San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-08
SAILING DOWN A FLUME.
SPoR- ON WATER THAT DISTANCES
A ToBOGeAN SLIDE.


as it began to grow dusk, our team, tired
and dusty, drove into Camp Sequoia. The
hume extends from the high snow line in
the Serras TO the plains, tiftytwo miles
distant. 1t is built of inch and a quarter
planks, and at the start, where the grade
is steepest, is forty-three inches across the
top. This width is increased, however,
when the decrease in the grade necessitates
q larger volume of water to float the lum-
Der, and at the lower end reaches an ex-
treme width of sixty-four inches. AT each
increase in the size of the flume more water
must be added to the stream.
The first head of water comes from Lake
Sequoia, and the supply is augmented by
small streams at four different places be-
tween the mill and Kings river. To pre-
serve fairly regular grade in constructing
this fume enormously high trestles were
found necessary to carry the fumes across
canyons, chasms and around sharp spurs
of mountains. The first twenty-seven miles
built took over 5000, 600 feet of lumber to
construct, and most of this lumber had to
be packed on the shoulders of men. 1t has
taken about 1900 900 feet of lumber all told
to complete the flume.
But to return to the head of the flume,
around which our little party of four was
clustered, our spirits dropping as rapidly
as the mercury during a cold snap, and our
hearts seeking the seclusion of our boots.
Coming down flume when you are at the
bottom and look up is a very different
proposition to going down a fiume when
you are at the top and look down.
THE START.
Stories of former trips that resulted most
disastrously flashed through our minds.
If it had not been for the crowd of onlook-
crs that stood around ready to cheer if we
started, or jcer if we didn't, we would have
backed out one and all. There was no
help for it, and with last despairing look
at the beautiful bright world around us
that we were neutrality-suspicious. forever-we
solemnly climbed into the flume boat and
shook hands sadly with those that were
not going.
The boat that was to carry us down the
fume resembles nothing so much us a hog
trough with one end missing The fiume
being built V shape and at right angle,
the boat is constructed likewise, but at
what would be the bow end of an ordinary
boat there is no end at all, it being pur-
posely left open in order to provide means
for the water that backs up into the boat
TO escape On examination we found our
boat to be sixteen feet long with a fourteen
inch plank running the length of the boat.
thus making n false bottom to raise US
from reach of the water. On this plank
rested four small wooden stools, one for
each of the party.
After taking seats with many misgiv
ings, and balancing ourselves. the order to
cast off was given. the spikes holding our
frail craft to the hume side were pulled
out, and our craft shot on with the current
on its journey to the plains. The sensation
was exactly "a If the bottom had dropped
out of the universe and we had dropped
with it.
TIPPING DOWN HILL.
Watch outr' yelled the man in front,
throwing himself back on the man behind
him.
1t was just in time. The sudden shock
threw us all fiat on our backs, and the
boat tipped" under q projecting beam
that would have decapitated the whole
outfit. Cautiously regaining an upright
position we took q look at the scenery
around u.s. AS far ahead as one could see
stretched the flume, looking a thin, spi-
derry thread stretched down the mountain
side. On either side gloomy rocks and
forest trees flashed past in an indistin-
guishable blur when the fume lay near
the ground. but when 1t rose on trestles
to cross some canyon or ravine we SEEM
ed suspended, like Mohammed's coffin,
''twixt heaven and earth"
In the mean time our speed had been in
creasing. Not member of the party
spoke a word, but in dumb amazement
held a firm grip to the seat. Our boat had
proceeded but half mile when immedi
ately before us could be seen what we sub
sequently learned to be one of the steepest
inClines of the whole course of the flume-
a drop of 25O yards, with a grade of 1900
feet to the mile. 1t was but few mo-
nents when our boat was at the head of
this incline.
Pieces of timber could be seen on the
mountain side below us, these pieces hav-
ing been hurled out of the flume during
their course The sight was not very as
surfing to us, but there was no such thing
as stopping or turning back at this stage
of the journey. Holding our respective
breaths and offering mental prayers for
our own safety, we consigned ourselves to
our fate The boat stopped for an instant
at the head of the chute, pitched over the
curve, and shot out into what seemed to
us mere space.
FLYING THROUGH THE AIR.
A dim perception of fleeing forests, dash
ing wildly past wall of rocks for few
seconds, the noisy wash of the waters be-
hind us, after all of which we found our
selves at the bottom of the incline trying
to regain our breath. 1t was short, and
luckily, too Human nerves could hardly
have stood the strain much longer. Going
on at a slightly reduced rate of speed, we