The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-04-05
CsErsspoadsaee Of the DenOerat.
Sacramento City.

MEssRs. EDITORS The Sacramento
Union is full Of labored articles written to
show the cause Of the late and present
disastrous condition of this State, and also
the means that will be necessary to pre-
vent future occurrence Of like calami.
ty. That we have passed through an un.
usually severe season there can be no
doubt, but it is equally certain that all
those portions of the State where mining
is carried on extensively, have become
permanently injured by the vast amount
of debris that has been carried down the
ravines, gulches, creeks and rivers, and
which has been permanently deposited in
the beds of the rivers where they come
in contact with the back water from the
Sacramento river. Many rivers continue
to form deltas at their mouths, but all
deltas are formed of sediment composed
Of very fine sand mixed with alluVial soil !;
but the debris carried down from the
mountains and mining regions is composed
ofcarth, sand, gravel, cobble stones, bOul-
ders and rocks, which do not enter into
the composition of deltas, but continue to
accumulate and fill up the beds and chan
nels of the rivers, causing them to over.
flow their banks, thereby cutting new
channels and dcstrUyiUg every species of
property that may be in its way. So long
as mining continues, it will be utterly
impossible to construct any system of
levees or defences that will protect Sacra-
rnentO City from periodical overflow and
consequent destruction Of property Of all
kinds. Millions of cubic Yards Of heavy
debris are yearly carried down the Amer
lean river, and all the heavy portion is
deposited iD the bed Of the river from the
mouth as far up as the banks may be
overlooked. 1t is a universal law Of wa
ter, that wherever it carries heavy debris,
as soon as the Gprrent is weakened by back
water or by the current changing its
course by passing over the banks, the de;
:. ..ts - 90. ,,sss
original channel, and will continue TO set
tic and fill up below the break jD The
bank until the original channel is entirely
filled up with firm compact mass Of
sand, gravel and stone, so hard that no
current will ever move it again.
As soon as the waters Of the Sacrament
to river go down sufficiently. it will be
seen that the American river has filled up
its original channel from its mouth up to
the point where it passed over its banks
and thereby altered the force of its current.
No system Of establishments, therefore,
can contine the waters Of the American
river within its original channel; and if
it were possible to confine it within its
original channel, it would only render the
condition Of the city and valley ten fold
worse than they are now, for then the
waters of the American river would rise
much higher than the level Of the Sacra-
mento river, thereby forming strong
current in the American which would
carry all Of the heavy debriS into the Sac
ramento, thereby causing it to overflow
its banks, and then the destruction of the
rs "A navis gable river must in.
evitably follow FROM the filling up of its
channel with the heavy debris thrown
into it by the rapid current Of the Amer.
lean when kept within its natural channel
by levees or ernhankmcnts. So long, then,
as mining is continued as IA business on
the American river and its tributary
streams, Sacramento city must continue
unsafe If not untcnablr AMI il the inhah
tants of the city will continue to fight
against natures laws and suffer the de-
struction of life an property, the State
should consult the interests Of its citizens
as well as the first law of nature, self
before it spends the peoples
hard earned money in the erection Of a
capitol building that can never be occu-
pied for the purposes intended.
The capital Of State should be AS
nearly central as possible, but it should
always be located at some accessible point
never subject t" any casualty except fire.
City is untcnable and must
be abandoned. but in its i'm
mediate neighborhood is high ground not
subject to overflow there the capitol can
be safely built, and there the city must
be permanently built. 1t is
utter folly and madness to war against the
elements or attempt TO change natures
laws. COMMON SENSE.
For the Democrat.
The Climate Of California.
It must soon lie conceded by the most
sceptical that the climate of California is
ranidlv chanpiuO Snow is no longer con.