The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-08-27
ON OLDOCEAN
THE FAMOUS LUMBER RAFT LOST
SIX YEARS AGO.


New York dispatch: Capt. VIM. v.
Hitler sails the bark Tillle B. His ship
now lies in Erie Basin and both the Cap
tain and the Title B. are just re-
covering from a most singular adventure
Of the sea. When questioned, the Captain
was reticient; he Is a sane and honest
Captain in the American merchant ma
rine and he objects to gaining repu-
tation as purveyor Of sea yarns. But
there are many old salts in his forecastle,
and no old salt that lives could let slip
chance to tell what they saw when 500
miles off the coast Of Labrador on the
first day of this month.
It seems that the Tillie B. was bowl
ing along on her course before a fair
wind when the man forward espied
something long and black some two
points off the star-board bow. 1t was
monstrous in size and lay quietly on the
water awaiting the ship. The man at
the bow was nonplussed for a moment
The thing was not land. 1t was not
ship. 1t was not whale. 1t was not
anything that enters into the ordinary
vocabulary of man at the bow. 1t was
a mystery; that is all 1t could be called
Recollecting his business the lookout
cried Something mysterious, sir, pint
off the sta'board!
The mate went to the rail and, look
Ing at the thing, said: 1T Is not land!
1t Is not ship! 1t is not whale! Then
what is IT."
Everybody on deck went to the rail
and looking at the thing, said: 1t Is not
land! 1t is not a ship! 1t is not whale!
Then what is it,"
Meanwhile the Tillie B. was sailing
nearer and nearer to this formidable op-
ject. Finally the mate grew nervous
and going to the cabin stairs called down
to Capt Hitler.
we've sighted something, sir, and It's
not land It's not ship and It's not
whale and we don't know what 1t Is"
The Captain came on deck and gong
to the rail looked at the object and salo'
.Tt's not la But here he seized his
speaking-trumpet and an instant later
the wild orders roared through the yes
sci: "slip the trolly! Throw the ship onto
a switch-send man back with a nag
wire the uperintendent-hel to pay
this here's a sea-serpent!'
Immediately all was panic on board
the Tillie B. Men rushed to and rro
dragging at ropes and disappearing al
their misfortune while the Captain
roared more orders than nine ship-loaos
of sailors could possibly have opeyeo'
Rut before they could stop the ship she
had sailed very close to the thing ano
the Captain going to the rail said; 1T Is
not land! 1t is not a ship! 1t Is NOT a
whale! It IL not q sea-serpent, but may
have my own main-m'st stuffed down
nv throat IL 1t is not the famous Jumper
raft which was lost in the North At
,antic some years ago and for which U
g. s. Enterprise and the revenue cutter
Grant made such painful but useless
search"
And so Capt. William B. Hitler, OF tn
bark Tillie B., now lying in Erie Basin
solemnly states that on July 1, ne dis
covered the celebrated raft some oo
miles off the coast Of Labrador. 1t wa
headed southwest, he says, but was no
making much more way than a foun
dry. The raft Ia larger than any ocean
liner. and 1t would be an ugly custome
20 meet under conditions Of twenty
knot gait and a dark night. The sea
serpents do not object to navigation o.
ships but lumber RATS are more unrea
sonable.
John Leary, the lumber expert, wh
first conceived the plan OF transpertin
lumber at sea by means Of raft, wa
recently interviewed at his Newto
Greek sawmill. IT think Capt. Killer
story to be very probable. / was EN-
ployed personally in the construction
This raft and know that 1t was cor
structed as strong-if not stronger-tna
many ocean steamers. Its general com
nactness and solidity made 1t almost
snseparable as one great massive log.
This raft was the largest by som
three hundred feet of any ever shippe
nv sea- In fact 1t was too large. Notf
ing like 1t is now attempted. 1t was COZ
structed on an improvised dry-dock
Two Rivers, Nova Scotia, In the rail-
1890, and launched on the plan Oh
Atlantic liners launching.
The largest RATS we now undertaN
are three hundred feet long and weig
about four thousand tons. The one
lost was six hundred feet In length
longer than any liner. 1t weighs tie
thousand tons. The method we used
constructing the monster was new an
has been patented in this country, Can'
ia and Europe. We now use 1t on
smaller scale. 1t took us just one de
over six months to build the great raj
and we required the steady employmel
of ffty-five men. The distinguishir
feature of the system now patented-ar
what makes me feel positive that whe
ever the raft is, 1t is whole-is Il
method Of fastening the structure t
gether with chains. 1t rs not matt
of merely punching the logs and thu
binding them, as many might conclud
The method in fact Is quite ingeniou
$1,000. AZ, rtronoth is all nnnca