms are
finished and are ready to be placed in position
Just as soon as the ice breaks.
THE BOOM.
boom, at tho foot of Pike Islard, the boom
proper begins. It may be more understanding
ly likened to a pear shaped enclosure than any,
thing else; the shore to the left and series of
piers to the right running in q curve shore
wads, being the boundaries. The first pier is
200 feet from and directly opposite the foot of
Pike island-the river channel being. between
these points. This pier is called the jam-pier,
or ice breaker. and is composed of twenty one
Is feet, overtopping the lower water mark by
l3 feet; the piles are sawed off and
capped with IL. by IL timbers 80 feet
in length on an incline of As degrees,
the declivity or slant being up stream. This
pier is followed by fifty-three others, built and
driven on the same plan; those near the head
of the boom being composed of tw- I've and if
teen piles until near the gap into the asserting
grounds, at the lower end of the boom, where
they are increased to eighteen in number to re-
sist the jam of logs. To somewhat aid in pre-
venting JAM two piers of twenty-one piles
are placed in the central portion of the boom,
within distance of $50 feet from the gap an
some forty feet apart. These piers (the outer
boundary arc set at an angle, one to the
other, each one down stream converging
towards the shore, or. in military parlance,
they may De said to be set in echelon. To the
outside Of these piers a single stretch of logs,
chained end to end, will form the means to pre-
veat the escape of any logs outside the boom.
AL these piers nearly completed, there
being gap of 200 feet to be filled.
The boom is oue-half mile and 800 feet in
length, covering an estimated area of thirty
five acres, containing Is, 100000 feet of logs.
THE ASSORTMENT GROUNDS.
Below the boom, and at tho month of the
boom-gap the ''assortment-grounds'' are to be
placed. These are composed of two square
sheer-booms, floating with the current at n
distance of forty feet apart; the head of these
floats being connected with a plank, upon
which workmen stand, grabs the logs as thew
come from the boom, see the mark and assort
them. If bearing certain marks, they are
round log booms moored to single piles,
channel. and are there RATED. an; and
floated out Co market. IF the logs are not to
be pooketed. they are showed along down the
forty-foot clear waterway to other assort, :,
grounds similarly constructed be.ow
This in brief completes the extensive works
the magnitude, extent and complete arrange
ments of which must be seen to be appre
ciated.
HOW THE WORK IS DONE.
The work of construction has been unde
the personal supervision of Mr.. jerome B
Garland, who has had fifteen to twenty years
Experience on the Chippewa aud other rivers