The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1875-11-17

/ which the flume rested was about 20 feet
from the ground. The velocity Of the move
ment of the timber would scarcely be eredi
ted, for it requires only from 90 minutes te
half an hour for 1t to foat the length of the
flume, is miles. The fiume is shaped like
the letter v, and is made Of two-inch planks
nailed together in the shape indicated. A.
cross the top it is about p feet in width. The
ends are very carefully fitted, SO that where
the planks go together there may be-no un.
e,enness, for timbers going at the rate of from
10 to 60 miles an hour must have clear coast
In this trough the water runs from Hunters
Creek, which is situated about 90 miles from
the terminus of the fiume. There are other
feeders along the line to supply additional
water If it is needed. Some idea of the swift
ness with which the timber runs through the
! flume may be had when it is stated that in the
fume there floats 100000 feet of lumber every
Near the terminus an iron brake is placed in
the trough, slanting toward one side, so that
when the timber comes rushing down fifty or
a hundred pieces one after the other, each
piece is turned toward the side, and the men
at the brake, with dexterous use of crow
bar, send them bouncing to the ground. l
climbed to the top of the trestle-work before
the timbcrs began to come. Il was like the
rushing of herd of buffaloes on a party of
hunters, and preferred to view the fume in
active working from distance.
! We changed teams upon resuming our
journey, taking fresh horses for the mountain
ascent. Horsemen in the East who have
never seen the mountains of Nevada, Colora-
do, and California, can have no idea of the
amount of work horse can do, and of the
difficult places through which he will go, and
of the load he will carry or draw. How a
pair of horses can pull q buggy and two men
up grade that seems half way between the
fallen trees, and through underbrush six feet
high, and very thick, is question can never
hope to solve. At any rate, we reached the
lower mill of the Company, about 10 or 20
miles as the road went. This was several
hours before noon. The mill is situated in
the lower belt of timber, and there are be-
tween 400 and 900 men at work. This num-
Der includes those engaged in cutting trees,
hauling logs, and saving the lumber. How
the heavy machinery of the mills and the en-
gines which work them were brought from the
city up the mountains and placed in position,
is another mystery which / have not tried.
The amount of lumber turned out by the
owners of these mills, the upper and the low
er, the former being about two and half
miles farther up the mountain than tho other,
is marvellous. In five fniuurcs' time log
from two to four feet in diameter is reduced
to UNDERGRADUATES, scantling, boards, and
square timber, perhaps all from the same log,
for it is cut in the most advantageous manner.
Sometimes one log will give thaee or four
different kinds of lumber. The lower mill is
kept running night and day, and has a capca-
ity of 200 feet per day of small stuff, and
of 10000 feet when working on large timber.
The upper mill has less than half the capacity
being smaller, and being worked only 10 hours
day.
# THE FLUsfE.
The flume is wonderful piece of engineer
ing work. 1t is built wholly upon trestle-
work and stringers, there is not cut in the
whole distance, and the grade is SO heavy that
there is little danger of a jam. The trestle-
work is very substantial, and is undoubtedly
strong enough to support narrow gauge rail-
way. 1t runs over foothills, through valleys,
around mountains, and across canons. In one
place it is 10 feet high. The highest point Of
the flume from the plain is 3,700 feet, and on
an air line from beginning to end the distance
is eight miles, the course thus taking UP seven
miles in twists and turns. The trestle-work
is thoroughly braced longitudinally and a.
cross, so that no break can extend farther
than single box, which is 1G feet. All the
main supports, which are five feet apart, are
firmly set in mudsills, and the boxes or troughs
rest in brackets four feet apart These again
rest upon substantial stringers. The grade of
the flume is between 1900 and 2, 900 feet from
top to bottom-a distance, as previously stated,
of Is miles, The sharpest fall is three feet
in six. There are two reservoirs from which
| the flnme is fed. One is LOO feet long, and
the other 600 feet. A ditch nearly two miles
long takes the water to the first reservoir,
whence it is conveyed 81 miles to the fume
through a feeder capable of carrying 450
inches of water. The whole fume was built
in 10 weeks. In that time all the trestle- work,
stringers, and boxes were put in place. About
200 men were employed on it at one time, be-
ing divided into four gangs, 1t, required
1000, 900 feet of lumber but the item which
astonished me most was that there were 20
tons, or SO, 900 pounds of nails usd in the con-
struction of the 1ume.
To the lower mill, as the road goes, it Ii
about 40 miles from Virginia City. In adj
idition to this mounted a horse and rode two
or three miles to the top of the mountain,
where l had one of the finest valley views
that come to the lot of man. Miles and
miles below, the valley was spread out with
spots and squares of green crops growing, and
barren wastes of sand and sage bush reaching
in long stretch to the base of another spur
of the Sierras. The city OF Reno occupied q
/ little spot on the plain. From my mountain
it was city of toy houses built upon Natures
carpet. Returning to the mill, drove with
Mr.. Hereford, to whom the credit of planning