Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-04

channels, and corresponding shoaling thereof at
points, which would not take place if the channel
were forced 10 carry all that could carry and none
were diverted at any one point, except in small
quantity, where the channel was full and unable to
carry ali the Voter brought down
| FEATHER RIVER BEFORE THE ERA OF MINING
The channel of the F ather river has been sub
jected TO such considerable changes during the last
ten or hiteen years that description OF its pres
ent condition would not convey a lust idea of the
real character of the river 1t was in 1913 a clear
water river, with well-defned high bank chan
mel.
1t left the mountains in a rocky bed and ran
alternately over short cobbe bottom RAPIDS where
| at low water but enc or two feet of depth was
found, and through pools of several miles in length
sometimes with water ten to twenty-five feet in
| depth at the lowest stages
This character continued to near the point of en-
| trance OF the Yuba, from whence on down fine
gravel and sand-bars appeared in pieces of those
coarser materials, with long reaches intervening
where the water was from eight to fifteen feet deep
on the average at its low st ge but becoming less
| deep, and sand only appearing on the bars
| as it approached the Sacramento
| bottom-land OF sandy, alluvial soil varied, par
ticularY on the east bank, by rich, light brown
| surface from the hills brought down by the
Honcut and Their smaller streams, extends from
point about five miles below the foothills to within
about the same distance of the mouth of the Yuba
and was generally, in the early years OF settlement
above the reach of all ordinary foOd-waters.
The plains, from the foothills on the east, sloped
rapidly towards the river and there is any out
| lying depression except the Wyandotte valey-a
| tributary to the Honcut-which still has quite suff-
Gent slope to the river for purposes of good drain
age.
On the west high, plain ridge extends parallel
to the rivers general course, and about or two
miles away from 1t, for about ten miles below the
| foothills Thence down the plain lands slope
from the edge of the rverbottom land away to the
west and towards the basins which border the Sac
ramento river, Tor the most part fifteen to twenty
miles away
The Yuba formerly entered the Feather river
about at right angles to its course comparatively
narrow, clearwater stream, well down between
banks, running over gravely bottom, and crowded
| the main stream over against the high pain-la
formation on the west, thus cutting off the bottom
| lands on that side.
| The bank high above all floods, fifteen feet
above low water, and firm, and here the town known
as tuba City was butt
From the end of the bottom land above Yuba
City depression in the plain leads away from the
| river and extending close behind the town, takes
| the form of a shallow Slough 400 to 500 feet in
width, pursues course south and west across the
plain, diagonally away from the liver, to the low
| lands heretofore designated as Suffer basin.
This slough was naturally an overflow channel to
the river and its presence now marks the appear
ance OF direct connection between the hard plains
on the west and the bank upon which Yuba City
| stands.
| On tine east bank of the Feather, Just above the
| Yuba, stdp Of bottom land, not two three
/
what high plain which came down to the Yuba river
| just behind a mile OF more from the river
| West OF the Feather, just below Yuba City, the
| plain lands edge curves away westward, and there
is again the bottom land, sometimes a mile in
| width, skirting the river.
| The waters of the Feather at times of flood, be-
fore the construction of levSes always found pass
| age through the slough behind Yuba City, and
| sometimes topped the hanks and rim of pain lands
| at low points above within the first ten miles, and
coursed across the plains to the basin beyond. The
higher banks we're seldom, however, overlooked be-
low the mouth OF the Yuba the west side but the
bottom lands the side have always been sub
! ject to flooding almost annually.
The Bear river formerly entered the Feather in a
contracted but well defined channel from the north
| east through a low bottom land several miles in
width, which here skirts the larger streams the
| east
In the acute angle between the two streams above
the mouth OF Bear river, depression in the bottom
land several miles in length, and lower than the
bank of either stream, constitutes the first BASIN
like formation of the Feather 1t is referred to
| hereafter the Bear river basin.
| Down to within several m les of the mouth OF
| Bear river, the line of demarkatiOn between the
| higher plains and the bottom lands can be readily
traced on each side of the Feather. Here the task
| becomes more difficult, and within few miles be.
low, as in similar case on the Sacramento about
Colusa, the bottoms are at points higher than the
/ former plains behind.
