Arrival of a Raft from Saginaw

The largest raft that ever floated on any of our great inland lakes, left Saginaw on Saturday last for the ports of Buffalo, Toledo and Cleveland, towed by the tug Canadian. From Lake Huron it was towed by the tug John Martin -- the Canadian having broken down. During Saturday it encountered a severe gale on Lake Huron, without breaking up or losing a board. The raft contained seven cribs, amounting to three and a half million feet of lumber. The cribs were 185 feet long and 50 feet wide each, making a total length of about 1,300, and drew six and a half feet of water. The raft is owned by MITCHED, of Cincinnati, N. SANFORD, of this city, and CURTIS & KING, of Saginaw City.

The crib belonging to Mr. SANFORD was towed into our port by the John Martin, at about ten o'clock this morning -- that portion of the raft destined for Buffalo being left off the harbor until the tug could return and proceed with it.

The first raft that ever entered this port, arrived from Pigeon river last winter; it was comparatively small. The one that arrived this morning is the second one.

The Detroit Free Press says of it:

"The success of this tow must make a great change in the shipping of lumber. The cost of shipping such an amount of lumber by vessels would be about $16,000, while by rafting the cost cannot be over $8,000. The cost of the lumber in the raft cannot be far from $50,000."

The raft was in charge of GEO. W. TOWN, of Detroit.