Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-11-13

I THRILLING FIFTY-MILE BOAT
RIDE.
Through Forests, Along Precipices,
Over Canyons, Sometimes Swift
ly, Now Leisurely. Covering
tho Distauce In Six Hours.

Over Canyons, sometimes SWiICs-
ly, Now Leisurely. Covering
tho Distance In Six Hours.
TIN semi-tropical Fresno County.
Cal, there is . place, which fol
risky, delightful sport, beats all
the teSaxsap slides on the con-
hnent. Think of tho exhiiarating Joy
Of an uninterrupted slide of Hfty miles,
through great forests, along the brinks
Of precipioes, and down rugged canons,
amid the widest and most picturesque
scenery to be found in the country
afty miles without breaki
Such thrilling experience has been
made possible by the recent compile
Hon Of the great Pine Ridge lumber
aume. No other Aume surpasses it,
and it is doubtful If any other is equal
70 it in lsnsth and grandeur of the
scenery passed through in . journey
from the summit Of one of the high
spursof the Sierra Nevada to the plains
beneath, fifty miles distant. The hume
has just been completed to the little
town of Clovis, twelve miles north of
Fresno, and is fifty-two miles in length.
Fumes for floating lumber are so
numerous in California that descrip-
ton is superAuous except to say that
this is in general like all others, con-
sisting Of boxes shaped like the letter
v and ON trestles varying in height
from q few feet 30 . hundred, depend
ing on the character Of the country
trsversed. The hume starts at Stephen
son Creek, one of the tributaries of
the San joaquin River, at an elevation
of nearly 5000 feet above the sea, and
after q winding course Of fifty-twO
miles it itterminstes in vineyard twelve
miles out ON the plains beyond the
foot Of the mountain. The trough
carries the water which floats the lum.
ber.
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 upper end Of the boats are closed
by a buard nailed across, but the
lower end, which points down stream,
is left open to let out the water which
splashes over the sides OF the boats
from time to time. One, two or three
short boards are laid across for seats,
depending upon how many are to
make the journey. A carpenter can
manufacture one of these boats in less
than half an hour. The boat is meant
for only one journey. for none is eve,
hauled back for another journey.
The first ride down the Pine Ridge
aume from start to finish was made a
few days ago. The sides of the fume
were covered with ice, caused by the
cold night and the splashing water.
Scarcely had the boat touched the cur
rent before its edges also were slippery
with ice. That was no matter, and IN
a second or SO the boat, with its pas
sengers. was sweeping down the trough
of water, and trees were spinning past
so rapidly that they seemed like the
,pokes of swift wheel.
The passenger does not realize just
how he gets into the boat nor how he
makes the start. It is all over before
he has time to think. He has an un-
governable desire to clutch at things,
but before he can do SO he is gone,
and the speed makes him catch his
breath, and that is all he can do. The
start has been made, and it must be a
race to the fnish If one should at
tempt to stop when the speed is so
great it would result in something
serious. Even if he should see q
broken place ahead of him, where the
fums had gone over . precipice, he
could not stop. but must run into il
and take the consequences. Such a
mishap is not likely. but is possible.
There are places here and there where
the fume passes over ground more
nearly level and the current is CORE
spondingly slow, and person can
spring out and let the boat go; or he
might, whom safely out, run along the
foot plank and. by holding the boat,
bring that to a stop also. But in the
steepest places a man could not run
fast enough to keep up with thu
boat.
Before the passenger has time to
look back or forward, or to ask any
question, he has run the first hall
mile, and is sweeping around a curve,
which opens to his vision a sight not
pleasant to contemplate. The fame
passes between two walls of rock, and
then out along the face of solid rock
forming the side of Stephenson
Mountain. If one can look down
while speeding across this giddy
height he will see beneath him-just
how far he has no power to estimate
the canon of the creek, deep down in
the shadows of the morning, almost
dark with the depths. The boat seems
to be flying through space. 1t is but
, moment till the giddy place is
passed, and the boat darts into mass
of gloomy pines growing against the
vide of the mountain.
After four miles run the boat sud
denly emerges from q forest of pines
and frs, and those in the boat expert
ence the feeling of a person in a bal
loon, when the world seems to drol
twsy from under him. The fhme run
out over high trestle, and at fir,
glance nothing is visible underneath
There seems to be nothing but un
space sheer down. Thi
Is near the turn around the point o
Mountain. and the vas
sbyss beneath, which had seemed bot,
is the canon of San Josqui,
River, down just how far beneat.
would be hskd to gsess. It looks no
sss than 5000 feet; it may be less.
The passenger cannot look twice u
he scene. The next minute he has
passed again into the timber; then |
comes curve after curve around a rocky
and after . little while the |
'anon which hsd seemed 80 nearly bot |
Iomless has been left behind. The !
irst twelve miles Of the journey bringp |
ne traveller to tho western face of Pine |
:idge, the Last drift of snow disap-
'ears, and the stately groves of sugar
L. 4. i