Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-05
DOWN A wArER.sLlpE.
From the Land Of Snow TO Vineyards Load.
ed with Fruit.

or even a half-mile long, these wintry
days, or VINO go into ecstacy at shoot
ing down a toboggan- slide, saw to a
ride, la toboggan, down a slide Cor
fifty miles, writes a Los Angeles cor
respondent of the Boston Transcript.
There are several places in California
Where such ar experience may be had.
Inc rlde is not only an uninterrupted
constant Slide for forty or fifty miles
from stare to finish, but it is as thrill
lnS' risky and rapid as anyone might
WIS.,. Think of riding in small craft
II great trough, projecting in the air
n1ty or even seventy feet above the
earth, from a lofty mountain crest
doWn through forests. across canyons,
shooting around precipices and crags,
1ylng over cattle ranches, orchards
ana vineyards. and darting, in this
crude craft, over peoples flower gar
dens and their homes, amid very pic
turesque scenery. Consider the fasci-
nation of travelling in four hours down
awatery toboeGan slide from the snow
clad and icy peaks of the tallcst Sierras
down into valley as balmy as May
morning, and amid vegetation as
fresh and luXuriant as in midsummer.
Nowhere in the broad world may such
an experience be duplicated.
Flumes by which cut lumber or logs
may be tloated from the forests prime
val. and the sawmills on the spurs of
the Sierra Nevada range down to the
valleys below. are common on this
coast from San Diego to Vancouver.
They are built upon huge trestles ana
vary in height from ten to one hundred
feet, depending upon the level of the
country traversed. All the fumes are
N-shaped and the water nowing
through is "A yard deep at the deepcst
part. When in operation the tlume is
gorEed for a week at Il time with lum-
Der. which is tished out at the valley
terminus of the fume and sorted and
piled ready for use. The longest tluine
is in northern California. 1t is sixty
four miles long and cost S43G. 900. where
The lumber is cheap. new lumber
hume was recently rebuilt in Fresno
county. 1t is With this fume that this
story deals. 1t leads from the immense
pine forests on the mountains, 1000 fec
above sea level down into the san
joaquin valley, at the little town oi
Coils, near Fresno. In other words the
Aume starts amid the perpetual SHOWS
and ice of the Sierras. and terminates
amid raising vineyards and apricot or
charGs of the semi-tropic San Joaquin.
Stephenson creek. in the mountains,
supplies the water.
The fume boats in which the rapid
journeys are made down the fumes are
simple. They are made the shape of the
N-hoXes of the fumes. The upper ends
ot the boats are closed by board naiit d
across, but left open to let out the water
which splasheS over the sides of the
boat from time to time. Short boards are
laid across for seats depending upon
how many persons are to make the jour
ncy. A carpenter can make one of these
boats in half an hour. The boat is meant
for only one journey. for none is ever
hauled back for another voyage. Only Il
little preparation is necessary for n trip
of this kind, and half Il dollar will buy
enough lumber for boat. and man is
u poor carpenter indeed who cannot
make his own vessel. The trip is made
with little danger-at least in this Fresno
county fiume. The principal trouble is
that when once started there are few
places where one can stop. The current
is generally SO rapid that it makes land
ing impossible. and the voyager can only
sit still and let the boat run.
The first ride down the new rebuilt
fiume from start to finish was made Il
Few days ago. Many persons had passed
over different parts of the distance as
the f1ume was being built. but none made
the whole distance without stopping. The
boat was made the evening before at the
reservoir on Stephenson creek. the east
ern terminus of the fiume, and every
thing was prepared for an early start
and ample provision was made for all
emergencies, even to taking along a
shotgun and rifle the former for killing
quail and birds, the latter for bear or
any large game that might be seen. for
the flumc. during more than thirty miles
of its course passes through "a wild re-
Gion of mountains, hills and forests,
ahounding in game from the smallest
bird to the largest animal.
After cold night was passed on the
bank of the reservoir. with pile of
shavings for a bed and an overcoat or
two for blankets the start was made
IN" mountains i'll that high altitude were
frosty. the ground frozen hard and the
ice nearly thick enough to bear a mans
weight. For some time the weather had
been cloudy, but on this HrtiCular morn
inS the sky was clear and beautiful aud
the tops of the giant pines were touched
with the gold of the rising sun almost
before one on the ground knew that day
had come.
The guns. traps and e1upage were
placed in the boat. and when all things
We're ready the boat WAS lifted into the
fumc, and was held until the two pas
SenGers could get aboard. The sides of
the fume We're covered with ice. caused
by the cold night aud the splaShing wa
ter. Scarcely had the boat touched the
current before its edges also were Slip
perry with ice. That was no matter. and
IN 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 almost
like the Sp0keS of swift wheel
The passenger does not rea Eizc lust how
he gets into the boat nor how he makes
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
ana ii might be race to the finish. If
one should attempt to stop when the
speed Is so great it would result in some
thing serious. Even if he should see ,
lroken place ahead Of him. where the
fiume has gone over a precipice. he
would not stop. but must run into it and
take the consequences Such a mishap is
not likely, but il is possible. There are
places here and there where the fiume
passes over more nearly level and the
current is correspondingly slow, and a
person can spring out and let the boat
so: or he might. when safely out ran
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
last enough to keep up with the boat.
Reiore the passenger has time to look
back or forward or to ask any questions |
ne has run the first half mile and is; ;
sweeping around Il curve which opapc