Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-19
THE GREAT FLUMg.
THE GREATEST FLUME IN THE
WORLD AT SAN DIEGO.
Carle & Croly, Of Sacramento, the
Contractors-Amou OF Timber
Used-The Pipe Line-Etc.

!
fruit growers meeting at Pasadena, and its
truth is apparent to ALL Plenty of water, and a
soil unexcelled, is what we have in California,
but they do not haveit in the southern part OF
the State. The boom in Southern California
two years ago made the people, especially in
the peighborhooo of Saa Diego, look for a
water supply. They had one of the finest har-
bors in the world. What San Francisco is to
the nor hern part of the State, San Diego must
become for the south.
San Diego has one of the best harbors On the
coast, but the country like all in the southern
part of the State, is dry and arid, and water is
only obtainable by going to the mountains,
| Eome thirty five or lorIy mics distant.
| A company was organized aid incorporated
| to bring water from the mountain streams TO
San Diego. 1t was called the San Diego Flume
| Company. Carrie, Croly IL Abernathy, Of this
! city, weie the sub contractors for the work
and their contract called fer an expenditure of
| over coo.
| Garlic & Croly are we'll known citizens OF
| Sacramento VINO have contracted for years in
| this city, aud who have always performed their
work according to contract 1t reported
some time since tnst this contract had embar
| rassed them financially, but this is 10 nistake
| for they rot only fulfilled all their require
ments, but came ont several thousar ahead.
It is credit to the firm and to sacramento that
| the largest work OF the kind in the world could
| be accoMp iShed by them in so short a space OF
| time spd so thoroughly.
In this connection the following from san
Diego paper will prove OF interest:
Yesterday marked an important period in
the progress of the construction of the great
San Diego fiume The last load of lumber for
the iume left the yard of the contractors.
Mess rs Carle, Croly q Abernethy, on the corner
of and Arctic streets. The total length OF the
fiume, when finished, will be thiIty-ive and
three quarter miles, and the thirty-fourth mile
is now completed.
s-Yastprdgy afternoon q rpDnrfpr Of tla f.1io,,
obtained from Mr.. Croiy some interesting facts
concerning the construction of the flume. The
work of tunneling and grading was done by the
san Diego flume Company. The contract for
furnishing the materials and completing the
flume awarded to the firm of Moore q
Smith, of San Francisco. Subsequently, Messrs.
Carle, Croly Il Abernethy became sub-contract-
ors for hauling out all the lumber and doing the
entire work CT construction. All the lumber
has been delivered by Moore d Smith at this
port The first shipload arrived on June 9TH of
last year. and was brought by the brig Deacon,
vessel owned by Moore & Smith. The pine
lumber used in the flume was brought from Port
Discovery The redwood came from Humboldt
and vicinity, in Mendocino county. Redwood
was used exclusively il the box of the fume.
1t was strictly clear selected redwood, without
knots or sap.
TRANSPORTING THE LUMBER.
1.-The work of the contractors, Carle, Croly &
Abernethy, began early in June of last year. On
June 9th the first load of lumber was hauled
| out. An idea of the gigantic character of the
work that has since been done can be gained by
| noting the number of animals and men that
were employed As high as 500 head of horses
and mules have been in service at one time be-
| ing driven in eight and ten-horse teams. Dur
| ing good portion OF the time sixty teams have
been travelling back and forth hauling the lum-
| ber Besides the teamsters. from 70 to 125 men
were instantly employed in the work of con-
| struction. With the yard hands and other help
ers it is safe to say that two hundred N en- were
employed in the various departments of the
| work
'sMr Carle estimated the amount of lumber
used in the fume at 9,000,00g feet. This is a
very conservative estimate, and in all probabil-
| ity, considerable more was used. The vastness
of this amount of lumber can better be impressed
| on the mind of the reader by some comparative
statements. Had this lumber been all loaded
| on wagons at one time it would have required
| 5000 wagons and 25 900 horses to haul it. The
string of teams, If drawn into line one after the
other, would make procession over fifty miles
long. The amount oflumber used in the con-
| struction of the fiume would be sufficient to
erect over two hundred large two-story resi-
dences and would load nearly forty large ships
"A tree that will yield l 900 feet of lumber is
a largs one, and yet it would require 5000 of
such trees to furnish as mueh lumbe as was
consumed in building the fiume. This number
| of trees, can readily be seen would make
| quite a forest.
OVER THREE HUNDRED TRESTLEs.
In the course of the fiume there are 3l5
| trestles, the longest of which is LOO feet in
| length and S5 feet high. Its construction re-
QulreQ Z0UUUO 1eet OF lumber. ThlS Is the / OS
| Cochos trestle The Sweetwater trestle is 200
| feet long and s5 feet high. The main timbe S
used in these trestles are 10Xt0 and ox5. They
| were put together on the ground and raised 10
| their position by horsepower.
There are eight tunnels in the course of the
iume the longest OF which is 2 100 feet in length
The tunnels are exc teet in size, with convex
shaped roofing.
Each mile of the ilume required, on an
average, $50 ,0C0 feet of lumber for its construc
ton, and the redwood used in the box is ali two
! inches thick.
1.-The San Diego frhne is pronounced by men
experienced in such enterpris S TO be the largest
ever built in the world. So stupendous was the
undertaking that at its conception many de-
c]ared that 1t could not be built Every obsta-
| Gle has now been overcome, however, and by the
ID or Sd of September the last spike in the fume
| will be driven. The water will then be brought
| to the reservoir, about ten miles from San Diego
| from which point it is proposed to pipe the
| water to the city.
| In regard To the mechanical work done in
| the construction of the fiume, all who have eX-
amined it declare that it is first class in every
particular. Engineers have carefully fixed the
grade every mile, in order, as near as possible
| to insure perfection in that important particu
| lar. The tume has Uniform grade of four and
| Seyen-tenths feet to the mile.
| IAN idea of the difficulties that have been
| overcome in the construction of the flume may
| be gained from the consideration of the fact
| that much of the lumber had to be drawn 700
| and 500 feet up the sides of steep and rocky
| mountains. The lumber was loaded on cars
|
| tached to a heavy wire cable. The motive
power was furnished by portable engine.
| THE hume is now completed, aud as the work
of laying the pipes from the reservoir is compar-
atively easy one, it will not be long before the
water from the great fiume will be flowing into
| our city,
Another San Diego paper in spe liking of the
same matter, says:
"a meeting OF the Directors of the San Diego
Flume Company was held yesterday and final
settlement made with the contractors who have
pusted The work forward with entire satisfac-
| lion to the managers OF the great enterprise
and 10 the company The contractors id many
| unexpected obstacles 10 contend with, but new
eIthe IS pushed their work to completion with
all dispatch possible. At yesterdays meeting
the Board of directors passed unanimously the
following resolution OF thanks to Carle Croly x
Abernalhy, the sub-coutractG
| " Rs0lped, That this Boald takes great pleas
ure in expressing their hearty and sincere ap-
probation of the very honorable aud rt putable
manner in which Carle, Croly d Abernalhy. the
sub COM raetors of Moore d Smith, Of San Fran
cisco, have performed their great work in the
construction of the fiume of this company. We
consider that not only the members OF this COM
pany, but that the ciiiz=ns of San Di-go should
feel indebted 10 them for the faithfrl aud skill
ful manner in which they have performed their
contract. ="