RIVER-DEPOTS. 438 



and these rejoin the main floating-channel. In such cases, 

 the floating wood and the water are distributed, and the 

 pressure on the sluice-gates and gratings, with which each 

 side-canal is provided at its inlet and outlet, is as slight as 

 may be. In order to attain what is desirable in this respect 

 and avoid fracture of the booms and other calamities from 

 floods, the main canals and sometimes the floating stream 

 itself are provided with outlets. The best and largest river- 

 depots such as those supplying wood for salt-mines in the 

 Alps are constituted on the principle of leading the floating 

 wood out of the main stream, and distributing it as much as 

 possible in the different basins of the depot, so as to reduce 

 pressure on the booms and save manual labour in landing the 

 wood. As an example, the newly-constructed river-depot at 

 Thalham, near Munich, may be cited (Fig. 280). Firewood is 

 floated down the river Mangfall to the boom (a), and hence by 

 a side-cut into the reservoir, where the wood is collected in a 

 preliminary manner. The reservoir has two outlets (m, m) as 

 a protection against floods : at b are two canals, each provided 

 with booms and sluice-gates, leading to the basins (/ and //) 

 where the wood is received. The basins are surrounded 

 by solid earth-dams faced with masonry, paved with stones, 

 and provided at their entrances and outlets with sluice- 

 gates. At the end of the basins are gratings, through which, 

 after opening the sluice-gates, the superfluous water can pass 

 through the outlets (c, c) back into the river Mangfall, leaving 

 the wood behind the grating. By this arrangement the current 

 and the floating wood can be conducted into either basin until 

 it is full of wood. In a few hours, owing to the sloping nature 

 of the bottom of the basins, all the water can be withdrawn 

 through c, and the wood left stranded. Then it can be split on 

 the spot and removed in a perfectly dry state. The firewood 

 thus stored in either basin can be conveyed to Munich, as 

 required, by the adjoining railway. Unfortunately this depot 

 was injured seriously by a flood, a few years ago. 



The extensive river-depots at Traunstein and other places 

 serving for timber for saline works are now mostly abandoned, 

 but there are still large depots in the Alps constructed on lines 

 similar to those of the Thalham depot. As an example, the 



F.U. F F 



