Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-22
the accumulation of debris behind it down.
the Yuba to the river bottoms Below.
THs DEBRIS INQUIRY.

with the investigating committee Of the San
Francisco Board of Trade, which was crowded
out Wednesday morning through lack Of
space:
After leaving Hook Farm, the former resi-
dence OF General Suffer, the party proceeded
to the ranch OF 5. L. Wilson, ten miles below
4u6a CITY, and about half way to the Sacra-
mento river. Here, Just in front of his ware
house, the river bank is high, and Mr.. Will
son stated that it was not covered in 1862. but
was eight feet under water last winter. The
surface OF the water In the river now was
twenty-four fest below the top Of the leyee
A force of twenty men and twenty teams were
! at work here also, raising and strengthening
the leyee. Mr.. Wilson stated that no water
| had ever come upon his ranch until four years
ago, but that now the Butte creek basiD, west
Of his place, had filed up so much from the
mining on Butte creek end vicinity that the
/ water oveiAowed and destroyed 600 acres Of
his wheat on the west end of his farm last
spring.
| Next below Lavee District No. is Dis
trict No. 5, aud after reaching this district
| the last four miles before reaching Nicolars
showed the effects of broken levees, which
grew worse as far as the party weht. This
district, it was explained by Wilson, had
ceased to make any effort towards keeping
up it's levees, and is nearlg entirely aban-
| doned It includes the wellknown Sam
Brannan ranch. upon which, far away from
the river. attention was called to places where
| fences five or six feet high were covered TO
within foot or less of the TOP.
| We. reached opposite to Nieolsus at y.
| o'clock, and crossed over to town ON q ferry
and took dinner As the stream was being
crossed Dr. Chandler, from near the Yuba,
ssid: Thirty years ago [ crossed here, aud
could see fish not longer than my finger lying
at the bottom Of twenty feet Of water; but
now the water IS 90 thick that FISH can
hardly swim in it"
After taking dinner the carriages were
called, and the committee were asked to de-
eide whether they desired TO 60 farther down.
! the question being accompanied with state
men5 that matters grew worse below. After
consultation, the COMMITTEES replied that as it
would make it late to 20 farther, and as the
statements made by the reception delegation
as to the condition of the country between
! Blarysville and Nicolaus had been found to
! bs as represented they would accept their
statement already made as to 6Ge balance OF
! the way, and not go over it. The committee
| stated that they would like TO hear any state
ments in reference to that section of country
| Peter Drescher, a civil engineer and whom
| it was stated had been the Surveyor OF SUIT
ter county for sixteen years, was called upon
| by the citizens, aud said q [ have been
| acquainted with this section since 1S49 and
| witnessed its transformation. The tide
! formerly came up as far as the mouth Of the
| Feather river, but the bed is filed now
! that it does not come up to Sacramento. The
bed has raised so much here that the water
raises in the winter in the rivers above the
level of the ground on the.outside, and the
water percolates through under the. levees
and Is becoming destructive from sespage-
We cannot therefore raise our line much
more with any effect. If the water gets two
feet higher in the river than it has already,
| the seepage will be as destructive as food.
The trouble will be that the land would hot
dry out, SO that crops could be put
in before July, and that would be too
late for them to mature, and we would
therefore have to abandon this entire country
in this neighborhood. Another damage ia,
that the pressure of the water underneath
| the levees drives the alkai up to the surface
of adjacent lands, and this renders the lana
worthless. On the opposite side OF the levee,
in District No. ), the levees are abandoned,
and nearly all the lands Of the district. Eff
| forts were made to save them until bonded
| debt Of $3.50, 600, and a floating debt Of sew
| eral hundred thousand dollars, was incurred,
and then the whole thing was given up, and
even the interest on the bonds has not been
paid. Suffer county has ISL coo acres Of
| land, which produce Il. 600 tons OF grain per
annum, or sixty ship loads. At Johnson's
crossing, on the Bear river the river has
! filed up thirty feet, and is now nine feet
above the land outside the levee.
| Mr.. Cert, of San Francisco-Well, take
it that if this keeps on there will be no hellS
we will all be raised to Paradise, whether we
want to go or not"
| Mr.. Drescher-It is said by scientists that
sixty millions cubic yards of earth is being
sent down the Sacramento and on its way to
| the Bay each year.
| General Rosecrans-I sixty million cubic
yards of earth comes down towards the Bay
each year, L suppose that is the fres-will
| offering we viii get from the hill country.
| Captain Bloming-- portion OF the
debris which has been doing the damage do
you think has come from the hydraulic mines,
and how much from the placer mines?
I could not give the exact amount, Of
course, but am confident that not less than
% per cent comes from the hydraulic mines,
and the other five comes from the placer
| mines and any surface wash from plowed
lands"
After this hearing the party again took to
their conveyances and returned to Marys-
vile, passing through Che rich farming lands
midway between the Feather river and
Marysyille Buttes, aud reached town at P. NJ.
The COMMITTEES express much admiration
at the fine lands passed through and seen
wherever the debris had not injured them.
Upon their arrival at Marysville banquet
| was spread and social hour enjoyed.
At the conclusion, 2. B. Cornwall, of San
Francisco, proposed the health of the Mayor
| of Marysville, which was honored, and in re-
spouse Mayor Stone said: 1.-THE people Of
Marysville do not wish any injustice to the
miners. We desired this committee to come
| here, and see what had been done and was
being done We wish the matter to be d..
| cided by the Courts, whether the present
method OF mining is legal We have no sb-
| lection to placer drift. or quartz mining.
| We believe the present hydraulic mines can
| be worked proftably by drifting, and s. the
| Chinese would not work in them, as it would
! be underground work, the change would give
employment to more white men than now,
| instead of throwing any OF them ont # work.
| We believe that as much gold wouldoe taken
] out as COW, but probably it would ;ost lit
| tie more than by the use Of the Little Giant.
That's our case, and we desire to have you
hear the miners side also"
The party then proceeded to til City Hall,
where public meeting was he'll. upon the
subject of mining debris, Mayor Stone pre-
siding. Remarks were made by Captain
| Nelson, Of Nelson's station, Marion Biggs
and others, in reference to tir effects of the
| Cherokee mines.
| General Rosecrans was cdled upon, and
responded only by stating that they desired
to hear all they could aboutthis question.
w. n. HawleY, of Sai Francisco, also
spoke fly, saying that Sn Francisco was
interested in the matter urder consideration,
and did not desire to see my injustice done
to any party Or industry.
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