Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-18

vated to potatoes; that is below my place.
| The land is very level for hundreds Of acres
there, and you have to go down foot and a
| half, generally, to get to the old soil of 1S49.
On this new soil they now raise potatoes.
The bottom land at the Larue place shows
spots where some of the old soil is still to be
seen there is not much deposit on his place.
Larue place was there to some extent before
deposits came. There is more alkali there
now, than there was in 1860.
At 1872 P. NJ. the Court took recess to
2P.M.
Afternoon Session.
IN. Babcock resumed the witness stand.
| ITO Mr.. Catlin)-I first began to notice
the change of color in the American
river in 1858. It kept getting more
riley or muddier each succeeding year.
It was quite muddy in the foods of 1862.
We used it for drinking purposes prior to that
time. The city of Sacramento was flooded in
March, 1850. The roads leading to Marys-
vile were several times flooded prior to 1862 /;
I mean that portion Of the roads beyond the
bridge, which is quite low. and about a
quarter of mile wide. The land at Hop
|
deposit left of sediment at that time. Don't
know Of much being deposited there since.
The tide formerly Effected the river at my
place from twelve to eighteen inches.
have not noticed the tide particularly since
1852. l did not have to go into the water
much after that date, consequently had no
occasion to notice them. The tides were not
perceptibly affected prior to 1855. After the
bridge was built I did not pay much atten-
tion to the river. 1 bought my place in 1868
of j. B. Haggip, part of the Rancho Del
Paso. l bought it for agricultural purposes.
There had been no debris nor slickens de-
posits on the land at the time I made the
purchase. The overhows did not carry detri-
| tus. The first deposit of debris on my place
was made in 1868. During high water the
Sacramento river backs the water up in the
American. The American generally rises
twenty-four hours before the Sacramento,
and rushes down with great velocity. When
the Sacramento RISES it checks the velocity
of the current of the American. l am well
acquainted with all the land as far as
Brighton. The canal I was speaking of this
morning was the one above the American
river bridge. That canal does not empty into
the Sacramento river; it only cuts off bend
in the American. 1t is filled completely
with sand at present At low water the sur
| face of the two rivers at their confluence is
about the same. The depth of the American
at that point is three or four feet. Mr.. Hugh
Larue had about 100 acres of peach trees in
1862. I know of quite number of persons
who lost heavily by
LOSING THEIR ORCHARDS.
| IIarue's orchard was set out in 1858 or 1859.
It was after the food in 1862 that he sold
such large quantities of peaches in San Fran
cisco. I do not know the exact time that
Mr.. Lsrue quit the fruit business, but think
it was about 1870. l don't know his reasons
for leaving the business. Larue bought his
land from the Norris grant, and sold it back
to the grant owners when he left Sacramento
and moved te Yolo. His trees were nearly
all dead when he left. thinx peach trees
| eight years of age are in their prime. The
river has velocity of fifteen miles 3; judge
Of it's velocity from the timber and other ma
terial I see going down with the current.
The muddy water that
STOOD IN MY HOUSE
During food left deposit of sediment from
two to four inches in depth. There was no
current through the building; the deposit
was simply settings from the water. The
foods OF 1862 and 1868 carried down great
deal of material, but the Judgments of debris
were confined mostly to the channel. Smiths
gardens are about quarter of mile east of
1nlrLy y-urse sIreee. Iney were one Time
within the levee, but the last leYee built does
not inclose them. The present levee extends
to Brighton. The last time 1 was at Smiths
gardens, two years ago, the river was not
within quarter of mile of the levee. The
levee on the north side of the city runs out
think, on A street to Twentieth street This
levee is 800 or 400 yards from the old river
bed.
! Redirect (by Mr.. Cadwalader)-Th over.
flows prior to 1862 were comparatively harm
less TO those since that date. The roads on
both sides of the bridge have been raised six
feet and more. The overhows prior to 1860
did not interfere with the travel OF those
roads but little, and since then the roads have
been raised, and during floods are impossible.
| l. potato field of 200 acres on Arcade and
Dry creeks was covered with debris in 1868.
The sediment deposited there at that time
was from two to four feet deep. 1t came
principally from the American river. some
from Arcade creek, and some from Dry
creek.
Re-cross-examination (by Mr.. Catlin) II
don't think Arcade creek carries any debris
| Dry creek does, however. The time my
house was flooded that spoke of was in 1868.
| built a mound afterward six feet high, and
put my house on that, since which time
have been above water.
A. S. GREEELAW
Was the next witness sworn for plaintiff
(To Mr. Hart)-I live on the American river
about one mile north of Sacramento. I came
% California in 1856. | first went to the
mines, but returned to Sacramento in 1856
l have known the American river from its
mouth five or six miles since the fall of 1856.
It flowed at that time through well-defned
banks. It was 400 feet wide, or wider at
the mouth. It had abrupt banks at low
E. -,
on the banks. On the north bank there were
several groves of oak trees. On Milgats's
and Bannon's places there were beautiful
groves. The grove at Milgate's was often the
scene Of picnics. On the south side for three
quarters of mile was slough coming from
the American river and emptying back again
into the same, making an island. This island
was covered with growth of cottonwood.
Large trees of oak. some of them containing
several cords of wood, and also sycamore
trees, fringed its banks. There was lake
near the mouth of the river where the rail-
road shops now stand. There was also
auother lake extending from Sixth street
to Mr.. Riders. The river was some
what muddy in 1856. When the water
receded it left muddy, yellow
ish sediment. The land on this Side
of the river was very rich alluvisl coil, easy
to cultivate, and produced enormous crops
[ never saw better land than that south Of
the American from its mouth two and a half
miles up the river The sloughs were cult
waited during the summer. and raised i'm
mense vegetable crops for the Sacramento
market. The old Sacramento levee was,
previous to this time, broken about Sixth
street by the encroachment of the Sacramento
1iver The levee from Sixth street followed
the bank north of the city until it intersected
Twenty. fourth street. The general hight of
that levee was about two feet, and just wide
enough to drive wagon upon. The land on
the north side along the river was very much
of the same character as that south of the
river, and was more heavily timbered. The
banks at that time were sufficiently high to
carry the ordinary winter high waters. Be-
tween the city of Sacramento and the Ameri-
can river were about twenty small farms con-
tanning from ten to twenty acres each.
They raised immense crops of fruits and
vegetables of all kinds until recently.
The land ON the opposite side was similarly
settled and cultivated. Mauldin, Babcock,
Mitigate and others had fine. valuable, and
well cultivated and improved farms. The
current during high water was very strong,
and confined in those times within the banks.
Since 1860 have resided continuously on my
place. have noticed the continual filling in
and abrasion of the banks since that time.
Had not noticed any of those occurrences
prior to 1862. The extent of the filling up in
1862 was considerable. The channel was par
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