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THE
LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
CAPT. STEPHEN B. HANKS,
BECOMES A RAFT PILOT
July 23, 1921
As before stated it was about twelve
miles to the junction of Snake and St. Croix rivers and the
fall was about fifty or sixty feet, which made a torrent of
irresistible force. The sight made by that fleet of logs as
it went out of the lake and down the river was one to be
remembered. Many of the boom logs, sixty or eighty feet long
would catch at one end and be lifted straight up or be shot
out on the bank or into the woods or broken in two. And thus
the drive went on with out help from us, in fact we could not
prevent it if we would. We got our equipment into the Waugan
and betteraux and started down the river. The break in the
dam occurred sometime in the afternoon and we started out as
soon as we could on our perilous trip. We went down Snake
river at express train speed and down the St. Croix at not
much less and in two hours we were at Sunrise, forty-five
miles from Cross lake. Next morning we hurried on to the mill
at the falls and here we had a thrilling sight. The dam on
the top of the falls had been washed away. The race had been
partially destroyed and at one time it seemed that the mill
would go, but it was saved by heroic work. Attempts at
booming the logs were made but of no avail and the logs that
were not shot out on the bank went on down the river. A large
number were stopped at marine mills by the booms there and by
being run into sloughs and eddies, but most of them went on to
the head of the lake, which fortunately at that time was some
distance above its normal on account of high water on the
Mississippi backing the water up in lake St. Croix.
As soon as the outfit could be portaged
around the falls we were hurried to the head of the lake where
we run out a lot of booms and after much hard work we once
more had our logs under control but they were where they could
not be sawed nor could they be taken back to the mill. There
was, therefore, only thing to do, ie: find a market for them
down river, and with that in view we commenced at once to raft
the logs. This was new work in this section and called for
new tools, poles, pins, binders and a number of things needed
as operations progressed.
In constructing these rafts each string
was made sixteen feet wide, to correspond with the width of a
lumber crib. The outside logs were laid end to end, first a
sixteen foot log, then one of another length to break the
joints, that is a sixteen foot log would be on one side of the
string and one of another length opposite on the other side.
The space between those sides were tilled in with logs so
placed as to break joints as much as possible. Three poles to
each sixteen foot length were used to hold the outside logs
together, the large end being grooved so it would not slip out
of its fastening. A strip of burr oak about a foot long, an
inch wide and from one fourth to one half inch thick was
called a “lock down”. These had a little nib on each end to
keep them from slipping out of the hole when used. An auger
hole was bored on each side of the end of each pole, a little
angling; the lock down was bent over the pole, the ends
inserted in the holes and a plug tightly driven in each hole.
The poles were turned alternately, the big end being on one
side and then again on the other side of the string. Lock
downs and plugs were used on the loose inside logs wherever
the poles crossed the logs. When the strings were completed
they were placed side by side and to tie them together cross
lines were strung from outside to outside and drawn tight with
windlasses. Then to further stiffen and to be of assistance
when the rafts were split, what were termed “A” lines were
used; that is lines were strung from diagonally beginning at a
corner then crossing the piece generally three times before
the other end was reached, and doing the same thing from
another corner, there being two of these lines on each piece.
To construct the check, or snubbing, works for lauding the
raft, we placed a good sized log on the middle string the
lower side of each end being hewed off several inches for a
foot or so from each end, so that a line would pas under it.
This was placed across the logs about one third the length of
the raft from the stern and thoroughly fastened. Across each
end of this log and a couple of feet from the end was placed a
small log, or a very large oar stem, the big end being on top
of and at right angels to the top of and at right angles to
the first log and projecting over some two feet. Another
small log or timber was placed on top of the first log and
fastened tightly between the other two. All this was braced
in every direction and tied to as many logs in the raft as
possible. When in use the line from shore passed under the
one end of the big log, over the two cross pieces, under the
other end of the it log and wound several times around the
projection of one of the cross logs. A crude description but
the best I can do. In later years this system of rafting logs
was entirely changed. With the use of steamboats for towing
rafts the strings of logs were succeeded by brails the outside
logs being like boom logs and the entire raft held together by
numerous lines. In that way the lumber was not injured by
numerous holes and the rafts were made up more quickly
I did not so much at raft building.
My work being the getting the material for the work. I would
be given charge of one of these rafts, which they had decided
to start for St. Louis. I wrote to Albany for some men and
Alfred Slocomb came up on a boat with some thirty or forty men
so that my crew were practically all from Albany.
Finally we had six Mississippi rafts of
six strings each and about the same length of lumber raft, six
hundred and fifty feet. I had seen to it that my raft was as
well constructed as possible my previous experience showing
the value of a rigid raft and I was very anxious that my first
trip as an actual pilot should be a success. These were the
first logs from the St. Croix for down the Mississippi.
We started some time in July, 1844 and
to avoid the heavy pull through the lakes we secured a boat I
think it was the otter, to tow all the rafts together through
the two lakes and that part of the trip which had been such a
drag was now quickly made and we were soon at it reaching the
foot of Lake Pepin. The pilots in charge of these rafts
were James (Sandy) McPhail: Gantey (?), Jun (?) Hickman; Mr.
Bruce the surveyer; a man commonly called “(Bible back)” ON
ACCOUNT OF BEING STOOP SHOULDERED, AND MYSELF. There were
twelve oarsmen, a cook and a helper and a pilot on each raft.
Among the men who came up from Albany were Wm. Ewing,
Jim Hugins (?), Mat Thompson; Tover Bard; Jim
Withrow; two Robinsons and a man named Flack. Some
of these were in the crews on the rafts and some had gone up
to the mill to the log driver, as there were lots of logs
still hung up.
Between the lakes each pilot took his
won raft, the older pilots taking the lead, and in three or
four days we were out of lake Pepin and starting down the
Mississippi. We were comfortable distance apart but there
soon came a little rivalry. The older pilots could run a
little rapids, but I had not then knew the river well enough
and continued my --- to long days and at the finish I went
into St. Louis with the second rafts. With one exception the
rafts were quickly delivered and the other pilots and crews,
except myself and a few men, returned at once to the mill.
They reached Stillwater just thirty days from the time we left
there, which I consider a remarkably quick trip under the
circumstances. Having made the entire trip on my own
responsibility I now considered myself a full-fledged pilot. |
