BEGINNINGS OF THE RAFTING INDUSTRY
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The first lumber run from Lake Saint Croix was from marine Mills, in 1839;
the first logs from Stillwater to Saint Louis by S.B. Hanks, 1843;
The last, a lumber raft in Augusta, 1915, to Fort Madison, Iowa, by the
Steamer 'Ottumwa Belle', W.L. Hunter, pilot.
The Mississippi River Logging Company began operations on the
Chippewa
river, and took over the work begun by the Beef Slough Boom Company, in
1871, and increased the output steadily, reaching its maximum about 1892,
when over 600,000,000 feet passed through its booms in a season.
In 1889-1890, the works were moved to West Newton , from which
three hundred million to six hundred million feet were turned out annually,
until 1909, when the exhaustion of the timber supply caused a final shutdown.
The first lumber was rafted down the Chippewa river in 1831, and
from a
small beginning the industry developed rapidly.
The following large companies were engaged in sawing pine lumber
and
sending it down the Chippewa and Mississippi rivers:
The Badger State Lumber Company
The Eau Claire Lumber Company
The Daniel Shaw Lumber Company
The Lafayette Lumber Company
The Northwestern Lumber Company
The Union Lumber Company
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The Valley Lumber Company
The Dells Lumber Company
The Sherman Lumber Company
Also Ingram, Kennedy and Company; the great Knapp Stout and Company
which
cut two billion feet of lumber in sixty years, from 1836 to 1896, and the
Chippewa Lumber & Boom Company, which cut 325, 000 feet a day, with 75,ooo
lath on the side.
There was lively work bringing this down the Chippewa to Read's
Landing,
where small rafts or pieces were made up into a large Mississippi
raft for downriver.
Sawed lumber and timber were fitted at the rear of the mill into a
frame
or heavy crate sixteen feet wide, thirty two feet long and twelve to
twenty inches deep made of grub plank two inches by twelve inches, held
together by heavy two-inch pins of hickory or oak, holding top and
bottom sides and end all solid together. This made a 'crib', the unit which
was built on a moveable platform that, when tilted, would let the crib, slide
down, into the river.
A number of these cribs, fastened in regular strings by strong
couplings
of planks fore and aft and also crosswise, would make a raft of perhaps
twenty- four cribs for the Chippewa, and from one hundred and twenty to
one hundred and sixty cribs for the Mississippi.
Until the middles sixties, all rafts of both logs and lumber, were
floated down by the current and kept in the channel and clear of sand bars,
heads of islands, bridge piers and other besetting dangers, by a crew of
strong, lusty men, who used large oars or sweeps on the bow and stern.
There was an oar at each end of every string of cribs, so that a raft of ten
strings had had a bow crew of the ten best men, and the other ten pulled on ...
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... the stern. All were under the direction of the pilot who hired and paid
them off and usually had fair control of them.
The first trace of rafting on Black river was in 1844,
when Myrick and
Miller sent some logs to Saint Louis, but about two years before this, the
Mormons had got out some timber for their buildings at Nauvoo.
This timber was sawed in the mill of Jacob Spaulding at Black River
Falls.
The mill, built in 1839, seems to have been the first to begin cutting on
Black river. The greatest output was in 1881- 250,000,000 feet.
Governor C.C. Washburn, prominent in lumbering on Black river, had
his
home in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and organized the LaCrosse Lumber Company,
in 1871. He was born in Maine, taught in a private school in Davenport in
1839, and in 1840 was elected county surveyor of Rock Island County.
John Paul, C.L. Colman, N.B. Holway, W.H. Polleys, G.C. Hixon, Abner
Gile, Oran and Levi Withee, Sawyer and Austin, A.W. Pettibone, P.S. Davidson, G.B. Trow and McDonald Brothers, were all engaged in extensive logging
and lumber operations.
The earliest lumbering was probably on the Wisconsin river. Pierre
Grignon
had a sawmill operating in 1822, and possibly earlier, on Dutchman's creek.
Some of the product was floated out and down the Mississippi, but records are
very meager. By treaty with the Indians in
1830, Governor Henry Dodge secured the rights for lumbering, and by 1840 many
mills were located, and some in operation.
The first raft taken through to Saint Louis of which we have
reliable
record, was run by Honorable Henry Merrill, who took charge of it at Portage,
Wisconsin, ...
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... rebuilt and refitted it at the mouth of the Wisconsin river, and delivered it
in Saint Louis, in 1839.The early saw mills in Galena and Dubuque were
supplied with logs prior to this long trip to Saint Louis.
