Modern Day Log Salvaging
 
 
 
 
 

News Corner:

By Karen Blackledge
The Daily Item
September 24, 2006
MONTGOMERY — Shallow spots in the Susquehanna River cut short a log-rafting trip on Saturday, but not before the Susquehanna Raftsmen placed seven wreaths in the water in memory of seven log-rafters who drowned at the Muncy Railroad Bridge in 1938.

"If it would have been last weekend, it would have been great," Marc Lewis, the pilot of the large raft, said of the river levels.

The 10 rafters quit about 3:30 p.m., seven and a half hours after beginning in Montoursville. They ended at the Susquehanna Boat Club, north of Montgomery, along the river's West Branch.

"We were trying to go to Lewisburg," Mr. Lewis said. "We got grounded a couple of times. It was slower than we thought and then we hung up in a couple spots."

They were in a raft similar to that which, in 1938, struck the railroad bridge, throwing most of rafters into the icy river. The last of the commercial logging rafts made the trip in the early part of the 20th century.

The Susquehanna Raftsmen's trip Saturday was to commemorate the river's once being a major route to move logs and lumber from the mountains of Central Pennsylvania to markets along the East Coast. Participating rafters on Saturday were Van Wagner and Ken Kremser, both of the Danville area; Aaron Myers, Karl and Pam Shellenberger of State College; Scott and Matt Lee of Wellsboro; Curt Wolfhope of Williamsport; Mark Knapp of Cherry Flats; and Mr. Lewis, of Hillsgrove, the son of Dwight Lewis, for whom the raft was named.

Dwight Lewis was a lifelong lumberman who died recently. A lumber company named for him donated the 30 logs used to build the 120-foot-long, 20-foot-wide raft.

This was the second log raft trip for Mr. Wagner and Mr. Kremser. They traveled on a raft in 2004 along the North Branch of the river during Danville's Iron Heritage Festival.

Mr. Lewis said they would probably leave the raft at the dock at the boat club for a week or so.

"We may tear it apart," he said.

The river's current, Mr. Kremser said, appeared to be faster than it was during their 2004 trip along the North Branch. "This (West) branch has quite a few spots in it," he said. "We got stuck before at bridges."

The river "is certainly a more mellower stretch as it goes through Danville and we knew that," Mr. Wagner said.

"I wish we could have had more water. I wish my students could have seen this," Mr. Wagner said of his Lewisburg Area High School pupils.

"Unless we get a whole lot of rain, I'm afraid we won't be doing this again this year," Mr. Wagner said. "But we'll do it again."

Sept 13, 2006

Update on the Dwight Lewis Raft
 

I am happy to announce that the log raft is now built.
 Our crew completed the assembly in an amazing 5
hours!  At 3:30pm on Saturday, Sept 9th, while most
Pennsylvanians were glued to the TV for the Penn State
/ Notre Dame game, our crew tied loose and took the
raft for a short 2 mile trial run.

The raft has been named the Dwight Lewis to honor a
life-long Pennsylvania lumberman who recently passed
away.  An American flag was donated by Jason Fink of
Williamsport and a small crowd cheered us on as we
left Montoursville for Muncy.  The raft is
approximately 120 feet long and contains 30 White Pine
Logs.

Our next rafting day is set to be a significant one.
On Sept 23 we will leave Eastern Montoursville for a
long day on the river.  This will include passing by
the Muncy railroad bridge mid-morning.  While passing
under the bridge we will be laying 7 wreathes in the
river with the names of the 7 people who lost their
lives on the now famous 1938 ”Last Raft.”  Don Konkle
of Montoursville has organized the memorial wreathes.
 This will be the first time a raft has seen this
section of the River since 1938.

With good water, our Pilot Marc Lewis hopes to reach
Lewisburg by dusk.

