The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-08-13
THE TRUE STORY.
of the Big Atlantic RAFT as Told by
It's Builder.

Under the heading "sIx Years
Anoat," the Sunday oregonian OF
August End. publishes an account by
stephen Crane. of the launching Of a
large raft In the Atlantic ocean, and
the adventures of the strange craft be-.
fore It's 1nol wreckagc.
captain H. II. Robertson who is now
In the city. and has for several years
taken immense RATS from the Colum-
bla river 10 San Francisco, and win
start another one on the same Journey
within a few days. says that many Of
the statements IN the article In the
Oregonian are erroneous. Captain Rob
ertson II the patcntce Of the method
of building these ocean log RATS and
built and launched the one referred 10
In the oregoninn article. Upon being
Questioned the captain said:
James H. Lcary. and not John Leary
II the owner Of third interest In my
original patent built the raft re-
ferrcd 20 aud launched It from Gogglns
Nova Scotia. In 1851 This raft broke
loose from the tow and fioated about
the Atlantic ocean as VIII explain 10
you later. one year later. or In 1885.
| built another raft, twice as large as
the first one. which was safely doiiy-
cred in the Erie basin. New York. Aug
ust lBt, 1855.
The first rait-the one described
In the OregonlRn, was only 425 feet
long, Apploton's Cyclopaedia Of 1858
gives full description Of this raft.
She was launched on the 4th Of oeto-
ber. 1857. and sailed from the Bay OF
Funda on the 9Th Of December in tow
Of the Mineola. the same steamer
which win tow my present raft out Of
the Columbia. On the 22nd OF Decem-
bcr the hRwser parted. sixty miles |
southeast Of the South shoal light.
ship. on Cape Cod. on the 22nd Of
January the raft was sighted by the
schooner Josie In 6s west. She was
then In perfect condition. and Is traced
by IN photographic charts Of iSss. and
was reported every month. a friend OF
mine saw It In July. 1855. $50 miles west
Of Glbralter. and the last report / got
Of II was that II went ashore on the
Western Islands in October OF that
year The Western Islands. as you
know. are on the coast OF Africa, and
! think the captain Of that ship who
reports that the raft went ashore on
the coast OF Labrador must be mis-
taken; and besides this. long before
she could have reached Labrador, af-
ter having followed the courses up and
down the Atlantic which she is known
TO have made, she would have been
by teredo, and the weight
OF the chains would have taken her 20
the bottom. Again. the direction OF the
Gulf Stream at that season Of the year
would have precluded the possibility ~
the raft reaching Labrador, although
al other seasons OF the year that would
have been her natural landing place
This is the only raft lost in the At
antic ocean.
I'm 1908 Or. Tucker built a raft, or
timber ship, which he attempted TO
sail to port where the timber could
10 disposed OF, but could not get a
rev TO go with him. He finally sue
,eeded in rigging out sort OF schoon-
ar vessel on the back OF the raft in
Boston, and started for sea on the
'oast OF Newfoundland the strange
raft was abandoned. the crew landing
IN the shore OF Newfoundland, and the
structure itself went ashore on the coast
II Labrador. have taken out lately a
lew patent for building these RATS In
he water. and have made many other
improvements which make the busi-
less now practically safe one.
would add that in the 1857 raft, men
Toned in the Oregonian. there We're
'nly spruce piling. none Of the sticks
being over 20 feet long and 20 inches
n diameter at the butt There were
1000 pieces In the raft"