The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-08
YACHTING IN A FLUME.
A Colorado Mans Story of Ride that
Raised His Hair.

A Colorado Mans story OF u Hide that
Raised His Hair.
Whenever a Vanderbilt takes a railway
ride it seems to be the stock in trade of some
reporters to tell how fast he travelled.
When old William H. was alive the public
used to read with great interest how he
would harness up the heetest engine at his
command and reel off a mile minute. and
all that but fast railway travel is now given
to the common multitude. There are sew
eral trains that go out of Denver daily that,
between stations and on level places, make
a mile in sixty seconds. There is nothing
novel in the sensation; if you want to feel
that you are going fast over the ground you
want to ride on Nevada lumber fume. I
picked up paper the other day and caught
this item:
ssThe residents along lumber fume in
the mountains above Chico, Gala. have a
novel way of getting their mail 1t is started
on a raft from the head of the fume at reg
ular dates and the people below watch for
it, take out what belongs to them. an0 then
send the raft with its precious cargo on its
way"
''That isn't quite true, but it illustrates
| the general use of these fumes. Lumber
| fumes in the Sierra Nevadas are all the way
from five to forty miles long. They are
built on regular engineers grade. The
bed of the fume is made of one-inch
plank in the form of a V, the sides of the
Y being from Is to 26 inches high. They
are built on grade of about 16 feet drop to
| 1000. They carry 10 inches Of water in the
| acute angle, and discharge it at the rate of
400 miners inches minute. In other
| words, turn in your water at the head OF the
flume and it will carry log weighing 400
pounds with velocity greater than the
| fastest engine that ever was made. The
| logs displacement just above fills the
| without any more friction than necessary
| to keep it i'll place.
about ten years ago was up at Lake
Tahoe the new man continued. land w.
H. Patton. of the Mackey u Fair lumber
company, was showing us around. we had
| come up from Carson City, sixteen miles.
by stage, and it was hot and tedious ride:
| About shutdown Patton said: Boys, We'll
go home by the tiume. and Well get there a
little quicker, l think.
'He directed a man to bring out the
yacht rs he called it. This was v
| shaped canoe. about fourteen feet long,
| very shallow and made to tit the fiume and
just about ill it with the displacement OF
600 pounds. The yacht had Il brake-twc
rubber pads on either side worked with 9
| lever and SO applied against the sides OF
the tume that on pressure 1t would lift the
yacht gradually and allow the lightning
current to pass under her. She also had two
|
keep her nose from grinding the sides OF
the t1ume as she went by curves.
"'Now, boys said Patton, button W
your coats, tie down your hats and hold on
Don't get scared. Trust your lives to m'
for the next half hour. I've sailed II
this Yacht before, and / know she'
staunch.'o
There were three seats. Patton took thu
front one to handle the brake. My frient
took the next one and took the rear ant
l IL
like ships rudder. with a rubber wheel t.
ease OF her stern against the side OF tn
Hume if she got to yawing. Patton told hi
and then with wave of his hat We 'weighe'
anchor, Great Scott. how that thin
jumped. My pard got sick. | lammed m
helm hard down, but Patton yelled throug
the, air, let her 60, I've got her. and witt
one hand on his brake, his hat crushe'
down on his head and his teeth set,
looked the incarnation of courage.
I'VE plunged down the mountain with
speed that no steam could give. Trees neV
like spectres: looking ahead down the mar
! row thread-like fiume it seemed like
plunge to destruction. Several times tn
! Hume carried US over a high trestie.
seemed like leaping precipice. held M
through the air apparently with swisi
rubber wheel would squeak on either $40
, and the good ship would round that curry
like flash. Sometimes an unevenness
the hume would occur. and then, a. "a
craft sped over It, the spray would sase MT