More information on the Susquehanna Raftsman can be
found at
www.SusquehannaRaftsmen.com

by Van Wagner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Sept 1, 2006
 

LOG RAFT TO FLOAT DOWN THE WEST BRANCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER IN SEPTEMBER

Montoursville, PA (August 24, 2006) - To celebrate the history of log rafting in Pennsylvania, a group known as the Susquehanna Raftsmen is constructing a full scale log raft to float on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.  If there is enough water, the raft will begin its journey at Greevy Boat Access at Riverfront Park in Loyalsock Township below Williamsport on Saturday, September 23 in conjunction with the Williamsport Bicentennial Celebration.  The raft will continue floating downstream on the following weekends.  The eventual goal is to float downstream onto the main stem of the Susquehanna to a point north of Harrisburg, although the actual ending location will depend on the river level.

In the nineteenth century, the virgin forests of western and northern Pennsylvania had a seemingly unlimited supply of timber, and the logging industry of Pennsylvania became centered on Williamsport and the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.  The most valuable species of tree in those times was the white pine.  It has strong wood but is relatively light in weight, and white pine floats very well.  Floating the logs allowed for easy transport from the mountains to the downstream cities where it was used to construct homes, barns, and ship masts.  During the height of the logging industry in Pennsylvania, millions of board-feet of lumber floated down the river each year.  The logs would either be connected together as a log raft like the one the Susquehanna Raftsmen are planning, or the logs would float freely to later be captured by a log boom. The Susquehanna Raftsmen will be constructing and floating a log raft that will be about 100 feet long and will contain several thousand board-feet of lumber.  At the completion of the journey, the logs will be cut into lumber just as it was done over a century ago.

Information about the construction and journey of the raft will be posted at www.susquehannaraftsmen.com as it becomes available.

The log rafting project would not be possible without the generous support of the following: Dwight Lewis Lumber Co., Dincher & Dincher Tree Surgeons, Lewis Lumber Products
 
 
 

Who we are:
A group of Pennsylvanians got together in 2003 with the idea to build a log raft.  The raft was to be the "Montour" and it was decided it would be piloted on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River.  The project coordinators were Marc Lewis, Ken Kremser, Van Wagner, Aaron Myers, and Karl Shellenberger.

In 2004 the raft left Catawissa, PA and later finished what would be a 4 day journey to Sunbury, PA.  The raft drew hundreds of people to the river banks and helped remind Pennsylvanians of an almost forgotten legacy of timber heritage in the commonwealth.

The crew of the Montour organized the Susquehanna Raftsmen in 2006.  Their purpose is to help preserve the heritage of the Susquehanna River Watershed.

Contact Us:
susquehannaraftsmen@yahoo.com
 

What we do:

Timber heritage workshops
Canoe trips focusing on the heritage region
Environmental studies of the watershed
Raft building
Public education programs
 

Susquehanna River :

A scene of a Raft on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River.  1862 at Catawissa, PA
Featured in Harper's Monthly

Click here for more on the River
 
 
 

The Real Raftsmen:
Click here
 

Future Events:

2012  International Timber Floating Association Meeting.  1st time ever in the USA.  More info TBA
 
 
 
 

Model of Log Raft.  Created by Schuylkill County Vo-Tech Students from the Pine Grove Area School District.  Flags sewn by Sheri Oberdorf.
 

Click here to read the story of the Montour Log Raft
 
 

Timber Raft Floated Down the North Branch of the Susquehanna for the First Time In A Century
 

Although the logging industry of Pennsylvania was centered around Williamsport and the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, the North Branch also contributed a great deal to the story of Pennsylvania timber.  The virgin forests of Penn’s Woods held some of the finest White Pine ever seen.  This species of tree was invaluable to American settlers.  The grain of this tree is straight and true, and it will resist rot and will not warp.  Although very light in weight, it is remarkably strong.  Not only was this resource valued by the naval vessels for masts and spars on ships, but the farmers Pennsylvania’s southern tier had an insatiable thirst for wood to construct homes and barns.  White Pine floats very well and was also used to transport goods from the frontier to the markets downstream, sometimes as far as Baltimore.
 
