Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-10-31
Down q Lumber Flume.

In the month oil october, 1879, In COM
pany with Zina G.. Powers, a gifted
young artist, and David @. Brammer, a
genial and gentlemanly son of Pike, the
writer hereof enjoyed pleasant and de-
cidedly novel experience, in the shape OF
bOat-ride, high up among the tree.tops,
along cliffs and precipices, and across
spurs and canyons in the grand old
Sierras. Listen, and I'll tell you all
about it, writes q. p. Hurst, in the Chico
(Cal.) Enterprise.
The Flea Valley Lumber Company had
erected Hume from their mills up In
the mountains down TO the Sacramento
Valley, distance, il remember correct
ly, of about twenty-five miles. About
twenty miles Of the structure Is what is
called "V flume," being made on the
style If MANN tn lead-trough, trans
verse section of il forming V. Water
is turned into the fume from the inn
mense reservoir at the mills, and the lum-
Der is then thrown in, TO be hoated down
to "the dump" at the edge Of the valley.
The fall or descent is from twelve to six
teen inches per rod, and the reader can
form some idea Of the velocity of tho
water in its downward course.
On the dav referred to, We three set
out from Paradise to spend the day in
natures wilds, and after several hours Of
toilsome sightseeing and climbing we
reached little station on the fume, with
one house and a reservoir of water. Hero
we determined to 60 down in the fume,
so We procured two large planks, planed
the outside, nailed the edges togather,
making V-shaped box, leaving the front
end open but closing the hind end with Q
triangular piece in order to furnish re-
sistance to the water.
Placing this novel little craft In tho
fume and finding II perfect fit, we
made arrangements to have the water
turned on, and, tIking our seats In the
started on our way. At the point Of
starting the flume is on trestle-work on.
Iva few feet high, and almost direct
overhung by high wooded spur from
the mountain above; but soon the fat
narrowed into sharp gorge with sudden
descent, and we found ourselves rapidly
rising in the air, that is, the tressle work
grew higher and higher till we were soon
gliding along among the pine and cedar
tops from eighty to one hundred feet
high, our velocity increasing with each
moment of me. The feeling of exhila.
ton We expei need cannot be sdequate.
ly described. Our spirits rose tD the
highest limit of enthusiasm. All the
poetry in our natures reused into action,
and nse of freedom mingled with a
feeling Of sublimity, pervaded our whole
beings, such feeling rs no words of mine
can even partly express.
Soon we emerged from the gorge into
the grand and sublimely beautiful can.
yon Of the Feather River. From here
the nume followed down the east side of
the canyon, at times closely hugging the
rugged wall far above the bed of the
struggling river, and again crossing the
mouth of some gorge or ravine where the
fume seemed to rise higher and higher,
the greatest attitude, as I afterward
learned, being one hundred and twelve
feet above the foot Of the frail trestles
which were set upon the sloping walls
from two hundred and fifty feet to three
hundred feet above the boulder-strcwn
bed of the foamy waters below.
Upon the opposite side Of the wall:
were piled up abruptly TO the height OF
eight hundred feet-so abruptly, indeed
that not even q mountain goat, though q
| full brother to Blondin, could have found
! footing along their sides At this point
subimity had improved upon grandeur
and itself received the finishing touche!
from the hand of Infinite Power. "Hert
had confusion made his master-piecep
Here was chaos in ruins, rs though nature
in convulsion had suddenly solidified
Immense masses of igneous rock were
heap9d one upon another to dizzy heights
extending from the bottom to the lava
caps on TIE mountain above.
Further along came vertical strata oi
ferru sinous rocks, flecked, streaked and
interlaminated with glittering white
quartz, and rising up toward the vast rim
OF the canyon with but slight deviation
from the perpendicular.
Near tile top ran an immense mining
ditch and fume, in places supported or
trestles, and again grooved out of the
solid r ok. In one place the water had
burst its confines, and "the wild catarac,
leaped in glory" far down the face of 9
quartz ledge forming as lovely cascade
of diamond spray and sparkling foam a.
| ever enraptured the heart and soul oi
man. All this we saw in brief time
for the stream which bore us on was Q
part of the tide which "waits for nc
man." On we swept with accelerating
velocity, drinking deep of the glorious
scenery, our souls expanded more and
more under the influences Of each sue
ceedins moment. With a feeling akir
to that Of the little girl who gazed with
swelling heart upon the pals des of the
Hudson, and in tie fullness Of her littlt
soui exclaimed, "Hurrah for Godi" W,
longed to express our appreciation OF thu
grandeur about us, and. in response TO {
proposal from one of the trio that w
give three cheers for the glorious Author
Of these mighty works." the grand ole
canyon rang with three as hearty and
we'll meaning hurrahs as ever went VI
from mort,ls' throats.
On, oil we speed, faster, faster, nov
close up against some beetling crag-nov
shooting through the tree tops; now higl
in the open air, and moment mor'
sweeping across the river at height o.
seventy-nve feet, we Slowed up" just II
time to escape plunge into the square
fume which received the waters OF the
V ut that point Such was our eria
voyage III canoe.
When | atterward visited my FRIEND
Powers in San Francisco, he showed mi
| a ami ritad ekatch of ni,r liftlo nartv a.