The record-union., 1891-08-04
THE FOLSOM BOOM.
A Box Factory About to be Erected
There.
Material Purchased for Twelve Miles
of Railroad Into the Sugar
Pine Region.

There is considerable stir about the
American River Land and Mining Com
pany's boom, a short distance above Fol-
som. The energetic Superintendent of
the company is pushing things with a
vim, and when the next high water
comes it will land at the mills logs
enough to keep them running the whole
Of the season. Referring to the present
situation there, the Folsom Telegraph
says:
Colonel G. w. Cummings, Superin-
tendent Of the American River Land
and Lumber Company, returned on Mon
Gay from San Francisco, where he has
been for the past ten days purchasing
machinery and material necessary for
his company's future operations, which
are TO be conducted on much enlarged
/ scale, notwithstanding the drawback OF
very low water in the river this season.
1 The company has certainly demonstrated
the entire feasibility Of their plan Of tiCa a =
ing timber OF various kinds from the
mountains to their boom at this place. as
they have brought down enough rail-
road ties and firCwood TO the head Of the
slack water, above the boom, to ill the
river for more than mile.
1.-The saw-logs were brought more than
halfway down when the water suddenly
dropped two feet in 81 single day. The
phenomenon of little boys rolling up
! their pants and Wading across the river
above our county bridge, where the
! stream at this season Of the wear is US
Ually deep enough to swim horse, is
sufficiently explanatory OF Colonel Cum
mingS' remark that he couldn't float logs
over bare ground We are gratified to
be able TO state that this enterprisino con-
t ic li I, IL,
come OF its operations up 10 the present
time, nor dishCartened in It's preparations
tOT the future.
Colonel Cummings has purchased for
the company a complete outfit OF the
| most approved boX-,naxing machinery
| which within the next four weeks will be
| III operation, converting the railroad ties,
and large portion of the firewo0d into
fruit-boxes, from which profit OF more
than double the amount Will be realized
than would be gained if these cOmlnodi-
ties were sold in their original shape, as
ties and wood. The Colonel, having had
some OF the ties worked into box ma
terial, speaks by the card. The box
factory viii give employment to quite q
number OF men and boys. and in its
various branches will add appreciably to
the business Of our town.
The corporation has just purchased
from the Southern Pacific Company rails.
chairs and spikes for twelve miles OF
track, to be used as logging road in the
mountains to transport saw logs from its
immense timber belt to the American
River. down which the logs will be
tloated in seasons Of ordinary high water.
The American River Land and Lumber
Company viii also build a dam across
the river, near the terminus of the rail
read, to serve the double purpose of af-
fording the necessary depth of water
for chuting logs at all seasons Of the
year, and for storage purposes, with
capacity TO hold 100000 feet of logs.
1t viii be so arranged that the water may
be let off ever six hours to flood the
logs along On upon controllable freshet,
SO to speak. The rougher portions of the
river will be improved by blasting out the
| large powders in the mid channel, where
the experience of the past season has
demonstrated that such work will pay.
Colonel Cummings informs us, as did
several of his drivers that the logs are
not injured by their river transit in the
slightest degree, although they had passed
over the toughest part of the stream and
had made more than half the distance to
the boom. The evidence of our own eve
sight attests that the said railroad ties are
as perfect as when they left the mill.
Neither corners nor ends show any ap-
preciable wear"