Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-02
LUMBER BOOM
Scenes on the American
River.
HARNESSED WATERS
The Transportation Question
Solved.
GREAT TIMBER INTERESTS.
Development Of a Wonderfully Pro-
duCtiV6 Region.
FIRST USEOF THEGREAT FOLSOM DAN.
Detailed Description of the Boom and
Its Operation.
FIRST USEOF THE EGREAT FOLSOM DAN
Detailed Description of the Boom and
Its Operation.
ITS IMPORTANCE TO SACRAMENTO.
Excellent Illustrations of the Work Now
in Progress, by the Record
Union Artist.

water power OF the American river, that
debouches into the Sacramento river at our
very doors, would be utilized, and the
wealth of its possibilities be fully realized
Nearly quarter of a century ago, when
the Messrs. Livermore laid the foundation
of the dam across the American river a
mile and quarter above the town of Fol-
som, or twenty-three miles up-river from
Sacramento, it was confidently believed
that the time had come when the latent
possibilities of the river were to be devel-
oped.
FAILURE AT FIRST.
But there arose complications with the
State concerning the furnishing of convict
labor by the latter for the construction of
the dam, and for nearly twenty-three
years the substructure of the work lay be-
meath the waters of the river. Less than
three years ego, the Branch Prison having
been erected near Folsom in the meantime,
the project of the dam was revived, and an
arrangement effected for the building of
the dam and of canal from that point to
Folsom, which should furnish motive
power for the operation of all kinds of ma
chinery.
A NEW START.
Work having at last begun upon the
great barrier, it was rapidly pushed for
ward, and to-day it is SO high, though not
yet complete, that the waters of the Amer
icaR river are backed up for distance of
over three miles, forming slack water
practically-while the surplus pours over
the dam, which has proved to be a mag
nifcent structure, invincible to the assaults
of the river, its granite sides holding back
the water precisely as was intended. ALI
the details of the building of this massive
dam have thrice been given in the RECORD
UNION, and on one occasion fine illustra-
ton of the dam in cross section, was pre-
sented in these columns. Since then, be-
yond adding to the hight of the immova-
Bile mass of granite masonry, nothing has
been done upon the dam to give new i'm
portance to it, or call for its further illus
tration. But work has been prosecuted
upon it with all diligence. is still being
pushed and is near to completion, while
the breaking out of the way for the canal
that is to convey the waters to the power
wheels, will be entered upon with great
vigor at once.
FIRST REALIZATION.
But now we come to a work that is the
first to take form directly in line with the
great purpose of the builders of the dam
and canal that is to say, ii is the firsto the
practical results of the wisdom that devised
the scheme of utilizing the water power of
the American river. We refer to the
''boom" of the American River Land and
Lumber Company, which is of special and
profound interest to Sacramento, since il is
to augment its commercial importance,
emphasize its value as distributing point
and engage its ability as depot of supply.
WHAT Is BOOM?
While many adult Californians who
have resided in the lumber regions of the
East understand precisely what boom
is, we assume that the great mass of the
people of this State have but an inaccurate
idea of q lumber boom. In brief, then
since later on in this article the details of
the construction of the American river
boom are giyen-a boom is an artificial OBJ
struction thrown partially across a stream
upon which logs from timber sections can
be foated, with view of interrupting the
progress of the logs and to OBTAINING them
until they can be drawn out and put
through a mill for conversion into lumber.
WEALTH OF PINES.
AS is well known to all our readers the
several forks of the American river and
their tributaries flow through Sierra can
yons and are fed from the hanks of the
Sierra Nevada mountains. All the catch
ment areas that supply these streams are of
high altitude, and are clothed with mag
niticent forest growth, in which sugar pine,
spruce, cedar and other resinous growths
abeuno. But the telling of this timber,
and its transportation to mills for trans
formation into merchantable lumber, has
been out of the question in the past, for the
obvious reason that the available means of
carriage were too costly and indeed, 20
get the most of this timber out of the
mountains has been next to impossible.
In all the Sacramento region 1t has been
the fancy OF the hopeful that some day
means would be devised to easily reach
these glorious belts of pine, and to bring
out their great wealth, from which con-
summation the city of Sacramento has so
much to expect. Railroads into the timber
belt would to limited extent do this. but
building lines of railway along all the can
yons could not be expected. Now, flowing
water is Natures carrier. 1t exscts no
toll it is furnished free by the rainfall and
the melting of the mountain SHOWS, and
the boom, with its auxiliary the ''flume,
harnesses this carrier and trains it to our
uses.
THE LUMBER BOOM.
The great dam near Folsom, as we have
said, backs up the waters of the American
river and makes deep and comparatively
slack water for q distance of four miles OF