Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-10-07
A Perilous Ride Down the Great
Nevada Flume. ~

purpose OF transporting wood and timber
down the mountain from the forests 10 the
mines. A New York correspondent gives
the following description Of a ride down
this fluIne
The fume is shaped like the letter Y,
and IS made Of two-inch planks nailed to-
gether in the shape indicated. Across the
TOP it is about two and ahalf feet in width.
The ends are very carefully fitted, SO that
where the blanks gotogether there may be
no unevenness, for timbers going at the
rate of from fifteen to sixty miles an hour
must have clear coast
The fume is wonderful piece of engi-
neering work 1t is built wholly upon
trcstle-w 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 sup
port narrow gauge railway. Itruns over
foot hills, through valleys, around mount
aims and across canons. In one place IT Is sew
cnty feet high The highest point OF the flume
from the plain is 300 feet and on an air
line from beginning to end the distance is
eight miles, the course thus taking mp
seven miles in twists and turns. Mr.. Flood
and Mr. Fair, two of the proprictors OF
the mines, had arranged for ride in the
nume, and | was challenged to 60 with
them. Indeed, the proposition was put in
this way--they dared me to go. / thought
if men worth $25 900, 600 or $50, 900 900
apiece could afford to risk their lives |
could afford to risk mine, which isn'tworth
half as much. So | accepted the challenge,
and two boats" were ordered. These were
nothing more than pig.troughs with oneend
knocked out The /" boat is built like the
hume, V shaped and fits into the flume.
Ii is composed of three pieces of wood
two two-inch planks sixteen feet long and
an end board, which is nailed to the back
end The boat is the size of the tlume,
being about two and half feet across the
top The forward end Of the beat Mas
left open, the rear end being closed by the
board against which the water was to rush
to impel MS. Two narrow boards were
placed in the boat for seats, and every
thing was made ready Mr. Fair and
myself were to go in the first boat, and
Mr.. Flood and Mr.. Hereford were to fol.
low us in the other. Nj. Fair thought we
had better take third man with us who
knew something about the ilume. There
were probably fifty men from the mill
standing in the vicinity waiting to sec us
OIL, and when it was proposed TO take a
third man the question was asked if any
body was willing TO go, Only one man,
red faced carpenter who takes more
kindly to whisky than to his bench, vol
untecrcd TO 90. Finally everything was
arranged. Two or three stout men held
the boat over the tiume and told us to
lump into il the minute the boat touched
the water and to chang on TO our hats
The signal of all ready was given, the
boat was launched, and we jumped into it
rs best we could, which was not very well,
and away we went like the wind One
man who helped to launch the boat tell
into il lust as the water struck 1t, but he
scampered out on the trcstle, and whether
he was hurt or not we could not wait toscc.
The grade of the iume at the mill is very
heavy and the water PUSHES through II
at railroad speed The terrors OF
that ride can never be blotted from the
memory OF one Of the party To ride upon
the cow.catcher of an engine down steep
grade Is simply eXhilarating, for you
know there is wide track regularly laid
upon firm foundation; that there are
wheels grooyed and fitted to the track
that there are trusty men nj the brakes
and, better than all, you know that the
power that impelS the train can be rem
dcrcd poWerless in an instant by the
drivers liylt touch upon his lever But
"A flume has no element OF safety, In tho
first place the grade cannot be regulated
as it can on 4 railroad YOU cannot go fast
or slow ut pleasure; you are wholly at thu
mercy of the waters. You cannot stop
YOU cannot lessen your speed; you hay,
nothing TO hold to YOU have only TO 81
still, shut your eyes, say your prayers
take all the water that comes--tilling youl
boat, wttting your feet, and drenching you
like plunge through the suri-and wal
for eternity. 1t is all there Is 10 hope io
after You are launched in Hume boat
cannot give the reader n better idea OF ,
tlume ride than 10 compare 1t 10 riding
down an old.ftshioned eavcs-,rough at NJ
angle of tortyive degrees, hanging il
mid-air without support of roof or house
and extending distance of tilteer
miles. Al The start we went at th,
rate of about twenty miles an hour
which is q little less than the averag,
speed Of railroad train. The reader
can have no idea of the speed w,
made until he compares it 20 . railroad
The average time we made was about
thirty miles an hour--a mile in two min
uteS for the entire distance This Il
greater than the average running time OF
railroads Minutes seemed hours,
seemed an hour before we arrived at tht
worst place in the tiume, and yet Hereford
tells me il was less than ten minutes Tn,
humc at The point alluded TO must hay,
very near fortytve degrees inclination
In looking out before we reached il
thought the only way to get to the bottom
was To fall. How our boat kept in TIT
track is more than | know The wind
the steamboat, the railroad never went 5,
fast have been whore the wind blew n
the rate of eighty miles an hour, and We
my breath was not taken away. In III,
N,,,ft. ...,,,..l fhn hat ,,1,rpu