The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-07-03
DOWN THE FLUME.
THRILLING VOYAGE FROM THE SNOW
LINE OF THE SiERRAS.

A Narrow Escape Tremendous Speed
On an IncIine-The Grand Scenery
End of the Trip.
After a slow and wearisome climb, and
as it began to grow dusk, our team, tired
and dusty, drove into Camp Sequoia.
The flume extends from the high snow
line in the Sierras to the plains, SO miles
distant. 1t is built of inch and quarter
planks, and at the start, where the grade
is steepest, is 43 inches across the top.
This width is increased, however, when
the decrease in the grade necessitates
larger volume of water to float the lum-
Der, and at the lower end reaches an ex-
trerne widtn of Ga inches. At each
increase in the size of the fume more
water must be added to the stream.
The first head of water comes from
Lake Sequoia, and the supply is aug
mented by small streams at four diff
ferent places between the mill and Kings
River. To preserve a fairly regular grade
in constructing this fume enormously
high trestles were found necessary to
carry the fumes across canons, chasms,
and around sharp spurs of mountains.
The first 81 miles built took over 5,000,-
900 feet of lumber to construct, and most
of this lumber had to be packed on the
shoulders of men. 1t has taken about
100000 feet of lumber, all told, to COM
plete the fiume.
But to return to the head of the fume,
around which our little party of four
was clustered, our spirits dropping as
rapidly as the mercury during cold
snap, and our hearts seeking the seclu-
sion of our boots. Coming down fume
when you are at the bottom and look up
is a very different proposition to going
down a fume when you are at the top
and look down. Stories of former trips
that resulted most disastrously flashed
through our minds. If it had not been
for the crowd of onlookers that stood
around ready to cheer if we started, or
jeer 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 leaving perhaps forever-we
solennly climbed into the fiume boat
and shook hands sadly with those that
were not going.
The boat that was to carry us down
the fiume resembles nothing so much as
a hog trough with one end missing.
The fume being built V shape and at a
right angle, the boat is constructed like
wise, but at what would be the bow end
of an ordinary boat there is no end at all,
it being purposely left open in order to
provide means for the water that backs
up into the boat to escape. On examina-
ton we found our boat to be 16 feet long
with a IA inch plank running the length
of the boat, thus making 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 fiume side were
pulled out, and our craft shot on with the
current on its journey to the plains. The
sensation was exactly as if the bottom
had dropped out of the universe and we
had dropped with it.
throwing himself back on the man be-
hind him.
TWAS just in time. The sudden shock
threw us all flat on our backs and the
boat tipped " under projecting beam
that would have decapitated the whole
outfit. Cautiously regaining an upright
position we took look at the scenery
around us. AS far ahead as one could
see stretched the fiume, looking a thin,
spidery thread stretching down the
mountain side. On either side gloomy
rocks and forest trees flashed past in an
blur when the flume
lay near the ground, but when it rose on
trestles to cross some canon or ravine
we seemed suspended, like Mohammed's
coffin, "'twixt heaven and earth. ;"
In the meantime our speed had been
increasing Not member of the party
spoke word, but in dumb amazement
held firm grip to the seat Ourboat
had proceeded but half mile when inn
mediately before us could be seen what
we subsequently learned to be one of the
steepest inclines of the whole course of
the flume-a drop of $50 yards, with
grade of 1900 feet to the mile. 1t was
but few moments when our boat was
at the head of this incline. Pieces of
timber could be seen on the mountain
side below us, these pieces having been
hurled out of the hume during their
course. The sight was not very assuring
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 be mere space.
A dim perception of fleeing forests,
dashing wildly past wall of rocks for
few seconds. the noisy wash of the waters
behind us, after all of which we found
ourselves 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 were treated to con-
slant change of mountain scenery, now
closely hugging the perpendicular wall
of the rocky gorge, again being swept
around the sharp point of mountain ON
our way across wide canons, up as high
as 1870 feet, with only the knowledge of
the frail trestlework between us and
what?
No grander view of the lower Sierras
could be experienced than that which we
had as we swept on through space. The
alternating views of deep gorges. high