Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-01-23
RAFTING ON THE CUMBERLAND.
The Novel Life Of the Men Who Run the
River.
Nashville American.

ordinary attention lately, and Saturday
an American reporter, falling in with
genial Ged Lowe, who knows every
thing about the river, asked what lie
knew about RATS. "There are about
twenty tied up with cold weather be-
tween here and Celna, two Of walnut
and the others poplar" he replied.
"What else do you know"
II know that prices are ruling un-
commonly low, and that the up-river
mills are saving precious little lumber
this season. The timber has been cut
away from the river country, and now
logs have to be hauled ten or fifteen
miles"
In further conversation it was learned
that much lumber which has not al
ready come by rail is mostly waiting
for the Nashville & Knoxville road. The
river banks, clear up to headwater,
have as a general thing been pretty well
cut out. Logs begin coming down
after Christmas; not so many this year,
owing to the low prices and the extreme
difficulty of hauling. With high rise
now the main crop would come down at
once. There will be about two-thirds
Of an average crop. The best walnut in
Putnam, Fentress and Overton counties
has been cut out. There is. oak, hicko-
ry and ash enough, though it is lnacces-
sible. Poplar also would be brought
out by new railroad.
One hundred and twenty-five logs
mako an average sized raft Poplar
rofs average 5000. The low grade o.!
,Alnut nos being reached ma...es that
class OF logs worth very little more than
nop2r,
The Nashville & Knoxville Railroad
would open up the timber of Smith,
Putnam, Oyerton, Fentress, part OF
jackson and Cumberland counties.
Upon low and safe estimate, about
60,000,000 feet OF all kinds OF lumber
was received here, half by river and
half by rail, last year. About 10 pei
cent. OF this only was walnut, the bulk
j., OF the remainder poplar At least &C
per cent. of this was sawed up here or
used in the various mills of the city,
Before starting from the headwater,
OF the Cumberland. river, raft is
pinned together with poles boret
through to the logs, called whaling
Being well tied good head blocks
across the ends, and a shanty in the
middle, two oars running sixty oil
eighty feet out at either end, and the
raft is ready. 1t is not safe to turr
, them loose on high tide, so they are
unmoored on falling tide with eigh
. or ten feet of water on the shoals
From five to ten men start with eacf
raft, besides pilot, who is acquainted
> with the river and who commands the
, hands. They usually stop at night un
: less the weather is fine or the pilo
especially good. Six or seven days are
consumed in this trip. The men are
paid each from ten to twelve dollars
the pilot fifteen or twenty dollars
Many fellow comes down COR the fur
:, of the trip, as the crowd is lively ant
: the ride costs nothing. The principa
amusements along the way are cards
: playing on the violin and an occasional
bugle. A raft generally takes the RICH
' OF way, and fine steamboats, dofi thei
flags and salute with merry whistle
= The raftsmen have pork, meal, bacon
y, coffee, -four and little fruit for food
Il skillet, frying-pan and coitee-po
compose the kitchen arrangements. 4
dugout is an inseparable companion o
a raft and is used to reach the banks 70
:, one purpose and another Each RATS
" man has couple of blankets which h
spreads on thick layers of straw, an,
they all sleep near fire built on be-
of sand which is, thrown on the To-
flooring of the shanty. Rails are frs
e thrown down and these hold the straw
/ Each man then stretches snugly be
Is tween two logs and you don't hea
5; much of him till daylight, when al
hands are up, and the raft is agail
(, ailoat The man assigned to the Gull
/ nary department. gets a breakfast whicl
L good appetites wait upon. Eat heart
: and sleep sound is the motto of you
ratsnlan.
| Kidney Complaint
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