Proper operation was ensured by “flume herders” who at various locations along the flume checked the flow of lumber and water. Together with a constant water supply from a nearby reservoir, the flume enabled the efficient transportation of boards of lumber over deep gorges and cliffs and thereby opened up the area now known as Sequoia National Forest for clear cutting of the giant Redwood forests. Built in 1890 by the Kings River Lumber Company, it spanned over 62 miles (100 km) from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the lumber yard and railroad depot in Sanger. The longest log flume was reputedly the Kings River Flume in Sanger, California.
These flumes consisted of 2 boards, 2 feet wide, joined perpendicularly, and came in common use in the western United States during the late 19th century.
#Logger amputates foot to water flume free#
Haines first built the “V” shaped log flumes that allowed jammed logs to free itself (when the rising water level in the flume would push up the log). A really neat one.Įarly flumes were square chutes that were prone to jams that could cause damage and required constant maintenance. There are hills but no mountains along the Mendocino Redwood Coast but there was one flume.
The use of log flumes facilitated the quick and cheap transportation of logs and thereby eliminated the need for horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails. There were many flumes in the Sierras where these watertight trough-like channels could be built to span a long distance across chasms and down steep mountain slopes. A log flume is a flume specifically constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water.
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