Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-12
DEBRIS.
TWENTIETH DAY OF TIE sLIcKENs
CASE IN COURT.
Interesting Testimony of Or. G G. Tyrrell,
A. s. Greenlaw and other witnesses
Tho Prosecution Closes.

Tho PT0secu11on CioseS.
The slickens case-The People of tine State
of California VS.. the Gold Run Ditch and
Mining Company-was resumed Saturday at
$3.50 A. NJ, in Department Two of the Superior
Court, Hon. jackson Temple presiding.
7. G. Robinson sworn-(to Mr.. Cadwala-
der)-I proceeded to the Cold Run mine ct
your request and procured these samples
marked Robinson No. and Robinson No. 2.
No. is taken from the red soil and No. 2
is from the bank just below the soil, perhaps
twenty-five feet from the surface. These
samples are from the upper or surface work
ings.
G. A. Allardt recalled Ito Mr. Hart|-
The following works are considered authority
on hydraulics Weisbach's Mechanics" !"
Lowells Hydraulics" Rankin's "Enein-
eering," LeConte's Geology" D'Aubis.
sons Hydraulics" Humphrey and Abbott,
Nevilles " Hydraulics" Boxes Hydraulic
Tables" Trautwine's "Ciyil Engineering, :"
Toncelet's Hydraulics and Hazen on
Rivers"
Cross-examination ito W. C. Belcher)-
WITNESS was subjected to very close ex-
animation as to the subjects treated by each
of the authorities named
DR. G. G. TYRRELL
Sworn Ito Mr.. Cadwalader)-W malaria
affects the system it affects it generally.
Typhoid fever is a filth disease, and produced
mostly by impure sewage. The force of this
fever generally is expended on the bowels. 1t
is not contagious, but is infectious. Sat
urating the soil has the effect of bringing to
the surface poisonous matter. As the river
rises the water rises in the city and raises up
the water in the priyies and cesspools, and as
the river falls the water in these pools de-
clines and leaves on the surface much poisonous
matter. The nearer sipsge water gets TO the
surface the more the danger of an epidemic
from that source. [ know of several occa-
sions when the entire sewage Ia the lower
part of the city has beea obstructed for
length OF time. The number OF
deaths from typhoid fever was greater in
years when sewage was interrupted. When
the fluid sewage is held back il increases the
area Of disease germs. The making of cess
pools has become a necessity, in order to get
rid of sewer gas. This has the effect of sat.
urating the soil with excrementatious matter,
and increases liability of epidemics.
WELL WATER
Within the city limits cannot be drank with
any degree of safety. The soil being SO gen.
orally saturated with deleterious substances
the water would in all likelihood contain
poison. The Health Officer has general charge
of the sewers, cesspools, etc., and sees that
they are properly cleaned ard proper disiu-
fectants used. The deposit of debris on the
surface of the land has malarial effect. The
large deposit of debris and slickens between
the north levee and the American river has
had the effect of producing ague in the north.
on G street has had case of ogue, and some.
times whole families have been down with il
at the same time. This is owing to the mala-
ria and miasma that comes over the levee
from the extensive debris deposits in that
locality. Il has had the effect to almost de-
populate that part of the city.
Cross-examiuation 10y w. G. Belcher)-I
have never given particular attention to the
formation of the soil upon which this city is
built. All the drainage from the banks of
the American river was originally southward
l thinl; the sipage comes through the natural
banks or su5soil. The levees are built of diff
ferent material from that composing the
banks. judge of the nature of the material
the river banks from that which [
fad by digging csszpools in my lot When
the river is very low you can dig cessoool
to consideesble depth. Formerly You could
attain a depth of fourteen feet; now but six
or seven. [ do not know the grade of th9
sewerage Pipes or of the sewerage canal.
The sewerage canal IS open from r street
southwsrd. am not familiar with the canal
beyond
BEAcHs LAKE.
This lake empties into Snodfirass slough
and that slough into the Mequelumne river.
In early days we had good sipage drainage.
In those days sipage was benefit. The
is higher than the land on the western side.
Considerable water would flow into this canal
below the river. The canal below the city
has a southeastefly direction. / never have
known the canal or sewers to be obstrucsed
by a sudden and prolonged rain. The sipage
water percolates from the river and raises the
ground water within the city near the sur
face. I know that the water rises and falls
within the city with the rise and fall in the
river. I do not know of the amount of water
pumped annually from the Sacramento river
for domestic purposes. 1t is the Health Off.
GERS duty to see that all foul CLOSETS and sew.
ers are properly cleansed. don't think you
can find many foul places of this character
within the city at this time. The people for
many years have used only water from the
river for domestic purposes. l have read
from the best authorities in the world regard
ing typhoid fever. Their conclusion is that
it is produced by specific germ, that comes
from excrement, and in no other way. The
germ of the disease deposited in the stream
above Sacramento at any of the towns on its
banks or tributaries, if pumped Tito our city,
would produce disease The north portion Of
the city, near the north levee, is almost unin-
hab.table, caused by the
MALARIA PRODUCED BY THE DEBRIS
Deposit north of the levee. I stated yester-
day that sand, when it contained vegetable
matter, produced malaria. Ever since [
have lived here have noticed that ague was
more prevalent in the northern part than any
other portion of the city. Patent ventilators
extend above the housetops, and allows the
foul air and gases TO escape. It is fact that
closets put il residences eften get out of repair
and are deleterious to the health. Where
closets OF that kind are properly trapped, and
sufficiently ventilated, no evils arise from them
AS the population increases the number of
sewers and cesspools are necessarily in.
creased. When l first came here there was
a great many people living outside the city
limits. There are great many people Of
this city living beyond Thirteenth street. I
know nothing Of deleterious effects beiug
produced on the health of the city by the
wooden mills. I have never heard of their ex-
istence. Diseased germs are held by waterin
suspension. These germs, when deposited on
the surface, become dry, form into dust, raise
in the atmosphere. and disease can be con-
tracted from breathing or inhaling these float.
ing germs.
Redirect examination Ito Mr., Cadwal-
ader)-The filing up of the Sacramento river
bed below the city has tendency to raise the
elevation of the water in the lower portion of
the drainage canal.
BURNS SLOUGH
Is in the eastern portion of the CITY. Suit
ter's Fort stands on the eastern bank of that
slough. The Sacramento river was the nat
ural source of drainage for the city of Sacra.
mento before It's channel became filed up
Recross-exanination TO W. G. Belcher)-I
never have made any surveys of late in the
city and compared them with the river level.
l mean to say that if the river to-day had the
depth Of its original channel it would drain
off tc a great extent the surface and sipage
water. This would be its natural escape.
[ Here witness described the location of Burns
slough.1
A. S. GREENLAw
Recalled ITO Mr.. Hart)-I have examined
the river. During the late rain the water in