In 1857, three thousand men were engaged in lumbering on the Wisconsin,
and the value of the log crop was estimated at $4,000,000.00.
As all the lumber had to be floated out of the Wisconsin and down the
Mississippi, rafting grew into a great business, and was handled quite
systematically, by a hardy, rough, but industrious and reliable lot of men,
working under such floating-raft pilots as Dave Philomalee, Bill Skinner,
Bill Simmons, Wild Penney Joe Blow, and Sandy McPhail.
Some went through direct to Saint Louis, others peddled by string
or crib
to dealers in the towns along the way, and the trips would often end
at Davenport, Muscatine, or Quincy. Then the crew would take passage on a
steamboat going north to start another trip down. They had no work to do
going up river, and usually made it one long carousal, so that by the time
they reached the mouth of the 'Wisconsin' or Black river they were broke
and glad to go to work again.
Some of the pilots worked by the month, others by the season or
trip,
the 'company' paying all expenses and taking all the chances; but a few had
their own kits and ran the rafts under contract-so much per thousand feet, or
so much a string.
From 1870 to 1875, I had considerable acquaintance with these
raftsmen, on
account of my father's lumber yard at Princeton, Iowa,
which received all its supply from floating rafts, mainly from the Wisconsin.
Daniel Stanchfield cut the first logs on the Upper Mississippi,
above
Saint Anthony's Falls, in 1848.
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These logs were sawed into lumber by the first mill in Minneapolis, owned by
Franklin Steele and others. It began sawing in September, 1848, by
water power.
The business increased rapidly, and settles and immigrants poured
into
Saint Paul and Minneapolis. In 1856, the surveyor-general reported scaling
6,000,000 feet of logs for Borup and Oakes alone. These logs were run over
the falls to be caught in the Saint Paul boom, where they were rafted
and floated down river to other sawmills, a large number going to Saint
Louis.
Rum river was cleared of obstructions in 1850, and logging on this
tributary increased from 6,000,000 feet in 1850, to 32,000,000
feet in 1854.
The output of the Upper Mississippi above Saint Anthony's Falls
rose to
678,000,000 feet in 1899, and totaled 11,000,000,000 feet for the
fifty-two years from 1848 to 1899 inclusive.
From 1869 to 1887 very few if any logs passed over Saint Anthony's
Falls for down-river mills, as the many large mills in Minneapolis sawed
all
that came down from the Upper Mississippi and its tributaries within the
site of Minnesota.
In 1888 the Saint Paul boom was opened, and rafting logs for
down-river
mills was carried on here quite successful. When it finally closed, in1913,
the surveyor's record showed an output of 1,555,854,900 feet during the
twenty-four years.
Some pilots took pride in their work and the appearance and good
performance of the crew, and made few changes during the season. There was
marked difference piloting even a floating raft. A bright, sober,
intelligent pilot, who learned the drafts or water at different stages,
would make better time and give the …
38
... men less work in bucking the oars. Such pilots could always get rafts to
run
and men to run them.
On lumber rafts, the crew usually had a board shanty where the cooking was
done, and little dog houses, improvised to sleep in. On long trips, such as
from Stillwater or Read's Landing, Minnesota to Saint Louis, they would fix
up comfortable bunks, as they had all kinds of lumber to use and a
good floor to start on. On log rafts they usually depended on flimsy tents
provided by the pilot, and the conveniences of life were very meager, but
the work was healthful, and the life, and excitement, in the open pure air,
gave them good appetites and excellent digestion. They usually had plenty of
good, plain food, and strong coffee. They seldom had any ice, in the hottest
weather, or any milk. Sometimes delayed on a long hard trip, when
the pilot's money or credit gave out, these men were just as resourceful as
any of General Sherman's soldiers, on their March to the Sea.
The country above Dubuque was very sparsely settled, and the little
towns
far apart, but it is pleasant to reflect that that there is no record
of a raftman dying of hunger. An anger farmer, who missed a fat two-year
old heifer one morning after a raft had passed down, overtook the raft by
a long, hard row in a heavy skiff. The dressed carcass lay on the logs near
the center of the raft, covered with a piece of white canvas. The crew was
divided and crouched at the corners of the raft, while the old French pilot
sat alone with his head down when the farmer appeared and questioned him. Old
George said, "My friend, I'm glad to see you. I'm in
big trouble. My crew are all afraid of me." "How so? You
see." he replied,
"that white ting down …
39
... there? - small pox, one of my best men, the cook. I stay and work with him all night
but taint no use. Now, my friend, you look like brave man. I want you to
help me take the cook ashore and bury him." But the farmer was gone; nearly
fell in the river in his excitement and hurry to get away.
