PLUMES AND FLUMING. 11 



SIZE OF FLUME. 



The kind of material to be handled is a prime factor in determining 

 the size of a flume. If a 30-inch V-shaped flume would satisfactorily 

 handle the material, there would be nothing gained by going to the 

 extra expense of constructing a flume with a V of 48 inches. On the 

 other hand, it is always good policy to construct a flume large enough 

 to carry sufficient water to handle the material desired with certainty 

 and dispatch. For railroad crossties, cants, poles, cordwood, etc., 

 the 30-inch flume is usually large enough, wherever there is a suffi- 

 cient volume of water available to fill the flume two-thirds full, while 

 for the handling of logs, piling, long timbers, or "brailed" sawed 

 lumber it is usually advisable to have the flume constructed with 

 the sides of the V from 40 to 60 inches in height, according to the 

 volume of water available and the size of the material to be handled. 

 This is also a feature in flume construction in which the prospective 

 operator can save money by not constructing his flume larger or in 

 any more expensive form than is actually needed, since every addi- 

 tional inch in height means the use of more lumber in construction, 

 and is consequently an added and unnecessary cost. 



METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION. 



For the benefit of those who are entirely unfamiliar with flume 

 construction, a description of some of the salient points may be of 

 interest. It is usually advisable to erect a small sawmill at or near 

 the upper end of a flume location to saw out the lumber needed for 

 construction. This material can be floated down the flume as fast 

 as the latter is constructed to be used for further extension until the 

 whole flume is finally built. This obviates the necessity of hauling 

 the construction material, so far as lumber or timber is concerned, 

 up grade from the nearest point at which it can be secured, and 

 oftentimes cuts out long-distance transportation charges and gen- 

 erally reduces the cost of construction, although it usually necessi- 

 tates the construction of a passable road for the purpose of hauling 

 the necessary boiler, engine, and sawmill machinery to the upper 

 end of the flume or place where the construction lumber is to be 

 manufactured. 



It will be apparent that the nearer this lumber manufacturing 

 point is to the upper end of the flume the more economical will be 

 the construction, as it is much cheaper to float the lumber down the 

 flume to the place where it is to be used in construction than to haul 

 it up grade by teams. Since the flume can usually be filled with 

 water as fast as constructed, v/here battens are used, there is no 

 great benefit derived from using seasoned lumber for construction 

 purposes, although when a flume is constructed of seasoned lumber 

 the introduction of the water causes the joints to swell and become 



