![]() The flume was laid on the ground with simple wooden props, and supported by trestle-work” (used when it was necessary to cross difficult ravines). He is regarded by many as the inventor of the V-flume, however, they appear to have evolved over time from the experience of many lumber operators.Ī description of the V-flume was written by Eliot Lord in 1883: “To form this flume rough planks 1 ½ inches thick, 24 inches in breadth, and 16 feet long, were joined at an angle of 90 (degrees), and the trough thus made was lengthened by the junction of similar sections with overlapping ends. Haines, who had been cutting timber on his land at the foot of the Kingsbury Grade since 1866, applied for a patent to the V-flume. As a side note, the call was “pass the skid grease” when loggers wanted to butter their toast.īox flumes were used over the logging roads but were replaced with the more economical and practical V-flume, which had been under development since 1864 and revolutionized the transportation of lumber in this region. Loggers used to call butter “salve” but the name changed when officials found they could buy butter cheaper than lard to grease the skids for sliding the logs to the staging areas. Greased-lot flumes for logs and flumes using flowing water, moved both logs and lumber, were widely employed all over the Sierra.įun fact, on those greased-lot flumes: Due to the lack of refrigeration, milk was made into “Sierra” butter. Flumes were used with the help of gravity. The abundance of wood in the hills required a more efficient method of hauling wood out of the forest. This flume water powered the early lumber mills before the onset of steam.įlumes of different constructions were the replacement for the old style of hauling wood. Water to make power (still working along the Truckee River since 1899!) Īnd transporting good clean water to where it was needed.įlume water was even more essential to the sawmills and lumber yards where wood was the new gold. These flumes were also used for locally manufactured raw materials: Plus it took only four men and four oxen to lay a quarter of a mile of chute per day.
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