On reaching a raft's destination - Dubuque, Burlington Iowa,
Hannibal
Missouri, Saint Louis or elsewhere- the pilot would ship his kit and provide
deck passage on a northbound steamboat back up the river. The pilot, of
course, took cabin passage. These returning had no work to do going back
up river. There were often several raft crew on each steamer. Having been
paid at the down trip, all had money. Every boat had a bar, and 'red liquor'
was in demand. The fighting was confined to the lower or main deck, where it
annoyed only the boat's crew and other deck passengers. On one occasion,
though, these orgies developed into a riot, on the steamer
'Dubuque', and several were killed or driven overboard and drowned.
The rioters then took charge of the boat for a few hours, and cabin passengers were in terror, until officers intercepted the 'Dubuque' at the
Clinton, Iowa bridge, arrested the rioters and took them ashore for trial.
There has been much noise made about the "riot on the steamer
'Dubuque'" in
books and magazines, especially in recent years.
The trouble started easily through the mistake or oversight of the
captain
or mate in placing a negro at the head of the main stairway forward to
keep
Irish raftmen from entering the cabin to get their
'Mornings or 'Eye-Opener'.
There was a bar on the 'Dubuque' in
the front end …
40
... of the cabin and 'lower-deck' passengers were welcome patrons as rule.
These raftman had been patronizing the bar quite liberally all the way up but
the bartender accustomed to handling them kept them in good humor
and within a safe limit; but while lying at Rock Island and Davenport some
of them drank a lot up-town after the boat's bar was closed for the night.
She left early in the morning and when these men woke up after the
night's
debauch they wanted whisky and wanted it bad.
The officer in charge should have been prepared to take care of
this
matter. It was an awful mistake to put a negro there to meet the situation.
Deck passengers were not allowed to eat in the cabin at all; they
got grub
from the kitchen down on the main deck. It was whiskey they wanted,
not breakfast, and it was no place for a in front to turn them back
from the bar.
I don't know what river these raftmen came from but think they were
from the Wisconsin, as the majority of them were Irish; while on the
Black, Chippewa and Saint Croix rivers, the Canadians and Scandinavians
were the most numerous.
I never heard raftmen from Black river spoken of as more belligerent
than
others; nor did I ever learn of a single instance of a real raftman
assaulting injuring a woman or a child. They would fight when in liquor,
and this was not unusual on shore in those days.
When a boy I saw more fighting and more blood shed on one Saturday
night
in the little town of Princeton than I saw among raftman during my
twenty years among them.
The riot on the 'Dubuque' was the only affair of the kind that
happened
during the seventy-five years of the …
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Picture of the Steamboat Dubuque
This successful steamer, owned by the Northern Line, was built at Pittsburg, Pa., in 1867. She was 233 feet long, 36-foot beam, and 62 feet wide, over all. The "riot" occurred on her at Hampton, Ill., July, 1869. She burned in Alton Slough, March, 1879. From photograph taken at Winnona, Minn.
|
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... rafting period. Because it was so unusual, much was made of it.
While clerk on the 'Silver Wave' late in the fall of 1879 we had a
husky crew of real raftmen which included 'Ole' a big Swede and Tom
Cleeland an Irishman of good size and build, who was called one of the
best men 'in the woods'.
We had to lay over night at LeClaire on one way down. All the cabin
crew
(captain, pilot, mate, engineers and cooks) lived in LeClaire, our home port,
and all of them had gone home for the night leaving me in charge.
Before leaving, the mate reminded me not to let the deck crew have
much
money; so when they were free to go up-town all came up together
and I handed one or two dollars each and told them that was all they could
have -'mates orders.' All O.K.
At 10:30 P.M. five or six of them came back for more money. I tried
to
persuade them not to go up-town again- to go down and turn in for a little
sleep before four o'clock but they were insistent. So I gave in gracefully,
saying, "Boys, you know this is my first season on this boat
and I don't like to break orders, but you fellows have always treated me
nice, so here's a dollar apiece; spend that and come back and turn in for
the for the mate will be after you at four o'clock, remember." "Oh das
alright." "You been dam good feller" said "Ole', and of they
went and I
thought I was done with them.
