LUMBERING IN PINE REGION OF CALIFORNIA. 89 
The upper end of the incline is near the mill and the lower ter- 
minus is on a trunk-line railroad. Its length is 4,200 feet and the 
difference in elevation is 1,500 feet, making an average grade of 
38.5 per cent. The maximum grade is 72 per cent on a stretch of 
125 feet. The alignment of the track involves three tangents, vary- 
ing about 5 degrees in direction, joined by two 10-degree curves. 
The grade at the curves is flattened out to about 10 per cent. The 
track is narrow gauge with 45-pound rails and 6 by 8 inch by 6 feet 
redwood ties, dirt ballasted in the usual manner, no other provision 
being necessary to prevent the track creeping downhill. The 
initial cost of the construction of the track was between $6,000 and 
$7,000. The expense of delivering the ties and rail on the ground 
was very high. 
The cars are lowered by a 1-inch cable, supported by 33 ground 
rollers and three upright rollers. The cable is controlled by a large 
wooden drum 11 feet in diameter *and 14 feet in width, located in a 
building at the top of the incline. This drum is equipped with a 
brake wheel 16 feet in diameter and the load is let down by a hand 
brake. A 14 by 20 inch twin cylinder hoisting engine from 150 to 
200 horsepower operates the drum in hauling up the empty car. 
This equipment has sufficient power to haul up an ordinary sawmill 
boiler. A 60 inch by 16 foot boiler is required to supply the engine 
with steam. The cost of the power plant was about $5,000. 
The lumber is lowered on 21-foot narrow-gauge flat cars, one car 
at a trip. The average load per car is about 3,000 feet, and a round 
trip is made in one-half hour, including switching. The usual average 
daily output is 40,000 and the normal capacity is 60,000 feet board 
measure. The crew consists of an engineer, fireman, and brakeman. 
The cost of operation is calculated at from 35 to 40 cents per 1,000. 
LUMBER FLUMES. 
Another way of transporting lumber from inaccessible sawmill 
sites to trunk railroads is by means of flumes. These can be built 
at a lower cost per mile than railroads and heavier grades may be 
descended, thus reducing the mileage. The initial cost is at least 
from 60 to 75 per cent less than for a railroad. Another advantage 
is that the water used in the flume can in most instances be disposed 
of for irrigation purposes at the lower end. 
The direct cost of fluming lumber is low, but the cost of main- 
taining the flume is very heavy. The principal disadvantage is 
that all equipment and supplies used in the logging and sawmill 
operation must be freighted in with teams for distances of from 40 
to 50 miles. The expense of such freighting ranges from $15 to $20 
per ton. Other disadvantages are the wear of the lumber in the 
flume and the difficulty of shipping wide boards. For these and 
