The Placer herald., 1862-02-15
SACRAMENTO CORRESPONDENTS.
SACRAMENTO, Feb. Is, 1862.

dust is already rising from behind the wheels OF
the drlyman's cart and judging solely from the
present dry appearance of our business streets.
no one would suppose that the city bad just
rged from II thorough hydrOpathic bath. The
basis of Sacramento is highly favorable to a sud
den drying up. The loose, sandy foundation
absorbs water surprisingly. AS it falls in the
river, SO it disappears from street, and Gel
| lars.
ALI. THE TALK NOW.
Everybody who can write six lines furnishes
our city press with new and diversified ideas Of
the new government to be adopted, and as TO the
mode of protecting the city from future floods.
| Every mtn who owns Il lot 20 by 30 is big with
plans and specifications There is nothing else
talked about, or thought of. Some want May
or, without property qualifications, or one who is
not engaged in any business at all, whether from
incapacity or laziness. have not learned. Some
favor legislatng everybody in office, out of
Office. while others go for legisatng all the
present incumbents more safely in their places
This may all lead to two governments-as we
have had of lnte--the Board of Supervisors and
the Citizen 8 Comm ittee. But bill for the gov
ernment of Sacramento will soon be introduced,
and then we shall all see where we stand.
TRIP OF OBSERVATION.
| Last Sunday WAS the first day, since the floods,
when one could make tour on loot, through the
eastern streets OF the city. Improving the first
occasion sailed out towards Rabels tannery. or
the locality OF the great crevasse in the Amer
lean River. In passing up the streets, in this
direction, had u fine opportunity Of observing
the locality and quality Of sand and earthly
matter deposited in the streets lots and buildings
1t is not spread out very evenly regularly,
but scattered about deeper or shallower. as the
currents drove it, do not now refer to depos
it of sediment left from the standing Of the
muddy waters, but more especially of the debris
deposits directly caused by the bre"k in the
American. The sedimentary deposit (such us
fill the reservoirs in Bear River Canal is general
and is about three or four inches throughout the
city. wherever the water reached and subsequent
ly gradually receded But the deposits from this
break are more formidable The main current
divided into two or three channels, soon after en-
tering the city, and piled up sand over larger
territory then it otherwise would.
AGRICULTURAL PARK GROUNDS
These grounds lay directly in the line of the
stream from this break. The walls having been
partially beaten down by the action Of the waves
from the high winds occurring after the 10th
January food, the deposits here are greater in
consequence. The sand inside the walls meas
ures two feet rendering the place at present, SO
far rs appearances 60 very unsuitable for State
Fair and cattle show! The walls however, are
not seriously damaged. and can be put up again
at small expense. But the stalls, inside ienc-
es. main stands, and other fixtures. sadly de-
ranged and thrown about heller skelter The
roof from the main stand for distance OF
about fifty feet. is also blown down. The rooms
which erected under the main stand, and
which were used as restaurant to which WAS
attached barrOom. dining hall, reception par
lOr for ladies, ETC. etc, all filled with sticky
clay deposit, about the consistency Of putty, fit
for the glaz er's hand. The furniture in the bar |
room (not removed) among which noticed bill
lard table. is in q most dcplorable condition.
This latter however. is individual loss the |
ground being under lease. The marks on the
buildings show the depth Of water to have been |
tour and halt feet deep inside all these rooms
making it six feet on the grounds. Very little Of
this property fiolted away. which renders the eX
pcnse of repairs much lighter than if tn 1t which
had been thrown down had been carried oil by
the currents
THE STEAMER GEM.
The force OF the current may be well cOnceiv- !
cd from the fact that the steamer Gem Was unable
to stem it. and WAS carried through the crevassc
a distance OF about one hundred rods, where she
has been lying since until Wednesday. when Mr..
Fell the CONTRACTOR started her towards the river.
On an examination rs she lay in the sand appar-
emily no damage had been done to the amphbOus
craft,
VINEYARDS AND ORCHARDS.
Such gardens as lay directly abreast Of the
break have suffered seriously by the water as it
rush ed throu gh them. The greatest damage WAS
affected by the trees and vines gathering food
wood and other drift, until such obstruction
was made as to give the waters sufficient hold to
tear themup by their roots. or break them over to
the earth. In spots, the ground is swept clean.
ces. heaps of sand piled up like drifts of
snow in winter.
GEATEST DEPTH OF SAND.
The heaviest deposit of sand does not lie near
est the crcvasse. but over u half mile off, To
king street from 14th to l7th streets, an in
ital point and the sands extend and spread out
either way, northeast or southwest, at an aver
age depth of from Two to five feet. At and
10th streets. there is deposit of six feet Tor u
few hundred yards. On the floors Of the Colum-
bus Brewery, located on this corner, there are 3
or feet of sand. The lots in this vicinity are
filled to grade igher than the fences. street,
which was graveed to the 3lst street levee, pre-
sents very uneven surface-swept bare to the
gravel over half this distance. Through it, also.
in two localities, a slough has been cut, which it
was necessary to ferry over, or wade to the knees
street is in about the same condition, though not
filed in SO high us X, l, and G, and SO on to-
wards the break, on IL line Of the currents to the
crevasse. present different appearance-"only
some Of them little more SO than Others"
THE EASTERN LEvEE-3lsr STREET.
This levec. which was good and substantial
emb' nkment found seriously damaged. lit
tie break in the American, above Rabel's, poured
Il heavy stream sOutherly along this work, and it
is greatly damaged by the waters rushing over it
and washing it away on the inside. This was the
levee which wns first broken by the waters from
the American, through Burns slough, on the 9th
Of January.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE COUNTRY.
There is II ferry-boat at the head Of X street,
and in a few days ex-senator Colby will have his
toll-bridge completed at the head of J st. This
bridge spans Burns slough, and will probably
prove good speculation to the contractor. If
the present weather continues another week,
both these Streets in fact nearly all the streets of
the city, will be in fair travelling order, and our
city open again to the country.
SHALL THE RABEL LEvEE BE REPAIRED?
1t is very desirable that temporary lcvee be
Immediately erected at this point, so to break
off the waters of the American sh Ould they rise