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Show 204 ; ( T-eet Teet ) ; ; he ( did ljot Tecall any very large cedair trees in that area . . Saw black gam trees two ( 'feet feet ) hi diameter . When the merchantable tiniber was cat out , , it - was sawed aiid inarketed . . Lately there lias ( been beeii ) no rafting . It has been teii or twelve years ( since silice ) ( any aiiy ) rafting was doile . Timber was rafted in large rafts to Arthur ( Giiy City ) from the Boggy aud up the river above there . When ( he lie ) first knew flie river it ( was -was was ) something like 75 to 100 yards wide . . Only ( small smiall ) rafting could be done unless tbere was soine extra water . During ( low-water lowwater law-water lawwater ) stages the sand bars ( would woiild ) interfere . ( When Wlien ) the river was low they would send small rafts , the size of the raft depended ( upon upoii ) the stage of the water . TV . . J . . Oaks ( ( B R ) . 1581 ) , 72 years old , residing at Grant , , Choctaw County , Oklahoma , stated that ( be- be ) fore the railroad was built to Paris , Texas , some little boats ( came caine ) up Red River . In ( 1874 IS74 ) and 75 the boats brought salt , tobacco , molasses and liquor to the mouth of Kiamichi , and peddled ( them thein ) to the citizens , carrying ( cotton cottoii ) back to New Orleans . . The boats principally came to the ( mouth inouth ) of the ( Kia- Kia ) inichi , but have gone above there . . They have come as high as Arthur City . In 1873 a boat came up ( during d-uring during ) aii early rise ( in iii ) the ( spring sprhip- sprhip ) : of the ( year yea-r year ) and lodged on the rocks at Shoals . . The captain later ( -iii-idertook iiiidertook ) to take it off and it blew up . There was one large boat but he thought the boats he used to see were not more thau 50 or 60 feet long and they drew about 21 2 , . , feet of water . When the railroads of boats ceased Cedar came , counneTce by way . . , , trees in the river bottoms Eckory , and pecan grew . . Before the railroad was built , this ( timber ti-mber timber ) was cut off and floated down the river . ( Walnut Walmit ) was taken out after the railroads were built . |