Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-10
NOW BUT SANDY WASTES.


Plumas ranches. The houses en- these latter
ranches, although standing on high ground and at
some distance from the river, showed evidence OF
inundation OF last winter of from fye to ten feet
The whole condition Of the country on this bank
OF Feather river below the junction OF the Yuba
was that of dessolation. The committee then
crossed Bear river about mile above its junction
with Feather river, AID followed up the southern
side to within one mile of the town OF
Wheatlapd, at which point it is crossed
by the California and Oregon Railroad.
Here again was seen even more deplorabe evidences,
not only OF inundst;on bnt of the total destruction
OF the lowlands by heavy deposits of white sand
debris. no language convey adequate idea
of the scene presented at the Keyes and Bcnewer
ranches They were represented to have been
among the finest lands in the State, under full cu
tivaton few years since, and now they are sandy
deserts. The residences have been raised from time
to time some ten feet above their original base to
avoid the debris avalanche, but finally they have
been entirely abandoned, as too unsafe Tor human
habitation. At the railroad bridge across Bear
riv,r, near Whea;land, this is repeated. The food
caused by filing the river bed has compelled the
raising OF the track not less than three times,
amounting in the aggregate to Is feet. The COM
mittee next visited
TaE FEATHER RIVER AT oRovILLE,
And found portion OF its site subject to overflow,
chiefly from the discharge OF debris from the by.
draulic mines in the immediate vicinity. Here
cause and effect were brought into close relation,
and this point vas examined rather as illustrating
the general problem than as entering into that un
"a
amined was the north side OF Yuba river from
Marysville to point where the foothills begin, and
where the Drainage Commissioners proposed to
erect a retaining dam, but afterward the plan of
brush dam some miles below was substituted.
From Marysville to this point the Yuba has been
eyeed almost the whole distance at great cost, and
numerous ranches along this bank have been totally
buried IN sand, among them the famous orchards of
Briggs and Teegarden. Instead of the narrow and
deep channel with bluff banks, as in former days,
the river bed now is wide, shallow, sand plain,
varying in WIDTH from Marysvillet to this point from
to two miles, entirely covered in the flood sea-
by swift current laden with further sup
plies of debris, to be deposited at lower
river, and on such lands as are
OM SHpuSh ~ iSlStNc ttlCln We .earn from state
Engineer Hall that the Feather river at it junction
with the Yuba, opposite Marysyille, has filed from
bank to bank from twenty to thirty feet, and from
forty TO fifty feet at the site OF the dam eight miles
above, and from one hundred to one hundred and
twenty feet at the snartsyile Dumps thirteen miles
above, and from thirty to forty feet at the forks of
the river, eight and half mics further up. Be
tween these extreme points he states that 100 600
900 cubic yards of heavy debris now rests above
Marysville it appears froln the same authority
that the aggregate amount of agricultural lands de-
sroyed by debris in this section up to the year 1880
was A. 5i6 acres to which may be added the damage
caused during the winter of 1sso-s, In their
route up the Yuba the committee examined
THE BRUSH DAM,
Which, although built on correct engineering plans,
was constructed inosoo great haste on account Of
the near approach Of the rainy season. and was not
completed in accordance with the plans, the north
ern 400 feet being constructed of earth, which was
the first to give way when the storms began. The
dam was about two miles in length of which about
1,4o0 feet was washed out by the flood. The re-
naming portion withstood the storms and retained
large amount OF debIis. The committee are OF
opinion that the repair Of this dam is necessary for
the safety OF the country below it. and the cost is
estimated by competent engineers at from 81, Geo
to S55. .00o The committee next entered on an ex-
animation Of
THE CAUSE OF ALL THE DEPLoRABLE RESULTS
They had witnessed the plains below, the special
point being the responsibility of The hydraulic mines
therefor, and for that purpose examined the Yuba
between smartsyile and North Bloomfield, and the