Editing Log flume (section)

=== Flume boats ===
On occasion, despite it being exceedingly dangerous, flume herders and others would ride down the flume in small craft or boats, either for inspection or for thrills.<ref name="Johnston They Felled">{{cite book |last=Johnston |first=Hank |date=1966 |title=They Felled the Redwoods: A Saga of Rails and Flumes in the High Sierra |location=Fish Camp, California |publisher=Stauffer Publishing |page=107 |isbn=0-87046-003-X}}</ref> Such rides were the precursor of the modern [[Log flume (ride)|log-ride amusement park attractions]].<ref name=KRF/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thestormking.com/Buy_Books/Books/The_Flume/the_flume.html |title=Dare to Shoot the Flume |publisher=Mic Mac Media |first=Mark |last=McLaughlin |access-date=2010-03-04}}</ref>

Every flume boat was one of a kind, but they shared common design characteristics. They were V-shaped to fit the flume trough. An open front allowed water in for stability in the curves. A closed back allowed water to push the craft forward. Flat boards across the top created a platform for passengers and cargo.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=October 15, 1892 |title=Sailing Down a Flume: A Remarkable Voyage from the Snow Line of the Sierras. A drop of 250 Yards with a Grade of 1200 Feet to the Mile. Shooting Through the Air |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=PH18921015.2.14&srpos=5&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-flume+boat-------1 |work=Placer Herald |location=Placer, California |access-date=November 13, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Johnston They Felled" />{{rp|65}}

Top speed depended on the grade of the flume. Flume boats on the [[Hume-Bennett Lumber Company|Sanger Lumber Company]] flume, the "fastest chute in the world", traveled at {{convert|40|mph|km/h}}. Boats traveled over steep trestles and curves with precipitous drops on either side without brakes or other means to slow the craft. Passengers described the sensation like "rushing through space suspended between earth and sky".<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated--> |date=September 10, 1911 |title=Shooting the Fastest Chute in the World |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19110910.2.43.11&srpos=1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-flume+boat+speed-------1 |work=San Francisco Call |location=San Francisco, California |access-date=November 13, 2022}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
Flume Boat and George Hume.jpg|A flume boat loaded with a rifle and supplies.
Flume Boat Boys.jpg|Flume boats shared a V-shaped design with an open front.
Workmen Riding a Flume Boat.jpg|Making repairs aboard a flume boat.
Flume Boat on High Trestle.jpg|Workers on the catwalk guide a boat over a high trestle.
Flume Boat Ride.jpg|A United States Forest Service employee "shoots the chute".
</gallery>