The sun., 1891-07-15
ADVENTURES OF A BIG RAFT.
FOR SIITEEN DAYS IT PLOUGHED
THROUGH WIND AND WAYE
Most OF II Broke Away In = stor-., SuN
was Captured by tho Ocean King-Hts
Progress In = Swarm OF Tugs Down
East River and Its End In Whale Creek.

Most OF It Broke Away In = storu, SuS
was Captured by tho Ocean Ki.s-rts
Progress In - Swarm or Tugs Dew-
East River and Its End In Whale Crock.
After an eventful voyage OF sixteen days ths
| big Leary RAFT. which left st Johns on June "a
IN tow of the tug Ocean King. was safely land
ed in Learys Basin In Whale Creek. an arm Of
Nowtown Creek, last evening without the loss
| OF n single stick.
| This is the largest timber raft which ever At
| tempted an ocean voyage. 1t contains timber
enough to build small village. 1t was built In
| sections. Each section Is about GO feet LONG.
| 40 fee: wide. and 10 feet deep. There were
sixteen sections In all. and they were linked
together with Great Iron chains. Tho raft con.
tained about 5000 feet of timber. or 35OO0O0
feet Of lumber. 1t would have loaded thirty.
| five schooners. When stretched out on the
| ocean the tow was 1000 feet long.
| Tho raft left st. Johns In tow OF the Ocean
King. When some distance out 1t was Joined
by the tug Edgar +. Luckenbach. Both are
done with nine-inc6 hemp hawsers.. Each
ol tho tow. 1t Was San an leldy lGs mass. snfS sSt
"r on 6sss s1d hss cr
however The rait parted and tSirteen sections stS
drIited away, The Ocean King started In pur.
s Of ns ans dn wf HSos ss IsS &:
other three sections. The Ocean King how
storm ssd h and os .bn. 5
towel Them safely into Bar Har Dor. Here the the
tugs remaineI rename three days patching up the raft.
The tho xnethar halt was was msds sa q. vns. inn
yard Haven. On July they arrived between
east wind kicked up a sea W. hieh - caused caused
H. @ sn''ad sssnsio fs' Serpent ana As Aand'as: e:
tide was against 1t. the, raft was. ap.
VII: @ the ocean King steamed into VinsSsrSdi
n Ihs ra,t was laid pS II, at Vineyard Haven for
Newport. When on che outside oi this hsrbes
m wind IN, yn which
then. one q tho men on tho oessn King King said aid
yesterday Ia that two hours more ot such weather
they YI9s came On to Flushing bay Here the rais
Scandinavian tho remaining four: Then
Evie Kstye. IA and imnsra ] Or. which ASSISTED % ID
bringing the rat down the river The smaller
had ropes fastened to the rear 'o Of each tow. tow
hS be raj! os os o It's
:, It was almost high tide when, they ali came
through Hell Gate. At s oclock they reached
he e ass
stream like flies. The Ocean King with its tow
went first. Next cane the Luckenbach. with
the Scandinavian, following.
NJ i took several hours to get the raft into
venture in raft building and towing ever made
by Mr.. Leary. The first raft. built several
years ago. WAS abandoned ut sea. Itwas built
in the shape of cigar
Another raft was puilt the next year after
the same pattern. 1t was known Ms the jog.
gins raft and waa towed to the Eric Basin In
safety. whore 1t was broken up Tho first rait
10 be built In ssctions WAS started of about
year ago IL lost the last two ssctiona in Q
storm. The remainder was towed to Newtown
Creek.
Ia said that thereare at least 10 900 stioksiof
timber In this raft. estimated to be worth IS
apiece This would be total OF 600: The
which leaves Mr.. Leary $4,000.
The raft Is owned bv shipbuilder James D.
Leary .i.,,,n James Murray who supervissd its
here.