See quotations, 1812 and 1817.
1802. It is not safe to descend the [Ohio] river in the night, unless the boat be uncommonly strong, on account of the sawyers and planters.—A. Ellicott, ‘Journal’ (1803), 123. (N.E.D.)
1812. In time, the trees thus fallen in, become sawyers and planters; the first so named from the motion made by the top when acted upon by the current, the others are the trunks of trees of sufficient size to resist it.—H. M. Brackenridge, ‘Views of Louisiana,’ p. 43 (1814).
1814. We found ourselves at the upper end of the reach, in the midst of sawyers and planters.—The same, ‘Journal,’ p. 228.
1817. Some of these [trees] are firmly fixed and immoveable, and are therefore termed planters. Others, although they do not remove from where they are placed, are constantly in motion…. The period of this oscillatory motion is sometimes of several minutes duration. These are the sawyers, and are much more dangerous than the planters, as no care or caution can guard sufficiently against them.—John Bradbury, ‘Travels,’ pp. 194–5. (Italics in the original.)
1817. The remainder of our voyage to Natchez, was very pleasant, except two very narrow escapes from planters in the river.—Id., p. 208.
1823. We were entangled among great numbers of snags and planters, and had a cat head carried away by one of them.—E. James, ‘Rocky Mountain Expedition,’ i. 86 (Phila.) (Italics in the original.)
1826. You hear of … planters, and sawyers, and points, and bends, and shoots.—T. Flint, ‘Recollections,’ p. 15.
1831. Great caution is required to avoid sunken trees, called snags or planters, and by the Canadians chicots, which are generally concealed under the surface of the water; and which, if they come in contact with canoes sailing rapidly, may cause them to sink if assistance be not at hand.—Ross Cox, ‘The Columbia River,’ i. 120 (Lond.).
1835. In the Missouri and Mississippi, the greatest danger to navigation arising from natural causes, may be justly attributed to the position of trees deeply imbedded with their roots in the river, and called according to their fixed or moveable position, snags, planters, or sawyers; and so great has been the loss of life and property by the steamboats striking on them, that, herculean as the task may appear, the attempt has been made to free the river from this impediment, partly by destroying the snags, and partly by cutting down the timber on the banks.—C. J. Latrobe, ‘The Rambler in North America,’ i. 213–4 (N.Y.).
