The Sierra citizen., 1854-11-18
Minnesota Water Works.

OF the Minnesota Water Company this
week, for the purpose of ascertaining and
reporting their Importance, without any re-
gard to the interests of the company, with
which we have nothing to do. We give
the result of our own observations for the
benefit of the miners who have not exam
| ined for themselves.
Some two years ago the project was
conceived of conveying the waters of Wolf
creek to Minnesota, by means of flume
some ten miles in length. A company
was organized and the stock divided into
one hundred shares; but little was done
toward the work until last spring, when
the contrat for building the fume was
given to Messrs. Davis, Robinson & Co.
at $4,000 or thereabouts, with the un-
derstanding that the company should fur
nish the contractors with saw-mill at
the head of the works, at given time.
A mill driven by water was built, but it
worked badly, and was torn down and re-
placed by a powerful steam saw-nlill, which
was finished some three months ago. Since
then about four miles of the flume have
been completed, and the whole will proba-
bly, be finished in two months from this
time.
The saw-mill is situated at the head OF
| the dume, so that the lumber can be foated
down the fume as far as it is finished
| The mill itself is unquestionably the best
in the county, aud perhaps equal to any
in the State, with single circular saw
Being curious to ascertain the capacity of
the machinery, we carefully noted the
time required to cut out fifteen planks Is u
feet long and lS11a inches wide. The log
had been already squared, and was clear
of knots. The first board was cut in l8
seconds from the time the saw struck the
wood; the second, in l8 seconds; third, Is;
fourth, l8; and the longest time required
for the saw to run the whole length was
% seconds. The log was sawed up max
ing over 450 feet of lumber, board meas
ure, in six minutes and half. The saw
runs with tremendous velocity, and the
contractors assure US that it will cut a
| thousand feet of lumber per hour; of this
we can have no doubt, after witnessing
the trial of speed on Thursday, though
with the average timber the mill will not
cut so much during many consecutive
hours, from the fact that much time is nee
essarily consumed in preparing the logs
and placing them on the carriage. Several
hands are employed on the saw-mill, all of
them quite as actively as they could desire.
The whole length of the hume, the foun-
dation Of which is now laid. is nearly
eleven miles; the flume is thirty-seven
inches wide and seventeen and half inches
deep; this will contain over six hundred
square inches of water, running at the
rate of from four to five miles an hour
The value of such body of water when
conveyed to Minnesota, Chips and else
where, we will not attempt to estimate,
not wishing to suggest rates for its dispo-
sal, or how much shall constitute sluice
head.
For great part Of the year Wolf creek
and the numerous branches and springs
along the works, will supply more water
than the hume will carry; the contractors
think that there will never be less than
six sluice heads, at the dryest time of the
year. Of course when water is scarce the
rents will be higher, so that the works, in
dependent of the profits of the saw-mill,
will yield very large per cent. on the
capital invested.
The works will not supply with water
the districts through which they pass, so
that every every inch of water that can be
put through the hume will be readily
disposed of. The entire route of the ditch
is through a rich mining range. Claims
are located and cabins are being built
along the four miles already finished; and
we were informed by the miners at work
there, that their claims were valuable
This being the case, much of the water
will be used before reaching Minnesota,
and we question whether the fume will
contain enough to supply the demand for
the first month after its completion.
In addition to the income from the
water rents, heavy lumber business will
be done by the saw-mill. Cedar, sugar
pine and fir timber, is abundant in every
direction round the mill, and the lumber
can with little trouble be foated down the
aume to Minnesota, Chips, Smiths Dig
gings and elsewhere, where it will always
find ready sale; vast quantities being used
for mining as well as building purposes.
| Altogether, We consider the Minnesota
Water Works the most valuable and i'm.
| nortant of anv in the countv- ;nno,aor.