The morning news., 1888-08-14
.J.D.LEARYS SEA MONSTER
HIS LOG RAFT SAVES HIM MORE
THAN $4,000 CASH.

ARAaN 9EOlOOO OIAoAks
How IL Appeared When Being Towed
Through He'll Gate and Under the
Big Bridge Crowds Throng the
Docks and Vessels Give 1t a Royal
Welcome.
IRON, the Nelo York Star.
rhs great Jcggins raft arrived in port
Yesterday 1t is an enormous affair. and
looks in the water like some mammoth pre-
historic whale or the upturned bottom of a
giant ship 1t is cigar shaped, 502 feet long.
Is foet beam, taperiug to II feet beam at
,be erd, IS feet in depth or hold. and draws
70 to 2S feet of water. 1t contains 81, 800
spruce and pine logs, ranging from 25 feet
10 G5 feet in length, with diameter, at the
butt, of from IL to 26 inches. 1t weighs
about 49, 900 tons, contains about 5000, 900
feet of lumber. board measure, cost when
launched $50, 900, and is worth from $50, 900
to $50, 900 delivered here.
The raft was launched at Port Joggins.
Nova Scotia, at the head of the bay of
Fundv, at 1882 p. m, July "a 1t started
on the long trip July 81, and was safely
moored in the Erie basin at o'clock Satur-
day afternoon.
1t is bound together with SO triple bands
of %-inch crucible steel wire; through the
center there runs O double 1sl-inch cable.
which is connected with the wire bands by
cross cables The raft was towed from the
center cable. Forty-f1ve miles of wire and
$500 feet of caLle were used This went to
Nova Scotia from American factories duty
free, being for reshipment.
The contract for towing the raft was
taken by the L. Luckenback towboat and
transports tIoD company Of New York, and
it is understood that the fee was S., 600. To
bring this lumber in the ordinary way
would have required forty five schooners at
atotal cost of S36, 900, saving in favor of
the raft of S3l 900 or more
The Luckenback company sent from here
one of their own tugs, the Ocean King,
Capt. S. s. Cantain, and chartered the Bos-
ton tow boat company'S tug, Underwater,
Capt Frank Riley, the most powerful tug
in America. These two boats left Boston,
July 2S, and anchored beside the raft at
Port Joggins the evening of July 3d.
THE START
At 6:20 o'clock p. H., July 81, the great
tow turned its nose for New York, the I'm
derwriter attached to the raft by 900 feet Of
ten-inch Manila hawser, with the Ocean
King ahead pulling on her consort
w nSi1 II pdSaoQ IhOuIlb D6cSTb lSlauQ anu
Bar Harbor scores of boats of all kinds went
ont to view the nondescript craft.
That night the wind rose and the next
day it blew a moderate gale. The raft
worked well, and Capt Riley thinks no
storm could break it up. In the Storm
however, the flexible raft, being composed
Of thousands of pieces of unequal lengths
shrieEed and saueaked and g,'oaned as
though it were the home of 10000 ghosts.
The raft always carried two danger signals
at might've white lights at each end
one above the other, signifying a large tow.
Aug. 5 the weather was again propitious
but Aug was enveloped in a dense fog.
Aug. Chatham lights hove in sight early
in the morning. At midnight the fog came
on again, and the raft was anchored at
Vineyard Haven. The fog continued
through the forenoon of Aug. 8, but at
noon the tow put under way again, and
rounded Point Judith at midnight.
The next morning the squadron of the
New York yacht club sighted the new Won
der of the seas and set sail for her. The $50
or more boats of all kinds composing and
accompanying the feet formed a circle
around the raft, saluted it vigorously and
accompanied it for several hours 1t was a
romantic and beautiful sight That day
Fishers Island was made, where anchor
was dropped to await flood tide. AT sun
down the tow entered Long Island sound
through the race, and for the first time her
guardian felt comparatively safe. Mr.
Robertson accompanied his pride in the
capacity of chief director of the voyage.
COMING INTO NEW YORK.
At $50 a. N. Saturday the raft started on
her final days voyage. Four iuore tugs
we're attached, making six in all, two at
each side of the raft, with the Underwater
oxuiu +ha md
Several other tugs hung around, hoping for
job. Hundreds of boats of all kinds,
from rowing shells and naphtha launches to
whaleboats and large steam yachts and
sailing vessels, lay around 10 SEQ the start.
1t was beautiful sight. Every boat was
flying colors, the tugs were decorated ~ for
a gala day, and the raft had put on holiday
clothes At the bow it sported tho Jack
(bue ground and white stars and aft the
stars and stripes flutterod gaily in the breeze
When He'll Gate was passed., Capt. Riley
threw bis hat in the air shouting: II knew
/ could do it" and added: "A few years
ago Liverpool line of ocean steamers
wished to use this route. but the Hell Gate
pilots would have nothing to do with them,
saying the steamers were too long to take
through Hell Gate. This settles that ques-
tIonn
Coming through He'll Gate two more tugs
were duueu. Hell tate Isht was passed at
noon exactly. Here the tug Jason pessed.
towing the excursion barge Caledonia, ii led
with merrymakers. A band was on DO III
the barge, and when tie passengers shouted
to the tow:
Who's your captainf" and the answer
went back, Riley" the band struck up is
This MIR. Riley That Keeps the HotelN and
the bluff captain was nightly pleased.
CROWDS ON THE DOCKS AND BRIDGES.
Along the shores on both sides of the East
river every available spot of standing room
was occupied with an enthusiastic crowd.
thousands crowded the Brooklyn bridge;
the yards of the war ships at anchor In the
navy yard were manned. Everything that
whlStled, from ocean steamers and ferry
ooats to tiny steam yachts, and even the
factories that line the shore, screamed out
Their salutes that Capt. Riley and the fol
lowing tugs were only too glad to answer,
so elated were they at tbs safe conclusion
Oh their strange voyage.
gay party of ladies from a steam yacht
boarded tho raft in the river and declared
mat the smell Of the balsams from the pine
ana spruce logs was as good as visit to the
pines Of Saratoga.
ihe raft passed under the bridge at 1:30
o'clock III the afternoon, and saluted the
Goddess Of Liberty at 2 o'clock. At $3.50
1ciock she was safely moored in Erie
oaSln, where she will be immediately broken
up, and Patentee Robertson, Capitalist
Aeary and Capts. Riley, Babb and Cantain
were about the happiest men in New York.
IT wAgu u unpuprsnNic NINA