and Lumber generally, for Deep Water Towing. LO AND LUMBER WATER T
Year: 1885

page_text: and Lumber generally, for Deep Water Towing.
I HUGH R. ROBERTSON of the City of Saint John in the County of Saint John,
Province of New Brunswick and Dominion of Canada Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for RAFTING LOGS AND LUMBER FOR
DEEP WATER TOWAGE and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Heretofore lumber has been rafted together in bents, cribs or joints, generally
lying flat on the water the greater number of the pieces being parallel, and with
cross chains or cross pieces attached thereto, and when piled together into deeper
structures the same rectangular form and fastening has been retained, which has
proved insecure and hard to manage in rough water, when attempted on a large
scale.
The object of my invention is to form a raft or pile of lumber that will tow
comparatively easily, and, being securely bound together, will be stiff and strong
and have little tendancy to chafe or work loose.
This I accomplish by laying up the logs and other lumber, lengthwise, into
a cylindrical or oval structure, the logs &c breaking joint with each other
continually.
I also lay a heavy chain or chains lengthwise through the body of the structure,
and/or along the sides, and attached thereto; and I attach to the said longitudinal
chains, cross or radial chains which run between the pieces of lumber, and across
the pile, and being drawn tight are attached at their other ends to encircling chains,
which I use to gird the structure tightly round and round.
To further secure it I shall in some cases scribe a notch in the exposed sides of
the outer pieces, for the encircling chains to lie in, so that they may not so readily
catch against anything when launching or afterwards.
And I shall halve on the ends of the outer pieces when they abut one on another
and secure them together with heavy trenails.
And I shall also lay withes across, and in various directions between the pieces,
to further bind them together.
At the ends I may build on short sections of crib work to take and destribute
the strains of the tow line or moorings and to form a sort of prow in front.

page_text: In building the raft I put it together on cradles, which will keep it in the desired
form until it is securely girt about. Under the term chains, wire or other ropes or
cables are to be included.
Fig. 1. shews the raft in plan, shewing the encircling chains C. C. and grooves
being indicated by the extra lines at C, C, and the scarfed joints being shewn
at j. j.
Fig. 2 shews aside elevation (the drawing being turned on its side) with a
vertical section along the centre, exposing the central chain A and radial
chains R. R.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation.
Fig. 4 is a cross section through the centre-shewing the radial chains R. R.
running from the longitudinal chain 'a' to the encircling chain C. The withes are
indicated by the lines B B, crushed down between the pieces.
Fig. 5 is a similar cross section shewing the form or cradle H, giving form to
the under side of the raft and shewn erected on blockings 'l, m, and also supported
by the shores or struts 'p' 'p.' above four lines of launchways 'w' 'w,' with
corresponding runners 'k. k.' and set on sleepers '8' 's' on a properly grated
slope 'g' 'g.'
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a part shewing the same.
I prefer to make it as shewn in the drawings of a flattened cigar shape, with a
heavy chain 'a' running through the centre, securely attached at the front and
rear and having shackles s. t. at these points for the tow and mooring lines to be
attached to.
Attached to this chain at frequent intervals, say 7 to 10 feet, are radial
chains R. R. (of which there may be one or more from each point) run out
between the pieces of lumber and drawn tight and shackled or otherwise fastened
to the encircling chains C. C. after these latter have been drawn tight and fastened
round the raft at the corresponding intervals.
I prefer also to place the heaviest timber at the bottom, on one of the flattened
sides, and I prefer to draw the end together in front and flatten it vertically,
allowing certain of the sticks to protrude and their ends to be built into a crib-
work, giving vertical posts to destribute the side strains of the tow line, and to
answer as mooring posts if required, cross pieces being added to strengthen it.
I may also add on a false cut water, and at the rear I may provide mooring
posts in like manner.
The cradles or forms are 'temporary timber structures, in each of which a cross
piece, or pieces, is laid down and other pieces added, either as wedges or posts, and
dogged together or otherwise fastened and supported in position giving the desired
forin to the underside of the raft while building, set in the desired lines at
frequent intervals along or on the beach or bank, or on the ice, or in the water,
over launch ways or not as the case may require, in a convenient place from which
the raft can be launched or floated into open water, and towed wherever required,
and to be there broken up and the different pieces sorted out for their different
destinations or uses.
The cradle or forms, not forming any part of the raft, nor being of necessity
fastened together nor to the raft, nor used to tow it on or in, may on launching or
completion be separated therefrom and used again for the same or any other
purpose.
I do not claim a collapsable grilage or crib for towing lumber on or in, nor a
grilage with removable stauncheons for that purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st The combination of a structure or raft, composed of a large number of logs
or pieces of timber or lumber (both in cross section and in length) forming
a continuous bundle of (practically) parallel pieces, in which the jointing is

page_text: logs
con-
thoroughly broken, and of a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical form, with
girths or encircling chains set at frequent intervals in its length, as described.
2nd The combination of a structure or raft composed of a large numbe
or pieces of timber or lumber (both in cross section and in length) forming
tinuous bundle of (practically) parallel pieces, in which the jointing is thoroughly
broken, and of a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical form, with girths or
encircling chains set in grooves, scribed or cut into the outer pieces at frequent
intervals in the length of the raft as described.
3rd The combination of a structure or raft composed of a large number of logs
or pieces of timber or lumber (both in cross section and in length) forming a con-
tinuous bundle of (practically) parallel pieces in which the jointing is thoroughly
broken, and of a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical form, with girths or
encircling chains set at frequent intervals in its length and with the ends of
the outer pieces where they abut one on another halved or, scaffed together and
fastened with trenails.
4th The combination of a structure or raft composed of a large number of logs
or pieces of timber or lumber (both in cross section and in length) forming a con-
tinuous bundle of (practically) parallel pieces in which the jointing is thoroughly
broken; and of a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical form, with girths or
encircling chains set at frequent intervals in its length and with withes lying
across and interlaced among the pieces of lumber forming the raft in various
directions.
5th The combination of a raft, composed of a number of pieces of lumber both
in cross section and in length, forming a continuous bundle of (practically) parallel
pieces in which the jointing is thoroughly broken, and the whole bound together
with encircling chains at frequent intervals into a cylindrical or approximately
cylindrical form, with a longitudinal chain or cable or several such running through
the raft or along. the sides thereof, and fastened thereto, as and for the purpose
described.
6th The combination of a raft composed of a number of pieces of lumber both
in cross section and in length forming a continuous bundle of practically parallel
pieces in which the jointing is thoroughly broken and the whole bound together
with encircling chains at frequent intervals into a cylindrical or approximately
cylindrical form with a longitudinal chain or cable or several such running through
the raft or along the sides thereof, and with radial or cross chains or cables running
in or through the raft, at intervals corresponding with the encircling chains, and
attached thereto and / or to the longitudinal chain or chains, all as and for the
purpose described.
Dat