Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-29
MINING DEBRIS.
Legislative Excursion to Marysvi1le and
Other Points to Investigate the Subject.


left Sacramento at 8:45A. NJ, with three cars,
which were filled to their full capacity with
members and ladies, legislative attaches, rep
resentatives of the press and others. There
were seventy members of the Legislature that
participated in the trip, as follows: Senators
West, Nye, Ryan, Hill, Chase, Carlock,
| Burt, Conger, Johnston, Moreland luck,
| Davis, Watson, Hudson and Anderson. As
semblymen Speaker Cowdery, Stoddard,
/ Mccarthy, Mcintosh, McCarty. McComas,
Sayle, Young. Chamberlain, Wasssn. Cor.
coran, Chandler, Braunhart, Leach, Ward,
| Frink, Brown of Yuba Brooks, Sweetland,
Burns, Pickett, Streeter. Stanley, Wason,
Maybell, Lane, Garibaldi, Morse, Carr of
Mcguire, Mulholland, Estey, Coffman, Cuth-
bert, Josselyn, Nelson, Watson, Brusie,
Hardy, Messenger, Galley, Del Vale,
McDade, Bruner, DuBrutz, Hynes, Finlay-
son, Anthony, FELTON,, Gorley, Mathews, and
| Brown of Sonoma. State Engineer William
! III. Hall also accompanied the party, by re.
| quest, to give information as to location of
the main dam proposed to be constructed
upon the Yuba river. and other matters con-
nected with the debris subject.
Upon arriving at the Bear river, twelve
miles this side of Marysville, the train
stopped upon The bridge and an inspection
was made of the condition of the stream and
the adjacent lands destroyed by the debris.
The water at this point of the river had the
appearance of thin mud, and rolling, wave
like action of the water in the central por-
ton of the stream was said to be caused by
| cross reefs of sand moving down with the
current, but which, from its greater weight
and slow, shifting movement, produced those
wave troughs of a foot or more in depth upon
the surface. The channel of the river is held
within levees, end the bed is about five feet
above the adjacent lands. The former rich
alluyial lands along this stream, ranging
| from one to three miles wide, and worth only
few years since from two to three hundred
dollars per acre are now worthless and
abandoned, from the overflow of deposits,
and nearly all of which are past all hope of
reclamation. The railroad track has within
| the past few years been two or three times
raised on piles to kept the track above the in
creasing altitude of the river. The location
of the bridge has also had to be changed by
reason of the river having left its bed and
found another course. The Reyes ranch, in
relation to which the suit was brought against
the Mines is situated about two miles below
this point.
After remaining a few moments in this vi.
cinity, the train moved on to Marysville,
where carriages without number were waiting
to convey the excursion party to various
points which it was arranged should be WIS.,
tied. With the exception. of few remain
ing in Marysville, the party was soon trans
ferred to carriages and proceeded to a point
on the Yuba river about ten miles above the
city, where it is proposed to construct the
lower dam upon that river to retain the
heavier detetrius, a portion of the company
taking the left hand side of the river, and the
other the right. Commencing at Marysvile,
the tract of country passed in review,
which were formerly the rich, alluvial bottom
lands of the Yuba, and now ruined with
debris, and lying between the levees, has a
width of from two to two and one-half miles
in width and running at an average of about
that width to the site selected for the dam.
from one to three hundred dollars per acre
and thickly populated now it is o scene of
vast desolation, with a level surface of sand,
thick, muddy water, willows and cotton
wood, and with no vestige of house or marks
of former habitation. About. three miles
above the city was pointed out the
place where once fourished the cele-
brated Briggs ranch, with its vast acreage
and yield of fruit accounts of which,
published at the time in the Eastern papers,
were regarded as almost fabulous. This
ranch, even after threatened and injured to
some extent by the early flow of debris, sold
| for $3.50, 600. Now the whole site of its best
lands are buried from Is to 20 feet deep, and
the roots of cottonwoods and willows are now
reaching down towards the tops of the former
peach and pear trees which stand engulfed
far below the present surface. This location
is over mile inside of the present levee, and
the channel of the river, which was originally
beyond this orchard, has changed, and now
runs along the side of the levee,
more than a mile from its former loca-
ton, and upon what was then considered
as nigh plain lands, and nothing but the
levee retains it in its present course as it is
several feet higher already than the plains
outside the levee.
The place proposed for the dam referred to
is at De Guerre Point, where curve in the
right bank of the river narrows its width to
about mile, with a~high point upon the
west side of about fifty feet and much
higher on the opposite bank. The two points
are not Immediately opposite, which will
cause the dam to stand at an angle across the
river of about thirty degrees. Both
points are rocky, and the east one has ample
supply Of stone to make the structure.
Between these bluffs in the valley once lay
the regular stage route from Marysyille to
mining towns on the upper Yuba. Now only
the limbs of the largest trees extend above
the debris to mark the location of trunks and
roots sixty feet beneath.
/
the river went as far as Smartsville, on the
way to which place, near Iimbuctoo, was
| pointed out place in the valley where in
early mining times q large fruit orchard
and vineyard, and which is now ninety feet
under the present bed of the river, and six
| miles above the debris was seen accumulated
to the depth of 120 feet.
Upon arriving at Smartsville they were
served at hotels and private houses with
| f,,1 chronp 70 a1l
preciated after the long ride. After dinner
| the company returned to Marysville, arriving
| about quarter to o'clock. The party which
| took the other side of the river returned to
| Marysville in the afternoon, arriving at about
o'clock; and after enjoying ample and
! well-relshed dinner at the Western, again
took carriages and went across Feather
| river into Suffer county. After following
about five miles along the right levee OF that
river below Yuba City, where thousands of
acres of fine land have recently been aban-
doned to the debris, the return to the city
was made by circuit through some of the
rich lands of Suffer county, which were
| greatly admired by the visitors, but which
| they were reminded would also soon be given
up to destruction of debris unless some effect
i've action is takenst to remedy the present
evils.
At the foot of d streetin Nlarysville, where
| IN 1907 the lOW-Wasef marx was tullGy leeO
below the level of the street, is now filed to
depth of twenty-five feet. The main sewer
of the city, built about fifteen years ago,
| emptied into the Yuba river at this place, the
bottom of which was ten feet above the
bed of the river, and now the river
bed is some fourteen feet above the bot
tom of the sewer, leaving the city with
out sewerage, aad with only defective drain
age into slough inside the city levee, where
| it is impounded until low stage of water in
| the Feather river, when gate is opened and
a portion Of it flows into that river. Last
season the accumulation of water in the city
| from this drainage was SO great in the lower
part of the city that a small leyee was made
| across portion Of the overlooked section, and
the water pumped out over this levee, where
| it remained until past the middle of the sum-
mer before the Feather river got low enough
| to permit of its discharge in this direction.
Twenty years ago the sssessable property of
Marysville was over 81 600, 600, and now,
| from damage and depression from the debris,
it is less than s.. 900, 600.
| Having completed the Investigation in
| tended by the excursionists, the cars Were
! again taken little before s, and reached Sac
ramento about 10 r. NJ, ell seeming well satis-
fed with the trip, thatits results would be to
| stimulate early legislative action looking to a
restraint of the present destruction from de-
bris.
DprerDr~-r.r Uc-r n +La ..yo,ro;on