Just below the mouth of Bear river the high land
without material intervening depression, extends
from the plains to the river bank, and hereon the
town OF Nicoaus is situated Except in seasons OF
most extraordinary foods this point WAS formerly
| above high water mark.
| Immediately below here the river banks built up
above the lands to the east continue to become re
| lively higher, and thus is commenced that basin
which extends almost uniIterruptedlv east of the
Feather and Sacramento rivers to the mouth of the
| American, and which has been called the American
| river basin.
] Five or six miles from its mouth it may be said
that the last vestge of the high plain lands west OF
the Feather merge into the asin which skirts the
Sacramento river the east from the Buttes south
ward; and thence to the junction OF the rivers the
banks of the Feather form but the rim to this, the
Suffer basin.
| THE CHANGES IN CHARACTER OF FEATHER
RIVER.
OF late years the channel Of Feather river has been
filed greatly and the general character of its profile
much changed.
Where it comes out from the mountains-at the
town OF Orovile-there formerly existed ordinary
high water channel but 400 feet in width with pools
80 to 40 feet in depth at low water alternated by
rapids where, at this low stage the stream poured
only foot two deep over c0bbles and boulders.
These deep holes filled with cobble stones,
sand and gravel the plane of low water has been
raise1 about six feet, and the general slope of its
surface, which was formerly very Irregular here
tofere described, has been rendered more even and
sleeper for the first five miles of its course below
where the greater irregularities formerly existed.
Below the mouth of the Iuba the whole river bed
| has been raised until now there are more long
reaches of deep water and alternate shoal bars but
wide uncertain channel in sandy bed OF almost even
rate OF inclination, down to the Sacramento, with
general slope much increased what it formerly
was, and other changes hereafter fully de-
scribed.
The bottom lands all along the Feather river
naturally subject to overflow than they were,
and, OF course, the river than inclined
to flow its western banks into the Suffer and
American basins.
PRESENT CONDITION OF FEATHER RIVER.
| As we now find it the Feather river may be
described follows
| First Division-From Oroville to Burt's Ferry a
| moderately well-aligned stream, with good banks
| underlayed by gravel, and not inclined to cave
| This distance is lis miles.
| Second Division From Burt's Ferry to the Yuba
| a crooked stream, numerous small round bends /;
banks less stable than above but still good coarse
| sand bottoms; the channel fanked by bottom land
subject to overflow, particularly on the east side
This distance is "a miles.
Third Dvision-Frum the m luth of Yuba to
Nicolaus near the old mouth OF Bear river a very
well aligned stream, but with two remarkable eK-
| ceptious- where the channel makes a right-angle
set-off for half mile each time, and then
as suddenly resumes its former The length
| of this part of the channel is 1916 miles
! Through this portion of its course the
Feather river has comparatively low lands
| indeed, these are points almost indie
terminate its width is quite irregular and its
channel through shifting sand bed. The
adjacent bottom lands, though raised by sand and
sediment deposits, subject to overflow by each
ordinary high water.
The banks are inclined to cave. and are generally
covered by willows and other bottom land growth.
Just above Nicolaus considerable portion of the
flood waters of the river annuity flows the
western bank into the Suffer basin.
Fourth Division-From Ncolaus to Sacramento;
| a remarkably well aligned channel, with but one
exceptions sudden turn to the right and back
again. The length of this division is 104 miles.
Through this portion of its course the banks of
the river lower and the waters frequently break
over them into the Suffer basin, the west. The
channel is irregular in width and shifting
in its sandy bed than in the division above.
The grades and dimensions of che Feather river
channel will be found in tabular form in a subse-
quent portion of this report.
RAISING OF THE RIVER BEDS.
1t is quite certain that the bed of the Feather and
that of the Sacramento below the point OF junction
with the Feather river, has been greatly raised dur
ing the past thirty years. and that since 1862 when
sands were brought from the upper canyons in great
volume the rate of filling has been rapid than
prior to that time.
The raising Of bed Of a river is first made appa-
rent by the increase in elevation of its low water
II. = III