The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-10-03
AN ADVENTURE
Terrible Experience of Two Boys
in a Hurricane.

IN a f1uTTlCdn6'
Large rivers, the sides of which for a
score of miles back are covered with
spruce and pine forests, come rolling
here and there into what are known as
the Great Lakes of North America.
In winter scores of thousands of men
are busy in these forests, cutting down,
hauling and squaring trees; and to-
ward the spring, when the warm sun,
the rains and the melting snow in 'the
woods burst the icebound streams, the
woodmen roll the logs and timber in
TO the rushing water, by which they
ore borne down to the lakes.
At the mouth of one of these streams
was large boom constructed of joints
of timber fastened together at the ends
with short pieces of chain into this the
logs and the timbers swung as they
were volleyed out of the river
Old Ike Rogers and his two sons,
Albert and Frank had spent several
days in the middle of May picking out
all the logs that had upon them two
crosses, which was the mark of their
property. They had sharp, steel
spikes in their boots which enabled
them to stand upon the timber and
logs; and they pulled out each piece
from among the scores of others OF
different marks with their pointed
iron peevys, dragging them out to the
clear water and putting them in raft
joints.
The joint of a raft is constructed OF
three tiers of logs or timber from
twelve to twenty -four in a row, each
tier being placed across the one below
&C. The corners are held together by
q heavy wooden peg, and the joints are
fastened together in any number by
means of boom poles, till the raft is
made as large as is necessary.
When the wind favors, the raft is cut
loose from its moorings, two or three
sails are hoisted upon it, and it is head
ed out into the lake for the sawmills.
have known some of these RATS to be
an acre in area, having a house built
On the top, where the raftmen sleep
and DO their cooking.
When the raft about which | am tc
relate this story was ready for sailing,
old Ike set out for the nearest country
store to buy couple of pairs OF
blankets for the voyage, as it is very
cool on these northern lakes in May,
AS i was dead calm when he left, nc
precaution was taken to moor the raft
t. the stout piers at the brink of the
water: and the two boys, who were
tired from their many hard hours toll
ing. lay down in the hut on the raft
aud went to sleep. How long they
slept they could not say, but it was
probably four or five hours; however
Hhen they awoke the wind was shrek
ing over the raft; and when they came
,s1ut II the caboose, they found tina
they had been driven better than hal,
a mile out into the lake, and that grea'
waves were rolling over the logs Ev
Ttently their father had not reached the
shore in tine to join them, and the sur
iacc of the lake was in such state OF
fury that it was impossible for him
uow 10 be able to come to the raft in {
,smaN boat. The two frightened boy:
sstood by the caboose, to which they
vrere obliged to cling fast in order t.
&ieep their feet, so violent was the gale
AL around them was one white, roar
Eng wilderness of water, and the spray
came drifting over their heads like
Eseavy rain. Two or three large
.e,JEooners, which had also been caugh
in the storm, had taken three reefs il
their canvas and We're lying-to, this be
rIg the only way in which they coulC
Keep afioat in such a heavy sea.
The raft was driving straight befor,
the wind, and if allowed 10 go on il
rlais course would reach the opposit,
ss'hoae in five or six hours; but tn,
f.-others knew that if they were t
Essrand there the raft would get broker
srp among the great granite rocks anC
vrvould be lost AS it was, they fel
ts.aat the great floating mass could no
Lsag sustain the pounding of tn,
waves. 1t was made up of about THIRTY
phnts, and as great wave rolled un
Der it the poles creaked and the who'll
raft groaned. At one end three row
Lisclis were fastened into the logs, ant
Fgv these were laid three heavy spruc
,sars each about twenty feet long witt
ya553e blades, to be used in steering tn
rzEft and sculling it along in the calm
ABSsert and Frank had been with thei
EAther many time before when h
1slok RATS to the sawmills, so that the
knew everything about steering an
islniug, but they had never been out o
zhe lake in such storm as this,
They had two large sails attached t
strong masts with them and three @
four places had been provided for steI
rping these when there was wind, 1
1rder 20 save the timber from bein
Eost by going to pieces on the lee shor
they decided to step the two masts on
on each side of the raft, and steer &
close 10 windward as possible, 1t we
ali they could do TO get each mast
place, and when they loosed the frs
saii II huttered out in the wind and the
were obliged to take u turn of the sta
around one of the logs in order
draw it in and bring the sheet up clos
to the wind. They had the same ditl
Guilty with the other sail; however, the
succeeded in hauling both close an
then putting out two OF the steerin