The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-01
Soon as Site Is Selected Robertson
Co., Will Begin Work.
WILL ERECT CHAIN FACTORY
coupanr Win Give Constant En-
ployment TO TAtrty-ave Men-Ai-
ready 500. eco Feet Of Lumber Tor
tie First Cradle Ordered-Wflt
Take ON First Tow 12,Ooo,ooo
Feet In All-Three Months Work.

As already told in the Post-Intelisgeneer.
Puget sound has been chosen as the mead
quarters for the Robertson Raft Company.
the most extensive company OF lis Alha
that ever did business IA the west AS
soon as a site is selected actual work on
a gigantic raft cradle and necessary build
.rgs will be begun. The Robertson GEM
pany has heretofore confined IT'S business
10 the Columbia river. with a plant az
Stella forty mics above Astoria. on lae
Washington side of the Co!omolA Flser
bu, recognizing the superior advantages OF
the Sound country and waters, IL has nrch
decided to establish the main plant here
and retain the Columbia river business
merely as branch
A chain making factory viii be erected,
as the company uses s2,eu worth o. cIla.n
a year, and it can be manufacturer cheaper
than bought This. with the woIh o1 IaIt
ing the logs will give constant employ
ment 10 thrtyflve men Half fhiilloh
feet of lumber for the first cradle mas al
ready been ordered. which VIII De used As
soon as the location is selected II Is me
intention 10 commence work on the frst
great raft 10 tie towed 10 San FRANCISCO
by March !.
adequate TO the growing needs OF the Roo-
ertson company. as the water there Is too
shallow necessl.esing the making OF much
smaller RATS than are desired me aver
age size OF the Astoria rats is oSXanJ test
and thirty feet deep, drawing twenty anSS
a half feet Of water, and containing iv,e"
feet wider and deeper TO a draft Of az
least twenty-three feet, consisting OF lz.uuo
sticks. In addition, owing to the deep
waters of the Sound, there VII De taken
sawed lumber making the total dimensions
of the raft 100000 feet OF timber. or
equaling the carrying capacity or twelve
gocd-siZed vessels, and having q oraft or
twenty-seven feet.
Making . Cradle.
To hS "a
a raft. The cradle is the same shape as
a ships hull but is in two sections so that
il may be opened lengthwise in the middle
This is filed with piles, which are ar
ranged In conformity with the shape OF
vessel and pointed at the ends. The logs
are securely chained together. and when the
cradle is unfastened, the raft Is launched
and ready 10 be towed to sea to all pur-
poses a gigantic barge. Last year the
company made and. sold only one raft; this
year two, and 1t is intended 10 have ar
least three leave the Sound before heavy
sea weather begins in the fall of 1889.
The tug Naiad. owned by the company:
is too small and will be sold. another OF
ninety tons taking its place to tow the
raft 10 San Francisco or elsewhere. The
company will spend 100000 for timber on
the Sound next year. Several cradles VIII
ultimately be used. so that more RATS can
be made. The company has some inten-
ton of establishing another branch on the
British Columbia side.
headquarters at 237 California street, San
Francisco. The officers are as follows:
Directors-J. +. Kennedy. president; c. 8.
r. Robertson: manager, II. r. Robertson:
secretary. G. W. Stewart. Capt. Robert
son, the manager. was seen at the Hotel
ligencer reporter a long talk about rafting
n general He was summoned to San
Francisco and left In the afternoon 10 look
after the Robertson raft. which was lost
ha n
Reyes.
Danger to Vessels.
He spoke particularly of the alleged DAP
ger to vessels caused by floating piles
when RATS broke UP. which they some
times did. There is much talk Of the
nerace to steamers and sailing vessels
caused by floating piles the captain con-
tinued when. for a fact. there Is not the
slightest danger. When 1 was or the At
lantIc several years ago one OF our RATS
broke UP and the sea swept the piles up
and down the coast. The newspapers for
days were full Of accounts of the narrow
escapes OF vessels from colhding with the
floating timbers and going 20 the bottom
"one day while | was talking win q
steamer man he began the Old tale about
the menace. l offered to bet him $50 that
he couldn't take tug and get near enough
TO floating pile 10 touch il with a pike
Unless he ne strucs it exaety in the ;entr
without damage 10 the vessel. We went
out and spen; the whole afternoon chasing
pile. and We couldn't get near enough 10
throw Il lire 10 1t. The reason was simple
enough. The vessel going through the
water caused a pressure and waves that
threw the log away whenever we APP
preached. We finally did get 10 the log.
but only by lying 10 the wiudward OF
1t and letting the wind drift us down
against II. The same reason IS why steam
ers never strike the logs and driftwood
on the Columbia that forms IA regular
bank. almost, at times"
Part Of the Lumber Raft Towed In
SAN FRANCISCO. Sept 30-The tug
Rescue arrived this afternoon with part Of
the lumber raft in tow. The Humboldt was
unsuccessful in locating and attaching 10
the raft of piles that was adrift off Point
Reyes the day before yesterday. Capt
Alexander, or the steamer Santa Rosa. re-
ports that he had seen the raft Of logs
six miles off Pigeon point.