Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-03-11

placed over the gruD pins paralIei 10
he grub plank. A winch" wis used
to draw the grub pins up tisn.ly to
be wedged.
Assembling Fleet
Short lumber could be laid in but
wide 16 foot "slush boards were al
ways laid outside of the grub pins.
Our RATS were composed Of seven
cribs for a rapids piece, two rapids
pieces for a raft, and nine RATS in a
fleet containing about 100000 feet of
good pine lumber. With double
crew the first fleet was soon complet-
ed and sent off with rush wtth Oh
rivermen who wanted to make a SEQ
ond trip before the low water sea-
son. After they left we rushed our
feet as fast as possible. When sew
en- cribs were formed and yoKed to-
gether with three foot hemlock cuts
about seven inches in diameter, which
were bored and wedged to grub pins
then head blocks, 6 Is inches X liz
feet we secured at each end Of each
rapids piece. The center pin was
used for an oar pin. The oar stems
were OF smooth seasoned zine poles
about 20 feet long and 10 inches at
the outer end, which was provided
with a three foot slot. in which 10
pin the oar blade The oar PIN hole
was bored a few feet from the end
with the upper side slotted to permit
fitting movement. The oar blade
was Of yellow pine, 20 inches wide,
three inches thick at the stem, one
inch at the other, and about 16 feet
long. The oar blade was set at a
sight angle upward in order to es-
cape striking the bottom. With a dry
oar blade, it required about all the
strength man could muster to ZIP an
oar. It was necessary to give the
stem a swing upward to the arms
length over head, and thus walk a.
cross the crib at each stroke. Owing
to the buoyancy of the water it was
difficult to do, in fact some men could
not do the trick. Our raft was A to
handle being long and 2 abreast.
They were % inches deep and floated
or inches out of water.
Sleep in "Dog Houses"
When our fleet was completed, we
took on board a couple Of extra oars,
an axe, a 8 inch augur, a cook stove, q
boat, some wood, and provisions, and
each raft received 100 feet of IL in
cable, 2 blankets, tin plates, basins.
knives and spoons. Each couple made
their own 'dog houses" ESQ called J
with pine boards, 7 feet long, nailed
to 2x4 pieces 5 feet long, having two
sides and two A shaped ends. They
were used at night when one blanket
was spread on the lumber, the other
over us as we craWled in with cur
clothes on, we actually slept sounIly
We pulled out about the 25th OF
April, having a fine stage of waite"
The first days run we passed Battle
Island where my left arm failed to
work continuing useless the balance
of the trip, doing all the dipping with
my right, as some others did. AT Stew
ems Point we dropped over the 13
foot dam in fine shape at an angie
of As degrees. Long logs were cnain-
ed to the dam with the small end
floating, supported the RATS. How
thankful | was towards ALI. Beckwith
who described the different points Of
interest as we rushed along over
Barker's Rapids, Conants Rapids.
Five Points, Grand Rapids, tho Dells,
and Kilbourn's old dam. Perhaps it
was Barker's Rapids where Aft call
ed my attention to the FfeEcnman's
bean pot" a peculiar sight, the
cause of which I cannot account for.
1t was place about 80 feet in Giamet
er where the water constantly boiled
up, just like water in a pot Of boil
ing beans. There were about 100 jets
popping up over a foot high, intermit-
tently, like miniature geysers.
Caught Them BY Their Hair
The most dangerous place we ran
over was at Little Bull Falls. The
channel was. narrow and the current
terrific. Two bow oars Were broken
and two men were kn0ckeG. over
board. Ed Turney and Nat McGiivra
were rescued at the last moment,
when by chance Chancey Blake
caught them by their hair. WsAad to
take some lively steps when coming
over Grand Rapids. The "gallapels"
came on deck washing the cook 5
wood away. The descent and dlstan-
ce, was similar to going from mt
Airy vineyard to the river At Lyons.
1t required eight men to take raft
over Grand Rapids. When it was tied
up, then all hands had to gig" back
through town to pea Eddy, where
the fleet was landed repeating the
operative until all were over Upon
arrival at Point Boss each couple
ran their own RATS past Peton Well
Rock and Greneau Bends where the
river is about as crooked as Uncle
Josn's Paw Paw and Pumpkin Val