THE jHAWAIIAN 



FORESTER & AGRICULTURIST 



Vol. XI. AUGUST, 1914. No. 8 



POINTS ABOUT TIMBER FLUMES. 



That the V-shaped timber flume is a more efficient type than 

 the box or square-sided form is one of the conckisions reached 

 by the department of agriculture in a bulletin just issued on 

 flumes and fluming. The V-shaped wooden flume requires less 

 water and, on the average, less repairs than the other type, is 

 better adapted to act as a slide on steep grades, and offers fewer 

 chances for jams. Concerning a third type, the ''sectional" metal 

 flume, semicircular in form, the prediction is made that it will 

 come into wide use. Such a flume is strong and light, and can 

 be quickly taken apart and transported from one place to another 

 to be set up again. 



When building flumes a good plan, says the department, is to 

 erect a small sawmill at or near the upper end of the flume location 

 to saw out the lumber needed for construction. Such material 

 can be floated down the flume as fast as the latter is built and 

 used for further extension. 



For handling railroad cross-ties, cants, poles, cordwood, and 

 the like, a flume with the sides of the V 30 inches in height is 

 large enough. For handling logs, piling, long timber, or brailed 

 sawed lumber, a height of from 40 to 60 inches is recommended. 

 The best angle for the V is put at 90 degrees. 



Proposed flume lines ought to be surveyed as carefully as a 

 line for a logging railroad, to ensure evenness of grade. Grades 

 should be kept below 15 per cent wherever possible, and the best 

 results are obtained with grades between 2 and 10 per cent. 



Abrupt curvatures in a flume should be avoided, for they are 

 likely to cause jams. Curves should rarely be permitted to 

 exceed 20 degrees. It may be necessary to blast out rocks and 

 boulders, or projecting points of bluffs, or to trestle, or even 

 tunnel, to eliminate abrupt curves or maintain an even grade. 



Telephones are recommended as adjuncts to the operation of 

 a flume. By their use a serious break or jam can be reported 

 immediately to the head of the flume to prevent further ship- 

 ment of material. A telephone also makes it possible to notify 

 the men at the upper end of the flume just what material to ship 

 and when to ship it. 



