Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-24

general manager anu Win view 70 reclaim.
alton. Had charge first of Staten Island, in
the Mokelumne river. about five miles from
| the junction of the Mokelumne with the San
Joaquin. Have also had charge Of Roberts
| Island, near Stockton, in the San joaquin.
Have examined Twitchell and other islands.
Q.-Now, will you state, first as to Staten
Island. what you have done there. Give the
history of your work and its results?
| Al first went there, l think, in Feb
ruary, 1S72-but with regard to dates can
not recollect exactly. l went there and
examined it with reference to its reclamation.
| ] found that some work had previously been
done there in the shape of lsvee, blowing
with huge pillow. which turned over
a furrow about two feet square /; but whether
they ever kept out any water with them l do
not know. They did not dam the slough. SO
of course it could only have kept out the
water where the levee was standing. Then
after that the parties with whom I was acting
determined to reclaim the island. We built
a levee, partly with Cinnamon and partly
with large dredging machine. We dug .
ditch four and half or five feet deep and
made levee about FIVE feet high, two feet
crown and twelve feet base, six feet from the
ditch. After that, from time to time, we
repaired this levee as was necessary. Every
year we had to do more or less work. The
material was peat, and it shrank and settled
very considerably. think it lost about one
| third of its bulk in passing from the ditch to
the levee. After that this same material
shrank still further and settled, and it had to
bs added to repeatedly. and the tide would
rise and flow over the levee. That has been
the general history of the lsvee which
was first under my charge. The more
recent history of it is this We found
that this material could not be depended
upon as levee. SO we built bulkhead, which
consisted of posts AKA or Axe driven one into
the ground and the other slanting as brace
against il, from six to eight feet broad. and
the earth piled against that. The space be-
tween the original levee and this bulkhead
we filed in with sand. The top of the bulk
foods that they ever had except 1862, but
| the food of last year went two feet above it.
The cost Of all this work has been about
$500, 600.
| Witness was examined at length in regard
to the practicability of reclaiming the islands,
and testified substantially that he did not
consider their reclamation practicable with
the materials found on the islands themselves.
He claimed that the sand and sediment that
came down the rivers made a much better
levee, and in some cases did withstand floods.
The islands could be reclaimed only at great
expenditure of money. Witness also stated
that the se3imentary deposit on these islands
| is better in some respects than the peat found
there.
Q.-What is your conclusion as an engineer
| as to the prsctbility Of retaining these peat
islands?
Objected to by counsel for the prosecution,
on the ground that the witness is not com.
petent to testify on that point.
After some discussion the Court overruled
the objection.
Any own opinion is that it may be prac-
ticable, but at very great expense like
any other engineering operation.
Q.-Practicable with the material at
hand?
A.-With the material that can be
reached.
Q.-What is the material?
A.-There are two kinds of material there
| now-the natural peat and the material of
the banks and bed Of the river.
(Which is the material that you deem
practicable to use?
A.-That from the banks and bed of the
| river.
elf the surface Of the interior of these
| islands has been changed in any way by the
operations in connection with the cultivation
of them, state how.
A.-On Staten Island think the reciama-
ton was complete in May or June. In No
vember or October of that year the soil was
set fire to-the grass was set fire to, and the
soil took fire from that, and burned to depth
ordinarily of six to eight inches Sometimes
it was much deeper. There were instances
of it burning several feet. On the ashes the
grain was sown, and tramped in with sheep,
and from that soil the best crops were pro-
duced we ever had on the island. After that
the soil was cultivated as is ordinarily done,
ty blowing and narrowing.
Q.-Have you Ill the work of reclamation
ever brought up sands from the river at any
time?
A.-Yes, sir.
Q.-What appeared to be clean white sand
A.-Yes, sir.
Q-What did you do with it?
A.-Repaired breaks in the levees with it.
There were subterranesn cracks, and they
were filed with sand. Sand was filed in on
both sides of the levee in order to make firm
foundation. Witness also stated that he had
noticed that the grass which grew on this
sand was finer than that which grew on the
peat.
Q.-What would be the comparative value
of sediment and tule soil for cultivation?
Al suppose as to the intrinsic fertility of
each that there would be rather nice BAL
ancing Of their qualities, but the conditions
of the cultivation ara such that the fertility
would be affected not by the quality of the
soil but by attending circumstances. To illus
trate Very valuable crops of one kind have
been raised On the sediment soil, and very
valuable crops of another kind have been
raised on the peat lond; and the question
comes up. not as TO the intrinsic fertility, but
which is the most certain. The objection to
either soil would not be to its fertility, but its
liability to destruction from some other cause.
Q.-What do you say as to the use for or
chards of the one or the other kind of soil
A.-Experience and success has been en-
tirely in favor of the bank soil but l have
seen good fruit trees and grape vines. and
particularly berries, succeeding very well on
peat soil.
COT what is that peat soil composed:
Alt seems to be a mass of roots. My
favorite comparison is hair mattress. Il
looks very much like hair Mattress mass
of roots matted together There is prac-
tically no sand in it.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Hart-Witness
stated that he was e real estate broker and
was Secretary of the Excelsior Mining
Company. The mines are in Yuba and Ne
yada counties. Prior to the time went to
Staten Island had been student and had
not been an engineer. My connection with
Staten Island has not ceased own an inter.
est there yet. The owners have declined to
attempt its reclamation further.
Witness was cross-examined at considerable
length, but no new facts ELECTED.
n. ID. bhOMNy
Being called and sworn on behalf of the de.
PENDANT. in answer to questions by Mr.. Byrne,
testified as follows Reside in GraDgerville,
Tulare county. Have lived in the Gold Run
mining district, Placer county. I went to
what is known as Cold Springs in 1850, about
the last part of July. From there l went on
to Bear river, at Squares canyon. Mined
there for about two months. From there l
went to Nevada City. Was there nearly
month. From there returned to what is
known now as Little Fork and wintered,
during the winter Of 1850. Mined there on
what is known as Scotch Ravine. In the
spring of 1851 / went to Cold Springs, and
went into business there, and remained there
during the summer. In the fall / went back
to Little Fork, and mined there during the
winter of 1851. In the summer of 1852 /
flumed Bear river Immediately below Squares
canyon. Mined there short time, and in
the fall of 1852 went to Indiana Hill and
located mines there. had mine there
until the fall of 1854. when went to Cold
Springs and We at into business III re- From
1855 to 1861, l was in business there. Engaged
in mining to some extent most OF the time.
Gold Springs was known as Mountain Springs
at that time. In the fall of 1861 went to
Gold Run. The town was just started. My
mining in this State has been in Little York