Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-19
TIE YoLo BREAK-A BUNGLING JOB AND
ITS RESULT.

News came Saturday evening that break
had occurred in the Yolo levee opposite the
city about 3 P. NJ. of that day. 1t proved
true and not true, for while the water began
to run over into the Yolo basin at a point
about half mile above the bridge cross
ing the Sacramento river at this place, it can
hardly be said to have been break, mas
much as the hight or force of the river has
| not been such as to break what really is the
| Yolo levee, though it has washed the en-
| bankment considerably at two or three
| places Just above the bridge, and these will
be repaired to-day without much trouble.
| Two years ago, or more, just below Tod
! hunters farmhouse, and on the TodhuDter
| ranch, at the point where the water of the
Sacramento river is now running over into
| the Yolo basin, there occurred break in the
old levee, and something like two hundred
feet Of it went away with the torrent. For
some reason this old break has never been
repaired, though it is said an offer
was made to do it fer 500. Had
the levee been rebuilt the overflow of Satur-
day could not possibly have taken place.
But the parties Immediately interested con-
cluded that a small outer levee would protect
them. Even this was not built so as to
amount to much until lately, as is evident
from the freshness of the embankment. This
new levee is but little more than half the
hight of the old levee 1t is built outside the
old levee, ana its general form covers the old
break like crescent. This lesser, narrow
and soft embankment washed away Saturday
opposite the old break for about Go feet, and
for lesser width at another point further up.
The water is now running through these breaks
into the old one in the old levee, and thence
into the basin. OF the many hundreds of
people who crossed the bridge and visited the
scene yesterday, not one familiar with leVees
and river embankments but felt called upon
to make expression of the belief that the
building of such an embankment as has now
given way must have cost far more than it
would to have repaired the old levee, and that
to dare the river with such handful of earth
thrown up in long thin line was simply to
invite disaster. The truth is that the erection
of the embankment described, and which in
part washed away Saturday, was broad
burlesque on levee building, and has excited
the ire of all who have visited it. It's con-
ception was foolish, and its construction a
stupendous piece of folly.
There never was, as matter of fact, more
striking example of the unwisdom of the
system of allowing Tom, Dick and Harry
districts to build levees to suit individual
notions, and in defiance of the necessity for
uniform system and uniform strength of
superstructure, and everybody who thinks
differently ought to visit the Yolo break to-
day and be convinced by observation. The
water does not run into the town of Wash
ington from this break, but passes back of
it. The current is neither deep nor angry,
and boats were easily pulled across it yester-
day. The river is not at extraordinary
hight, and the menace to the old levees is
not great. The break can be easily stepped,
and at no great expense, but it is understood
the landowner is Indifferent as to it now,
because the back water from the tule is upon
his land anyhow.
ODD FELLOWS ENTERTAINMENT. Saturday
evening at Odd Fellows Temple there was
held special session of the Grand Lodge, 1.
o. o. F., for special matters and a social re-
adjournment of Sacramento Lodge, No. 2,
which the same evening received fra
ternal visits from Ell Dorado, Cap
itol, Schiller and Industrial Lodges
The reunion and visits proved to be
occasions of great pleasure and satisfaction
to all concerned About midnight one hun
dred and ten Past Grands, officers of the
Grand Lodge, officers of city Lodges and
prominent members of Lodges here sat down
to banquet at Fishers Restaurant, where
fine spread was made by the caterer, varied
tasteful and plentiful. The service was good
and the dressing of the tables very attractive.
NJ W. G. NJ George A. Case. +. w. d. G.
NJ. Ezra Pearson, r. w. G. S. w. B. Lyon
and other Grand officers were present The
session and all the events of the evening were
exceedingly gratifying to the fraternity here.
The WEATHER-The rainfall of Saturday
was but .003, making the total for the month
APPS and for the season u. 173 inches. In
1879 to date there fell 157S9; 1873, %. 4S1
1877, s. 100 1876, %. $50. Saturday night the
weather was cold and damp, the thermometer
at o'clock registering AZ. Yesterday morn
ing a slight frost was observed in many
places. The weather is still cool and partially
cloudy. The Sacramento river rose slowly
Saturday and yesterday until 6 P. NJ, when
it reached q feet inches. From that time
until midnight it neither raised nor declined.
The weather remains cloudy on the noun
tains though no snow is falling. The road
way was cleared of snow and debris Satur-
day, and all trains came through. The west
bound overland was delayed about two hours
in the mountains yesterday, but all trains are
expected to arrive on time to-day.
ARREsTs.-The arrests made within the
two past days we're: Mary Burns, defaulting
witness, by officer Martin; Miss Howard,
drunk, by officer Frazee; JOHN Doe, battery,
by officer Campbell B. J. Hood, drunk, by
citizen Charles Mitchell 2. Millegan, drunk
by Constable Swift and local officer Martin
r. Williams, drunk, by the same officers
William Baxter. vagrant, by officer Smith
Michael O'Brien, Michael Keegan, " French
Josie" by officer Martin, for battery; VIM.
Newman and John Ramsey, opium smokers,
and All Pong and All Hoy, keeping opium
den, by officers Rider, Ferral, Lee and Frazee
POLICE CoURT-But little business was
transacted in the Police Court Saturday.
The hearing of the charges against John
Burns and Lucy Redding, for disturbing the
peace, were continued to the Goth; Harry
Ketchum, one of the persons charged with
running hoyging faro game, had his exam
nation continued to the 9th; Jake Ham
mond, accused of making an uproarious noise
at Third and L streets, was dismissed.
CoRoNER's INQUEsTs.-Coroner Vermilya
yesterday held two inquests, one upon the body
of William Stuart, the brakeman accidently
killed near Niles, Friday, and the other upon
the BODY Of George Joseph Housman, who died
of a lung disease Saturday night, in a house
at the northeast corner of Tenth and G
streets. The latter was poor man, who had
been under the care of the Howard Society
for months past
CoMMEEcfL-There arrived within the
past two days the steamer Neponsett, from
the upper Sacramento, with merchandise,
and the steamer San joaquin No. 2, from
San Francisco, with barge of wood. The San
Joaquin No. 3 left for the upper Sacramento
with merchandise, and the G. NJ. Small
passed up en- route to Marysville.
DEMOCRATIC CoMNITTgE.-The Democratic
County Central Committee is called to meet
at the Capital Hotel on Saturday, April 24th,
at 10 A. NJ.
BRIEF REFERENCE.