The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1911-04-28

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Fifty years ago rafting on the
Snsquehanna river was lively at.
| this season of the year. During
| the winters thousands of men were
employed among the mountain
regions Of the central and northern
parts Of Pennsylvania cutting
down the great white pine trees,
hemlocks, whiteoaks, and other
kinds Of timber, dragging them, or
| floating them in freshets in the
creeks, to the North Branch and
West Branch of the Susqnehanna
river, there to be formed into huge
huge RATS to be floated down
TO Willlamsport, Northumberland,
ISunbury, Harrisburg, Marietta,
Columbia, Peach Bottom and Port
Deposit. What were not used up
at these and other points along the
river were towed to Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and other places to be
sawed into boards and timbers OIL
various sizes. Some Of these logsj
had been cut into lengths Of 15 orl
| 20 feet while others were so, go, or
20 feet in length, straight as a line,
and varied in thickness from Is |
Inches to three or four feet. Tim
Der was not then valued so highly
as today, and millions of feet were
destroyed. The mighty white
pines, one of the best trees that
ever grew for timber purposes,
have almost entirely disappeared
along with the giant forest that
once covered ssPenn's Woods,'
The State and the q. s. Govern
ment have more recently made an
effort to grow these trees on their
native mountain sides, and it is |
hoped they may succeed.
The rafting, or conducting of |
these huge RATS of lumber down
the river, furnished employment to
many men during April and May
at big wages. The same crew
rarely took a raft from headwaters
to the month of the river, but the1
route was divided into sections of
20 to 30 or 100 miles. After
delivering the raft at the end of /
their route the men would common,
" "hoof'' it lively back to their
starting point to take charge of
another raft. Sometimes there
would be packet on the canal to
carry back part way the tired and
hungry men. There were hun
dreds of such crews, and for weeks
the river would be almost lined
with these huge log or board crafts.
The head man on a raft was |
called a pilot who would have his
crew to take charge of the hugel
raft 100, $50, or 200 feet in, length,
and keep it in the channel of
the river. In the lower Snsque.
hanna, the channel was along the
Lancaster and, Cecil county shores.
Anyone who has passed along this
part of the river must have been
impressed with ) the great number
of projecting rocks, rapids, and
bends in the current. To keep the
raft in the proper chaonel there
were long rudders, fore and aft, on .
the raft, these managed by several
men under command of the pilot.
But Notwithstanding the skill and
experience Of the pilot, and the
exertions of his crew, RATS occasion
ally struck a rock with terrific
force, were s'stoved'' or booked to
pieces, the timber scattered, andj
sometimes men drowned.
But the pilots plotting days are DER
And the raftsman rides on his barge no more.
What are presumed to be the
last RATS to come (part Way down
the river were four hemlock ones
of 80, 900 feet each, received by B.
81. Hiestand and sons, Marietta,
last week. The hills have been
denuded and it will take many
years to renew the timber. Even
then it cannot come all the way
down on account of the McCalls
Ferry dam. Delta Herald.
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