Columbia gazette. [volume] (Columbia, Tuolumne County, Calif.) 1852-1855, 1854-11-11
REPORT OF CAPTAIN M11LM

held at the Placer Hotel, on the even
ing Of October 18th, committee of five
was appointed, whose duty It was to
examine the route Of the COLUMBIA &
STANIsLAus RIVER WATER COMPANY,
and report to them in reference to its
practicabilitys md the quantity and per-
manency of the supply Of water. In
accordance with this, Capt. w. E. Mil
len, gentleman Of great experience
in this kind of work, was selected, who,
after making a careful examination of
the entire route, has submitted the fol-
lowing
REPORT:
To DR.. Manning, Maj. Collins, DR.. Gum, and
| their Committee of the citizens of Sonora
| GESrLEsES, have endeavored to per-
form the duty you have assigned me, by trav-
cling over the whole .cope Of country through
which the contemplated line of canal is a-
ttended to pass, and fi,.d myself much impress
ed with the Importance and utility of the en-
terprise. 1t was impracticable to trace the
whole line, as 1t has not yet been staked out.
An experimental survey. however, has been
made. hy competent engineer, To ascertain
the grade and obtain general view of the
whole face of the country, to ascertain its
character and see what obstacles, if any, will
impede the successful prosecution of the en-
| TORI he Uft
strike the Stanislaus River five miles above
the present Columbia Canal, and follow the
South Fork of the river on nearly a parallel
line with the above named canal. a distance
| of thirty miles, but on higher and much supe-
| rior ground for excavation, for which the soil
is well adapted. On this line there will be
but little Auming; two miles, think, will in
clude all that will be found necessary. The
distance. however, could be reduced, by ex-
| tending f1nming across many of the guChes
and ravines, in place of ditching around the
| head Of them, should the Company determine
to do so; but the extra expense of fuming
over that of di.ciIing, is an item worthy Of no
| ticc.
| The facility for work and the amount which
each man employed on the canal would be
expected to perform in day, is a matter
| which have been requested to investigate,
and report upon. A calculation of this kind
cannot well be made with any degree of ac-
curacy, at this time, as the company have not
fully determined upon the size and dimensions
Of the whole line of canal, its bottom and top,
| width at water level, its depth, slope of its
banks, &C., &c. But its full size and capaci-
| ty, for conveying water, am informed, will
be equal to that of the Hydraulic canal, which
is twenty cubic feet. Judging from the work
performed on the Hydraulic canal, each man
may easily grub muck and throw out, half a
rod, per day, except where large trees are
standing in the linz, which would have to be
| taken out by the<oots. This would be extra
labor which the excavator, working by the
rod, could not be expected to perform. Rock
blasting is another kind of labor which has to
be performed in canal digging but on this
lower line. as we'll as could observe, there
will be but little of that to be done. Loose
and movable rock, too large to be handled by
one, are always left to he broken and removed
by some one employed for this purpose. The
whole of this lower line can be completed in
four months, and will furnish supply of wa
ter for the miners in the winter season and
the revenue accruing thereffom may be amply
sufficient to complete the balance of the work.
The upper line of the canal leaves the mid
die or main fork of the Stanislaus river, a
short distance above the Granite Bluffs, and
twenty miles below Relief Camp, on the EN-
igrant road, and courses down the south side
IF the river and on the north side of the di.
vide, q distance oftwenty zone miles, to a gap
OF pass in the mountains, through which it
can be conducted across to the south branch.
Ten miles of this line, from the river down,
will I've fuming along the side of steep and
rugged mountain, where large boches Of gram
lite rock are found thrown together in massive
piles. But this, to practical eye, is no i'm
pediment to the work. large portion Of
these rocks can easily be removed, while 9TH
ers, which are solid, will serve as Easements,
pillars and foundation for the Auming 10 rest
upon.
| The lo,oer end of the upper line can all be
excavated with the gratest facility. The soil
is the best for easy ditching have ever seen.
being a light loan ola foot in depth, resting
on clay foundation. A good dicher may
throw out rod per day. Very few rock are
to he found on this line to impede the pro-
gress of ditching.
TIMBER.
Materials for the construction of the work
| are abundant. This is one of the best tim
bered sections of country that l have seen in
California or in any other portion of the Uni.
ted States. On the line of fuming there is
any quantity Of the right size for pillars, spars
| and stringers, and in fact any kind of trussel.
ling necessary for fuming to rest upon, and
all easy of access. Timber of the proper size
for fuming lumber, is also super.abundant,
such as yellow pine, sugar pine, cedar, hem
lock and fir.
| SUPPLY OF WATER.
Alter all is said, this is the primary considera-
ton. We found it impracticable to make an
accurate measurement Of the water now run
ming in the stream, as the fall is very great.
1t pours down over large rocks with great ra-
pidity, and the bottom is very uneven. But
feel confident in saying there is as much
water now running in the middle fork OF the
Stanislaus, where the head of the canal will
strike it, as will fill canal three times as
large as the Hydraulic, which will be sixty
cubic feet. Of this quantity, one-third, per.
| haps, has been the increase of the late rains
and snow, but these l presume were lighter in
the mountains than here, from the fact that the
| soil is not wet more than six inches in depth.
In addition to the main river there are two in
termediate streams Of small size,-one seven
miles from the head Of the line, called by the
company Mill Crock. on which thoy speak Of
erecting Z cav mill. Another Of somewhst
largcr size y about twelve miles from The
head. These strcams arc said, BY tho noun.