Just before midnight I heard them come on. After some noisy talk
back
in the deck room, four of them, including Ole and Tom came up-stairs and
into the cabin and demanded more money.
I was stirring up the fire with a big poker of three- …
44
... quarter-inch iron. I swung the door shut with the poker stuck down in the
down in the fire and the other end out.
I told them the safe was locked and I was going to
bed, "No more money
tonight, Olie."Big Olie answered, "Yas; das all right," and went
out.
The two smaller men again demanded more money-all their money. I opened the
front door and succeeded in persuading one to go out and down but I
had to use force on his partner, but got him out and closed the door. Then
Tom Cleeland lit his pipe and remarked "That is a rough way to put a man
out".
"Well," said I, "he wouldn't go out when I told him
to- I had to put him
out , I'm running this place, ain't I, Tom?"
Tom smilled and said, "Well you can't put me out that
way."
"No Tom, I know that, you're too big for me and I hear you're
a hard man
to handle. But Tom, I'm in charge her and when I start to put you out, I'm
going to do it."
"The hell you will. Just try it." said Tom. By this time
with my old
gloves on I grabbed the end of the log poker, jerked it out of the fire,
about eighteen inches of it red hot, and made for him, and in full tones
told him to fly or I would mark him for life. He caught my idea instantly and
acted on my advice. I had no trouble after that- we got along fine until the
season closed.
Carrying these raft crews and their kits back up river, while
sometimes
not a pleasant business, was always a profitable one, adding a large amount
to the earnings of the packet companies, with very little …
45
... added expense. Naturally the packet companies were against the use of
towboats helping these rafts down river and carrying back the crew.
One of the Northern Line packets, going up river in the night, ran
into a
raft, under way, and did it considerable damage. George Tromley, the
pilot of the raft, made a claim on the Packet Company, when he delivered
his raft to Saint Louis. He was told to leave his bill and they would submit
it to Captain Hill when the steamer 'Dubuque' returned. Captain Hill refused
to o.k. the bill and Captain Tromley's lawyer libeled the steamer
'Dubuque' in United States District court. The bill was then promptly paid,
with costs.
Some time later, Mr. Tromley, with his crew, were in Saint Louis to
go
back up river on the first, which happened to be the 'Dubuque.' Not long
after starting, Captain Hill met Mr. Tromley near the office and bar, and
began raking him for making such a big noise to the company and libeling the
boat. Mr. Tromley, in his pleasing manner and rich Canadian dialect,
said," Well, Captain Hill, I bring my crew and your boat today, don't I
?"
" Yes." "I pay my way for all my people, ain't that so, Mr.
Clerk?" "Yes, that's true, Mr. Tromley." "I ride on your boat before, ain't I,
wit my crew
and kit?" "Oh, yes, Mr. Tromley, you have traveled with us many times.
You are a good customer." "Always pay my way, don't I, Mr. Clerk?"
"Yes,indeed, Mr.Tromley." "Then" turning to Captain Hill
with his peculiar
smile, he said, "Now Captain, you hear what the clerk say, and and these
gentlemen (passengers) they all here too. Now when you come and bring your
boat and crew and take ride on my raft, don't you think it only fair you pay
your fare same as I ?"
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Captain Hill was glad to call all hands to 'splice the main brace'
before
supper, and all trouble was over. Mr. Tromley was in many ways the
brightest and most interesting character I met in forty years on the river,
three of which were spent under his tutorship in learning the river.
Some years later Pilot Tromley was running on the rafter 'Silver
Crescent.'
Captain Mitchell, a much younger man, was very excited and one
day after striking the LaCrosse bridge he got terribly worked up. Mr. Tromley took charge of the affair and in a few hours the crew had the raft in
good shape again and the 'Silver Crescent' shoving at full head towards its
destination.
After clearing up, Captain Mitchell went up to the pilot-house and
sat
down quietly holding his face in his hand, for several minutes.
Then, rousing he said, "Mr. Tromley, I believe I'm going
crazy."
Mr. Tromley turned around and with a merry twinkle in his eyes and
in the
kindest manner said, " Why my dear friend! Are you just finding that
out? There's many people on this boat could told you dat good while ago.
"Now captain let me tell you something! It ain't no use
to get so dam
excite. I have been on this river long time; more than you have; and have had
all kinds of trouble raf's broke up, raf's ground on san bar, hit bridges,
caught in fog or storm but I never yet heard of a saw log come up in
pilot-house and kill a pilot." The captain laughed heartily and it
really
helped him.
HISTORY