Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-20
ANOTHER LEvEE MEETING.

Property owners In Levee District No. /
held another meeting yesterday in response to
call by the Trustees of the district who
desired to ascertain the sentiment Of the peo-
pie regarding levee enlargement. The meet
ing was held at Dole's place, on the River
side road. R. j. Merkley, President of the
Board of Trustees, presided. There was a
large attendance. Mr.. VIM. by request of
the Chair, reported the estimates for
two plans of enlarging the levee from
Y street to Freeport. The levee is
now six feet on top. To raise it one foot
more and make it eight feet on top would
take 128 cubic feet of earth to raise it two
feet higher and make it ten feet on top would
take 266, 900 cubic yards. The cost per yard
was left out, but Mr.. Merkley thought it
could be had as low as 10 cents, and that fully
three fourths of the work would be done by
landowners in the district to work out the
assessment. He said the Trustees had gone
over the line of the levee with surveyor,
and the Board was convinced that the levee
ought to be raised and strengthened and the
slopes improved, and that at least there are
low and weak places demanding immediate
repair. Generally the line of levee is in good
condition, but the Board believed a little
higher water than that of April would have
placed the district in imminent danger
There were several speeches made. The
Pocket residents opposed any enlargement
of the levee because the back-water now
floods their lands, and any enlargement of
the front line will do them no good. The
sentiment of owners above the POCKET"
was strongly in favor of enlargement, but it
was quite generally expressed as the belief of
the people that owners in many places are
unable to pay for any extensive work, and
several of them would be crushed out by
heavy assessments. Finally vote was
taken on three plans: First Assessment to
raise feet and widen to 10; second-Assess-
ment to raise foot and widen to s. third
Assessment to pay district debts and do
needed repairs.
The latter plan, by an overwhelming major
ity, prevailed, some voting "no" on all three
of the propositions. Mr.. Lake wanted the
meeting to agree to expend $1,000 each year
on the levee, raising it completely in sections
as far as the money would CO. and thus in
time accomplish it all. Finally it was agreed
as the sense of the meeting that the Trustees
should raise $4,000 this season, pay the
debts, repair weak places, and keep fund
on hand for emergencies-say $1,000.
The meeting was very interesting one.
Pertinent remarks were made on the various
questions, DEBATED by MIR. Meslck, VINO
urged construction on such a scale that when
the floods come the papers would say, "The
people in District l are asleep in safety and
not patroling their levees;" by Mr.. Merkley
in like vein; by Mr.. Baumgartle, who OPP
posed adding hight to the levees as they az
forded no protection to the pocket lands un-
der the present system; by Mr.. Klotz who
thought it impossible to get earth to enlarge
the lower levees by Mr. Fern, who opposed
all three plans and favored leaving matters as
they are; by Messrs. Kelly, De Costa, Gallo
and others in like strain; by Mr..
Lincoln, who was satisfied there should be
enlargement but thought the people unable to
raise the money; by Mr.. Lake, who wanted
work done yearly and the levees secured in
the most exposed spots by riprapping by
Mr. Flint, who favored leaving the whole
matter to the discretion of the Trustees as to
the extent of repairs. The meeting resolved
to ask the Trustees to permit no Chinese con-
tractors or sub-contractors to work on the
levee, to urge the planting of Bermuda grass
on the slopes, and to give landowners in the
district preference to do the work of repairs
at accepted contract price.