 

The Rafts

There were four kinds of rafts.The first was a “spar raft” which was made by lashing tall straight tree trunks together.Other raft types included; a “timber raft” which was made of squared logs, a “lumber raft” which consisted of logs that had already been sawed into lumber, and lastly “arks” which had a flat bottom and was constructed in a manner to allow for carrying cargo suchas coal, grain, or other goods from the interior. (“The Long Crooked River”)

On several occasions, local iron mills in Danville were forced to use ark rafts to transport their iron T rails and other products due to work stoppages and repair work on the canals and railroads. (Sis Hause)

By 1796, rafts from both the North and West branches of the Susquehanna were making the trip downstream, some traveling as far as Norfolk,Va. (S. Stranahan)The industry quickly escalated over the next decades until the river became a super-highway of rafts.In 1833 it was certified that from the 18th to the 23rd day of May, there floated down the North Branch of the Susquehanna, 2688 arks and 3480 rafts.That averages out to over 1000 rafts and arks per day or between 1 and 2 rafts every minute of the day.Their cargo was mostly grain and lumber.(Intelligencer 6/14/1833)
 
 

Log Rafts Near Clearfield, PA (photo from Lycoming County Museum)

Log Rafts Near Clearfield, PA (photo from Lycoming County Museum)

 
 

The Raftsmen

“Now a Susquehanna waterman…will go on board an ark or a raft somewhere about the New York line, in March, April, and May, descend to the tide water of the Chesapeake, and then return home on foot, through mire, rain, and all sorts of weather, at the rate of 50 or 60 miles a day.When he gets home he jumps upon another ark or raft, and enacts the same feat over again – making five or six trips during the season of high water. “(unnamed observer of 1800’s log rafts)

Later, loggers headed into the headwaters of the Susquehanna for the Eastern Hemlock tree.The bark was used to make tannic acid for Pennsylvania’s thriving tanneries, and the lumber was found to be a very suitable lumber.

A voyage across theAtlantic does not involve so much danger to life and property, as the navigation on the river.This was reaffirmed in March 1938.A group of former lumbermen built a commemorative raft with the intent to navigate it from the small West Branch town of Burnside to Harrisburg.They named the endeavor the “Last Raft.”On the morning of March 20, the raft tied loose from its overnight stay in Williamsport.Later in the day, tragedy struck.The raft, with 48 people aboard, slammed into two bridges between Muncy and Montgomery.Seven people were drowned as the raft tilted and dumped many of the passengers. The raft did continue towards its destination and was eventually tied off about 8 miles above Harrisburg and the timber sold to a lumber buyer.

Other attempts to construct and float a log raft have occurred since the "Last Raft," although none on the North Branch.These other rafts include one built by Lycoming College students in 1964, a raft on the West Branch in 1976, and another raft on the West Branch in March-April of 2004 to commemorate the bicentennial of Clearfield County.
 
 
 
 

A 21^st Century Raft on the River - A Timeline

2003 - Sometime during 2003, Van Wagner and Karl Shellenberger came up with the idea of building a log raft similar to those that were used to transport timber to downstream markets in the 1700s and 1800s.

early 2004 - Van and Karl began researching the history and construction techniques of log rafts.  This included a trip to the Lycoming County Historical Society Museum, where we obtained excellent information on the construction of the Last Raft of 1937.

May-July 14 2004 - logs and other construction materials were obtained and the raft was constructed at the Bill Shultz farm (upstream of Danville). Construction of the raft was accomplished through the hard work of many people:  Van Wagner, Ken Kremser, Aaron Myers, Mark Lewis, Sonia Guediche, Francy Moyer...

July 15, 2004 - Raft is tied loose from the shore at the Shultz Farm and floated to just past the Danville River Bridge so that people could see the raft during the Iron Heritage Festival.

