The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-02-17
Thrilling Boat Ride in Fresno Coun-
ty, California.
SWIFT SPEED ATTAINED
A Fifty-Two Mile Trip From Mountain to
Valley Made in Six Hours in All
Sorts of Climate.

fornia, there is place which for risky,
delightful sport beats the toboggan
slides on the continent. Think of the
exhiliratiug Joy of an uninterrupted
slide of fifty miles, through great for
ests, along the Drinks of precipices and
down rugged canons, amid the widest
and most picturesque scenery to be
found in the country-ffty miles with
out a break!
Such a thrilling experience has been
made possible by the recent compile
tion Of the great Pine Ridge lumber
fume. No other fume surpasses it, and
the San Francisco Chronicle thinks it is
doubtful if any other is equal TO it in
length and grandeur of the scenery
passed through in journey from the
summit of one of the high spurs of the
Sierra Nevada to the plains beneath,
fifty miles distant. The fume has Just
been completed to the little town of
Clovis, twelve miles north of Fresno,
ffty-two miles in length. Flames for
floating lumber are so numerous tibet
description is superfiuous, except to say
that this in general like all others, con-
slsting of boxes shaped like the letter
V and on trestles varying in height from
few feet to hundred, depending on
the character of the country traversed.
The fume starts at Stephenson creek,
one of the tributaries of the San Joa-
quin river, at an elevation of nearly
5000 feet above the sea, and after a
winding course of ffty-two miles it
terminates in a vineyard twelve miles
out on the plains beyond the foot of the
mountain. The trough carries the
water which floats the lumber.
The flume boats in which the rapid
journeys are made down the fumes, are
simple. They are made the same shape
as the V-boxes of the fumes. The up
per end of the boat is closed by a board
nailed across, but the lower end, which
Ioints down stream, is left open to lei
out the water which splashes over the
sides of the boats from time to time
One, two or three short boards are laiG
across for seats, depending upon how
many are to make the tourney. A car
penter can manufacture one of these
boats in less than half an hour. The
boat is meant only for one journey, fol
none is ever hauled back for another
voyage. Only little preparation il
necessary for a trip of uhis kind, ant
half dollar will buy enough lumbet
for the boat, and man is a poor car
penter indeed who cannotmalSe his owl
vessel. The trip is made with but littl,
danger. The principal e9ouble is whel
once started there are comparativel,
few places where one can stop. Thu
current is generally so rapiG that
makes landing impossible, and the voy
ager can only sit still and let the boa
run.
The first ride down the pine Ridg
fiume from start TO finish was made
few days ago. Many persons had pas
sed over different parts of the distanc,
as the fume was being built, but nom
had made the whole distance withou
stopping. The boat was made the eve
ming before at the reservoir on Steph
enson creek, the eastern terminus o
the fume and everything was prepare,
for an early start, ample provision be
ing made for emergencies, even to tax
ing along a shotgun and rife, the for
mer for killing quail and birds, tn
latter for bear or any large game tina
might be seen, for the fiume during NOR
than thirty miles of its course passe
through a wild region of mountains
hills and forests, Astounding in gam
from the smallest bird to the larges
animal. The person who has not ha
the experience of ride CT that sort
apt to imagine many vain things, anon
them being the false theory that he ca
shoot things while he is being shot dow
the narrow trough at the rate of iron
four to twenty miles an hour. But
only requires one trip to relieve him O
all these notions, and he will appreciat
the fact that birds and bears have littl
fear from passengers in a flume boat
After a cold January night was passe
on the bank of the reservoir, with
pile of shavings for bed and an ovei
coat or two for blankets, the start wa
made The mountains in that high alt
tude were frosty, the ground froze
- IL H.