A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer / Comprising ancient and modern military technical terms, historical accounts of all North American Indians, as well as ancient warlike tribes; also notices of battles from the earliest period to the present time, with a concise explanation of terms used in heraldry and the offices thereof. The work also gives valuable geographical information. Compiled from the best authorities of all nations. With an appendix containing the Articles of war, etc.

by Thomas Wilhelm

The first log is brought alongside the shore, and the end of a plank or small trunk of a tree is spiked to it, about 3 feet from each end; it is pushed off a little, and a second log is brought up, under the transoms and in close contact with the first.

The second log is spiked like the first, and so on for each of the remaining logs; care being taken to alternate the butts, placing the whistle ends up-stream with the bevel underneath, and to spike the transoms perpendicular to the logs. When the current of the river in which the raft is to be used is very gentle, the up-stream ends may be on a line parallel to the transom; but if rapid, they should form a right-angle salient upstream, the vertex being in the middle log.

When the bank is too steep to admit of this construction, the trees may be floated into their proper positions, lashed together, and the transoms spiked on; if the logs are nearly of the same size, the centre of gravity will be near the centre of the raft.

Two additional transoms are spiked at equal distances from the centre of gravity of the raft, and at a distance apart equal to the width of the roadway or platform.

The transoms should be about 8 inches wide by 6 inches thick, and should have a bearing on all the logs forming the raft. When a platform is to be constructed on the raft, intermediate transoms are laid, and at a distance apart depending on the strength of the planking. The size of the platform must be regulated by the buoyant power of the raft. A single course of logs will not have sufficient power to sustain troops enough to cover its whole surface. When the raft is to be used in a bridge the two intermediate transoms are separated by a distance a little less than the length of the chess, and placed at equal distances from a point somewhat astern of the centre of gravity of the raft, in order to correct the downward action of the cable on the bow.

For use in a bridge, a raft should be able to sustain at least 15,000 pounds. The same expedients are employed for the anchorage of rafts as boats.

Rafts are sometimes constructed for flying-bridges in the form of a lozenge, the acute angles being about 55°,—so that when two of the sides are parallel to the action of the current, the up-stream side, which in this form is the only one acted on by the current, is in the most favorable position.

Raguled, or Ragguld. In heraldry, jagged or notched in an irregular manner.

Raguled, Cross. One made of two trunks of trees without their branches, of which only the stumps appear.

Raguly. In heraldry, a term applied to an ordinary whose bounding lines are furnished with serrated projections.