July 18, 2004 - Raft is once again tied loose and floated a few more miles downstream to a location in Point Township, Northumberland County.

July 22, 2004 - Raft is tied loose again and floated downstream to near the border of Upper Augusta Township and Rush Township, Northumberland County.

July 28, 2004 - Raft gets hit by a log during a period of high water and takes off downstream.  A group of firefighters and Ken Kremser were able to rescue the raft.  Without that, it may have hit the fabridam in Sunbury.  Dams were not a hazard that the oarsmen had to deal with back in the 1800s.  The raft ended its journey at Packers Island in Sunbury.

August 8, 2004 - The raft is deconstructed and the logs will become lumber.
 
 
 
 

Montour Raft Statistics

Length - 105 feet (including tiller blades), abbooutt 75 feet not counting the tillers

Width - Varied, averaged about 15 feet

Estimated Weight - 20-25 tons

Total Lumber Contained in Raft - about 5000 board feet

Total Days of Travel - 4

Total Distance of Travel - about 15 miles
 

Sources

Sis Hause, Danville Historian.Danville, PA

S. Stranahan.“Susquehanna: River of Dreams”John Hopkins University Press, 1993.

The Danville Intelligencer Newspaper, Danville PA 6/14/1833

Myers, Richmond  E “The Long Crooked River”. (The Susquehanna)  Boston,(1949) The Christopher Publishing House.

.
Links to other Log Rafting Information

Clearfield County Bicentennial Log Raft.

The Bicentennial Log Raft.

Logging Raft History (Allegheny National Forest area)

An old Boy Scout guide to canoeing on the West Branch from Clearfield to North Bend can be found here. It may take a while to load, but it is very interesting reading and has some great information about the history of the river.

Minutes from a DCNR Meeting with a presentation of Logging History

Acknowledgements

This project would not be possible without the help and donations from the following:

Lori Sandahl, Elysburg

Siegel Lumber Company, Pine Grove

Sandra B. Rife, Director and Scott Sagar, Curator of Collections Lycoming County Historical Society Musueum

Sis Hause, Danville

Bill and Si Bailey, Benton

Bill Shultz, Danville

Harris Taxidermy Studio, Danville
 

BOOK NOW AVAILABLE!!  (Click on one of the links below)
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21st century log driving on the Susquehanna.  A gentleman from Montour county sent us these photo's from logs he salvaged from several places.

When the Danville / Riverside River bridge (North Branch of Susquehanna) was replaced around 1999, the bridge construction crew dislodged several squared timbers which had been a part of the original bridge pier cribbing.  The exact date of these pillars being built is not known.  In 1904 the 7 span metal bridge was built, however it is almost certain that the pillars were built in years earlier.  The first bridge across the Susquehanna between Danville and Riverside was around the 1830's.  All we can say for certain is that these timbers that floated up in 1999 were rafted to Danville and used for pillar cribbing between 1830 and 1904.

The following pictures are excellent documentation of the bow and pin method of lashing white pine logs together.  See photo explanations

close up of sawn white pine board cut from salvaged squared cant from Danville RIverside Bridge Pillar.  Holes were approx. 1 1/2 " in diameter.  Notice ash pins and white oak bows (quite thick).  extra filling is cherry from modern wood worker (not original)
 
 

cross-section of white pine raft timber now sawn into 2 boards and glued together.   shows approx. depth, angle of ash pins end, thickness of oak bow.
 

curios photo.  obviously 4 holes, suggesting 2 lash poles laid across this white pine "stick" in the raft.  I am not sure why these hole are drilled how / where they are.  typically only one lash pole crossed the end of a log.  Perhaps this was the end of a raft and it had double lash poles for strength.?
 
 
 

other photos of modern log salvaging.  The following are not of Danville (North Branch) But rather from West branch near Lock Haven and Williamsport.  all are old growth timber logs floated up from river bottom.
 
 

Contact Us:
susquehannaraftsmen@yahoo.com