snow
; the boxes were set to an exact grade and the curves were constructed
carefully, so that along the entire line there was no splashing or
slack water or irregular currents ; and, furthermore, the water,
coming from springs, was warm and the distance run was short.
The Wyoming and Dakota Water Company's main conduit from Spearfish was designed with the view
of conveying water to the mining camps of Deadwood, Central, and Lead.
The total length of the projected line to its main distributing point
was thirty-five miles, consisting of twenty-six miles of flume
(including a mile of tunnel and approaches); two and three-fourth miles
of twenty-two-inch diameter wrought-iron pipe for inverted siphons,
crossing depressions from thirty-four feet to seven hundred and
sixty-eight feet; thirty-five hundred feet of trestle-work (the longest
piece being three hundred and ninety feet long and seventy-five feet
high), and the remaining portion of the line was to have been ditched.
The capacity of the conduit was estimated at 1,000 twenty-four-hour
miner's inches. The principal supply was to have been drawn from a
reservoir at the head of the Spearfish River, and additional amounts
were to have been obtained from seven different tributaries or feeders
along the line of work.
Owing
to conflicting interests and litigation this extensive work was never
completed. The accompanying plan (Fig. 15) is a profile of the
projected line, showing the grade, depressions, and work completed in
1879.
Details of Construction.—In
constructing a line of flume, the bed being prepared, the stringers are
put in place and the sills laid on them four feet apart. The bottom
planks (the ends being sawed off square) are then nailed to the sills,
the end joints being carefully fitted. The side planks are nailed to
the bottom planks and to the posts, which last are set in a gain in the
sills, an occasional cap in the beginning being placed on the posts to
hold the flume in shape. The size of the nails for planks,
