Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-24
The DEBRIS INQUIRY.
The Committee Among the Hy-
draulic Mines.

SMARrsvILLE, October 22i.-The day yes
terday was spent by the Debris Investigating
Committee in examiningthe extent and effects
of the mining deposits along the Yuba river.
There were about thirty in the party in ad-
dition to the committee, including G.. r.
Sheath of San Francisco, Hamilton Smith,
President of the Miners Association; Superin-
tendent J. O'Brien, OF the Excelsior mines,
and other representatives of the mining In
terests. Immediately after leaving Mays
vile, along the Brown valley grade, or north
levee Of the Yuba, the wide area in the val
ley covered with debris was viewed with
much interest by the committee, and state
ments In relation to various pieces OF property
destroyed were made Said gentleman to 8
member of the committee Here, for mile
and half ijust above the city,, is one of the
narrowest places between the levees on either
side on the lower portion of the river. Itis not
to exceed two miles, but widens above. That
house you see the top af there is General Geo.
Lows, and il surrounded with debris twenty
feet deep. The ranch contained six or eight
hundred acres, and has been out of sight fer
many years. It was highly valuable as
vegetable and fruit lands, as was nearly all
that is buried here, extending SIS far as the
eye can see. and amounting to over Is, 900
acres DIR. Teagarten's lower orchard Of 150
acres of fine fruit trees, which would now
have bean worth almost a mint of money,
was located next above, and Quiptary's place
of 500 acres adjoining. Mr.. Ohleyer, Presi-
dent of the Farmers Cooperative Union,
stated that he worked for this man in 1861,
when the land was all in alfalfa that Quin.
tary's income from it was $40 per day from
pasturing cattle, and that now it is entirely
under worthless sand from eight to
twenty feet in depth. Mr.. Ohlsyer
said he was familiar with this whole
part of the valley, and gave further
information as follows: After passisg the
Hofstetter and the Grass Bros. ranches we
come to the Briggs lower fruit ranch. He
paid $50 per acre for it in 1850. He put this
out after the one above had commenced to be
damaged by the overflow, and thought this
was high enough to be safe. His first ranch,
which laid a short distance above, and was SO
celebrated SIS an orchard, had about 500 acres,
but only part of it was in fruit trees. In
1861 this ranch was valued at $500, 900, and
he would not have looked at that price for
it. The earliest fruit in the State came from
it, and to-day, If the ranch was as good as
then, it would easily be worth $500, COO. The
river now runs, as you see, along this levee,
and is impinging upon it. The river at that
time was over mile further south, and on
the other aide of the orchard. The river bed
was twenty. five feet below its banks, and
was situated on the bottom lands. This
land along the levee was the secend
bench, and about fifteen feet above
the bottom lands. This high land is now
covered with debris to depth of two or three
| feet the bottom lands, about eighteen feet,
and above the former river bed, not less than
| forty-three feet. On the other side of the
ievee here, upon the red lands, you see the
81 k,ta
| This is the price inflicted upon the farmers
and the State by hydraulic mining.
! Some of the members Of the committee
! remembered the lands along the Yuba from
| having seen them in early days, and said
they were among the very finest in the State
Attention was called to the fact that while a
| little Of the top of some of the fruit trees
which stood upon the highest ground in the
Biggs orchard could be seen, most OF the
| trees were buried far out of sight, and will
| lows are now growing over the tops Of the
| tallest apple and pear trees.
| Reaching the ranch OF Isaac Green, Mr..
Ohleyer said: "This ranch contained 600
acres, and I had personal knowledge of the
| fact that Mr.. Green's income from 20 acres
of the bottom land in 1860 was 81 200. I of
fered him So, 600 fer 100 acres that year, and
| he laughed at me. Now the same land which
] tried TO purchase Is nearly all fifteen feet
QECSE HinlC. GItlLiuS sdnu. Several QUIET
prominent ranches, including those of S. z,
Pumyes, w. II. Dunn and Colonel q sbriskie,
were pointed cut and various facts given ia
relation to them. The same general condi-
ton existed in reference to each. but buried
at different depths, along the first ten miles
above Marysville, and having a width Of
from two to ten miles. The county
and stage road laid along the valley,
with hotels and fine residences. In the
small farms under high state of improve
ment, having their orchards, vineyards, grain
and alfalfa fields, none of which now remain,
and the locality of many of the ranches can
only be fixed by some tall, standing tree or
as being in certain direction from some
known point. During the ride up the levee q
strong north wind was blowing, which filed
the air with white sand drifting over the
desert waste Of debris, causing it to resemble
a binding snow-storm, and added, If possible,
to the general scene Of destruction which
hangs over the once fair and fruitful valley.
Ons OF the committee remarked: "This
Is terrible scene of wreck and dezolatioD,
which no oEe can realize without caming
here and seeing it, and which cannot then be
described" 1t was stated that these lands
have all been dropped from the assessment
roll for several years past. "Those who
owned them when the destruction took
place" said gentleman, still hold the
title, and always will. for the reason that no
one can be found who would now accept q
title to them"
, The company stopped at De Gerre Point,
! ten miles above Marysville, and examined the
| vicinity where it was at first contemplated to
build q stone dam for irnpounding the de-
bris. At this point it was shown to the
committee that the deposit has filed in TO the
depth of about eighty feet above tie former
| bed of the river. From this place the road
| to Smartsyille was back from the river until
| Parks Bar was reached, where q crossing was
made, and at about l o'clock P. III. the party
arrived at the Bonanza ranch, owned by the
Excelsior Water and Mining Company, aud
| located on the south bank of the Yuba three
miles west Of Smsrtsville. Here dinner was
provided at the large residence upon the
! place. j. O'Brien, superintendent, showed
/ the committee about the premises to demon
strate Whist may be produced in the foot
| hills by irrigation. The ranch consists
| of 1000 acres of rolling and broken
ground at an altitude of 400 feet There are
! 200 acres in alfalfa and 200 in red clover. 1t
is irrigated by use of 5000 fest of 16-inch iron
piue and twelve miles Of irrigating bitches.
| Nine hundred tons of hay was cut from the
ranch 300 head of cattle, so horses, $50 hogs
and 500 sheep. The water used in irrigation is
! from the mining water Of the company. Two
hundred orange trees and three acres of
almonds and other ornamental trees are
growing. The bed of the Yuba river at this
point, or rather the canyon, is filled up with
| tailings hight of 140 feet.
/ The party arrived at Smartsville about 6
o'clock P. N. In the evening public meet
ing was held in the town hall, when Hon.
Niles Searles spoke upon the debris question.
During his remarks he said this question
, is SO vast that it has fields for consideration
! as yet unexplored. The interests of the
settlers in the valleys are not TO be ignored !;
they are being injured and some method
should be if possible devised by which it can
be settled without destroying the great indus
try Of this coast. That the county has out
of total population Of 21,000, at least
twelve or thirteen thousand directly or indi-
rectly employed in connection with the
mining industry, which in this county yields
S12, 000, 600 per year. The Drainage Act
might not have been perfect, he said, but he
believed plan would be devised which
would impounu the debris in the canyons,
feither by brush or stone dams. The matter
never could be finally settled by the Courts,
so long as the hills are so filed with gold
and the people are thirsting to procure
it. He hoped the committee would
examine the canyons and opportunities,
as they go along. for settling the matter by