Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-25
GREAT RAFT GOES
INTO GOLDEN GATE
ENOUGH LUMBER IN ONE BUNCH
TO BUILD A TOWN HELPS
IN CONSTRUCTION
Monster Raft is Started From Column.
bIa River Down to City-Breaks Up
and Is Cause of Dread to Sailors
Who Feared Foundering.

San Francisco, Aug. 22.-Towing
lumber enough to build a town in one
huge raft is denounced by ship-own-
ers and navigators of the Pacific, as
a grave menace to ocean waterways,
but when 100000 feet of lumber was
trailed through the Golden Gate few
days ago the rebuilders Of the devas-
tated city rejoiced. This monster raft
was started from the Columbia river
for San Francisco when adrift and
broke up, and for months the ship mas
tiers who navigate along the coast
from Cape Flattery to Cape San Lu-
cas- were in constant dread of found
ering upon some of the derelict piling.
The prevalence of fogs on the Pacific
coast greatly enhances the danger.
To Tow 100000 Foot Raft.
Building operations in many parts Of
San Francisco have been standing still
because of the inability of contractors
to get the piling necessary for founda-
ton work The Pacific Northwest Is
the only corner Of the world where 1t
is possible to find an almost inexhaust-
IDLE supply Of trees that tower, straight
as the needle of Cleopatra, to height
Of one or two hundred feet without a
limb. Such trees are splendidly adapt
ed to rafting on a mammoth scale.
die" has been the greatest factor in
promoting log rafting on the Pacific
coast. The earlier custom was to as
semble the big sticks on shore in a
whale-shaped mass resting upon tim
Der foundations much as ship is sup
ported while under construction.
The Task Mighty One.
When It came to launching this
great bundle of logs, however, the task
was a mighty one. The cumbersome
craft wouldn't launch, no matter how
we'll the ways were creased. Loggers say
1t was like tugging at a mountain, and
that the patience. Of "mountain-mov-
err was Indispensable to success. Then
so much time was consumed in launch
ing the unwieldy craft, and so much
damage was done to it in the launch
ing that necessity was called upon to
mother a new process. So Robertson
devised the Cradle" which consist of
a long series of immersed half-circles
of wood, held in, place by ribs. The en-
tire structure is rivetted and bolted to-
gether and when completed has the
appearance of a skeleton of a great
ship.
When finished, this great. timber re-
ceptacle floats, anchored to row of
piles at the edge of the river, where
there is sufficient depth to allow it to
rise and fall with the tide. The logs
are then lifted into the cradle by der
ricks. T
Much Lumber Needed.
James L. Mclaughlin, construct
ing engineer engaged in some Of the
rebuilding enterprises in San Francis
co, estimates that at least five billion
feet Of lumber will go into the recon-
struction Of the city. This is almost
lance from the earth to the moon. Some
of the building that are going up on
made land require 800 and 1000 piles
to support the footing. The huge raft
that just arrived was sold to contract
ors and retail lumbermen before 1t
came to anchor in Mission Bay and
should another such raft arrive to-
morrow 1t would be bought up with
the same avidity. Usually the arrival
Of so much lumber in bulk serves tc
shorten the price. In the present in
stance the price has steadily advanced
despite the raft or the fact that other
RATS Of the same monster proportions
are building.
San Francisco is now using more
than 100000 feet of lumber month
counting in redwood as well as fir anc
pine. The lumber produced by the
mills in the United States in 1905 was
S5.0S4, $4,000 board feet and some Sar
Francisco engineers say that more
than 5,000,000,000 feet will go into the
rebuilding Of the city, though, OF
course. this will be spread over a pc.
Rod Of several years.