Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-24
TOWING LOGS.
The Peril Of Taking the Rats
Through the ''Chops."
Requires Skill and Good Judgement
--Ac dents Rarely Occur.
A Change from Times When Rats Were All
navigated BY Hand.

ANNAoiu' oSPe' ,Ao.-\Speclal).-A
this season of the year, 5 o'clock in tn
morning may seem an unseasonabl
hour for one who is not accustomed f
it to leave his bed, but If you are go
ing to make trip dow the river an,
the boat leaves at o'clock. what ar
you going to do, get up or keep on witt
your snooze? That's the question tina
confronted Journal representative a
he looked out of the window and say
s;reaks of light climbing up the caster,
sky. The temptation to go back to be,
and relapse into a lower form of bein,
was great and SO was the temptation t,
iump into ones boots and accompan,
Captain Mcintosh of the tug Farms
worth down the river with a raft o
logs.
AS most readers of the Journal know
towing logs on the Kennebec is not O
very ancient origin. The idea was frs
put into practice by the late Isaac T
Hobson of Wiscasset, who employed ,
boat which was propelled by hors,
power. the thing working on the thresh
ing machine principle. The Farms
worth is propeller of about II ton.
burthen and as handy a boat as is t
be found in Kennebec waters.
The tide was at it's full when the decl
hands cast off lines at Harlow's Goa
wharf and let the boat swins
out into the channel. The raf
was taken in tow at Cha,
cove, just below the Hodges place
where it had been tied up the night be-
fore. 1t was composed of 1911 logs, be.
ing bound together by two side lines
running lengthwise of the raft and I
centre line with cross lines at the heo
and tail. With raft Of this size il
tow. boat makes about three miles al
nCur.
Occasionally great difficulties are u.l-
countered with the wind, but ordinarily
things go smoothly enough until you
come to the Chops, where there IS
danger of the raft opening. The Bos-
ton boats sometimes make trouble fol
river drivers and occasionally river
drivers make it hot for the Boston
boats. Neither party cares to meet the
other on the way. The great waves
from the steamers give a raft quite {
shaking up and raft has been known
to drive steamer off from her course
Captain Mcintosh tells. me that Oh
one occasion he unavoidably compelled
the Sagadahoc to turn about, the raj.
stretching across the river in such
shape as to obstruct the channel A.
a rule. however, accidents happen in
the Chops If anywhere. At that
point there are innumerable adverse
currents and cross eddies which test
the lines by which TIE raft is bound to-
Sether. 1t frequently happens that the
boat pulls one way and the swirlins
eddies another, the stream on the side
lines being tremendous.
At all times the boat aims to keep
the raft in the streak of the tide, but
towing vessel is one thing and towing
raft is quite another thing. You
simply can't steer a raft. 1t is a COM
mon thing for raft to assume the
shape of a crescent when going through
the Chops. In passing through here
two things are to be avoided, doubling
the raft around Ram island and being
swept into Whiskeag. In either event
you are no longer in it. Your raj,
would look like a routed army after thu,
battle, the results being most us
astrous.
Guarding against these dangers as
the raft comes into the Chops, two
men so on to the raft and station them
selves at the point where the greatest
strain is likely to come on the side line,
each standing ready to grab the end of
rope and run in opposite directions in
case the raft should open. In the lat
ter event a new line is stretched and
the raft saved. Accidents of the nature
described have happened with tow
boat captains who could take a vessel
to sea with their eyes shut. The only
way to get throug the passage with
safety is to run close to Lines island,
until you are sure the tail of the raft
will clear Ram island, when the cross
tide catches it.
Captain Mcintosh has been towing
logs for the past 10 years and has never
had an accident worth mentioning.
Another boat, the A. F. Kappella, lows
logs for the mill at Bowdoinham, the
Farnsworth being owned and employed
by the M. G. Shaw Lumber Co. Of
Bath. An average raft contains about
1000 logs, two days being usually re-
quired to make the trip from the Halo
well boom to the place of destination
There are several places where RATS
are hauled in when it is necessary to
wait for a change of wind or tide. Clay
cove is just below Richmond, Dollar
cove being father down the river.
The story is that formerly it was the
custom with river drivers when hang
ing up there to go ashore and cut
snubing pins and being caught at it
one day the owner of the premises re-
CURED the trespassers to pay fine of
81. The place has since been known to
river drivers as Dollar cove. Doubtless
many an old raftsman will recall tthe
place to mind as he reads this story.
River drivers are jolly set of fell
lows and as for the hospitality of Cap
tain Mcintosh and his crew, don't say
a word. They simply load you down
with kind attention. The day was fine
and the matter of booming the raft
under difficulties was successfully ac-
complished.
Now for home,' said Captain Nc
Intosh, as the Farnsworth turned her
prov up the river, and as the steamer
left the blue leagues behind the Jour
oho, he.