Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-28
UP TIE RIVER.

heN. u. IL. VI. DOuLt; WIN has ASSSh14J S"~fNSAA
a trip ND the Sacramento river, furnishes the
following information to the REcoRD-UNIoN
The recent rise in the upper Sacramento
was several inches higher than any previous
rise. but the damage has been much less than
during former floods. The breaks in the
levees north of Colusa, and in those on the
west side south of Colusa and north OF
Knights Landing, have not been as numerous
as in 1878. tits quite certain that about one
third of the food from the upper Sacramento
failed to reach lower than Grand Island, and
it is probable that this proportion was abb
sorbed in the ground. 1t is evident. therefore,
that there is to be found at the end Of com
paratively dry winter, in the absorptive power
OF the soil, good protection against
EXCESS IN SPRING FLOODS.
But for this fact the recent flow might have
been very destructive as low down as Sacra-
mento. Large quantities of water left the
Sacramento river on the west side above Co
lusa, and quite enough to fill the basin north
of Knights Landing, but the water has not
yet reached G. I. Reeds ranch. Other large
and small ranches on that side have escaped
damage, and it may be safely asserted that
the flood has added immensely to the produc-
tiyeness of the west side above Knights
Landing. Twenty-fve hundred sheep have
been drowned, and few hundred acres OF
wheat have been killed but the highlands
will add an increase of an hundred bushels to
every one lost in the low places.
THE SUFFER- COUNTY BASIN,
East of the Sacramento river and south OF
the Marysville buttes, is full of water. This
water is an outflow mainly from the Feather
river, and it extends high up upon the small
IL C.. T., ~
basin the food has destroyed about 1,500
acres of wheat, and the advantages to be re-
ceived are hardly worth estimating. The
back-water extends twenty miles above the
mouth of the Feather river, along the course
of the Sacramento, and in that space there is
hardly an acre of solid ground in sight. Cat
tie stand in one or two places up to their
knees in water. and the calves find refuge on
porches; but there are very few places ex-
cept on the levees, where horse would not
find himself belly-deep. The desolate APP
pearance of the Suffer basin is not less hide
Gus than during the floods Of 1873.
THE GREAT WESTERN BASIN,
South of Knights Landing, is scene of
utter desolation, except within few feet of
the levees, and to the eye it is as bad as it was
in 1S7S-as bad as possible. The breaks ON
the west side, below Fremont, are rapidly
filling up the low places with debris, and
there are now in sight of the river not less
than 500 acres of land so made by the acct
dental discharge of debris. The present con-
dition of that part of the basin shows that
all the debris now on the Sacramento river
can be speedily discharged into the great ba.
sin without injuring an acre of really good
farming land.
The eastern basin, beginning at the mouth
~ Eaa+har rixy and aNyfapAiper 70 tho
lean river, is a deep sea twenty miles long
and ten in breadth. A few vegetables may
be grown in that section during the season,
but the wheat is all destroyed. The eastern
side of the Sacramento river is leveed only
for distance of about six miles below the
mouth of the Feather river, and the rest Of
the river frontage is open.
THE FLOODS OF THE PAST
Have deposited four feet of debris on this
great basin, and twelve feet more are needed
All the debris in the Feather, Bear and Yuba
rivers is needed in this basin, and it can be
easily carried where it Is so needed
The recent storm has been Immediately use
full only to the highlands and the west side
north of Knights Landing The sections
injured contain the small farms of the Sac
ramento river and those benefited the large
farms. However, it must be remembered
that the small farmers along the river are
accustomed to the infection, and, as they
choose to remain in the path of danger, We
may assume that they enjoy their watery
woes. Certainly they are very cheerful, anC
sociability, hospitality and children prevail tt
an unlimited extent among them. If one o.
these
AMPHIBIoUS FARMERS
Finds himself short of any necessary article
L
phibious neighbors for relief In fact, during
times of trouble, the small farmers of the
Sacramento river seem to own everything il
common. The big ranchers however, do not
seem to feel interested in each other, and
think they rarely assist their own class. The
barons look askance at each other and the
small farmers greet each other in cheer
ing visits and with open face and
hands. The recent storm seems t.
have been heaviest on the east side of the
Sacramento river, and the foothills of the
east side of the Coast Range mountains have
contributed but very little to the grand aver.
age. To this lucky circumstance Sacra
monto is much indebted, for it is well known
that the Coast Range is lusty breeder Of
malignant floods. 1t has already been raen.
toned in these notes that large proportion
of the
RECENT PRECIPITATION
Was retained northward by the compare
lively dry condition of the country. The
same may be said of the precipitation upor
the affluents of the American and Feather
rivers but this fact will not account for the
further fact that Sacramento has not beer
flooded. When the exact statements of the
rainfall upon the watersheds of the Sacra.
mento river were received in Sacramento
men who were capable of handling figures
and calculating velocities were convinced
that Sacramento was in real danger. Two
agencies prevented the great disaster, and
one of them has Just been mentioned. The
other has not yet received due consideration
from anybody. Any one who has carefully
traversed the foothills and canyons and in
spected the reservoirs and bitches will see al
once that thesei instruments of the minel
restrained the flow of rain-water and pre-
vented the anticipated evil.
THE RESERVOIRS
House vast quantities of water, and the
bitches on every sidehill and mountain pre-
vent the rain from descending Immediately
into the canyons. In the meantime, before
this restrained water reaches its natural bed
that which reaches it soonest passes away
and the general flow is equalized. If the samt
system of ditching ard housing could be ex
CSnueu along Tile OOdSG IlduSc anu Llle DlcI
ras, as it will be in the future, the valley
would be forever protected against ordinary
floods. The Sacramento valley will never bt
reclaimed until the foothills are occupied anC
made profitable by mountain reservoirs anC
bitches, and these will never be built by tht
farmers-the miner must and will do THU
work. There are about fifty breaks in tht
levees of the west side between Sacramento
and Knights Landing, and some of them are
very wide and deep. There are several very
large breaks and overhows higher up on the
east and west sides. A moderate estimate Of
the size of these breaks and overfows shows
that the equivalent of four rivers as large a,
the Sacramento is now has been pouring out
of the Sacramento river for four or five days
How shall we carry between levees a rivel
five times as large as the Sacramento at food
hight? The current will be increased very
much, and there will be no chance under
PERFECT LEvEE SYSTEM
How shall we carry river FIVE times the sizt
of the Sacramento at food tide to the bay il
three days? Surprising that possible, wha
would be the effect upon the country if {
break should occur? Would navigation be
possible at any time? The Sacramento ii
now, say, thirty feet deep. Add five river'
on the top, and how much short of $50 fee
would the depth be? Would levees fifty fee
high be sufficient to carry off the entire
amount of food water in three days?
A trip on the Governor Dana from Sscra
mento to Jacinto, about $50 miles, under the
kind care of such men as Captain Page, Frank
Jewell Richard Parrier, Cunningham and