Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-22


county is in our summer market. Came into
Sacramento August, 1850. This has been
my headquarters. 1 lived south of the R.
street levee. on the Mcdonald place. Moved
there twelve or fifteen years ago. Own a
large tract on the American river, fronting
on the Sacramento. 1t is To- COO acres. Part
of it crosses the American. The new river
cuts through it. First knew the American
in 1850 Went to Mississippi Bar. Know
the San Juan grant. 1t joins the Norris
grant, and runs up opposite Folsom. We
own all the frontage on it along the Ameri-
can river for some ten miles. In 1850 the
American was quite river and deep at the
=" BAR" AT Sacramento the river was deep ;
couldn't see the bottom. The water was
pretty clear, and the banks were bluff and
steep. The Bannon ranch was where the
mouth OF the new river now is. The Ameri-
can bounds it on the south. The new mouth of
the American is at the mouth of an old
slough. The banks of the American
river in the valley were generally ff-
teen to twenty feet high. The river
ran through fine, rich, productive iland.
Had ferry since 1868 over the new mouth
Of the American. The old channel of the
American at the mouth is filled up now
higher than the old banks were, with sedi-
ment. First noticed the American carrying
heavy masses of sediment about 1860. Before
that the river was muddy above. Saw the
bar first in the mouth, in 1868, more than
before. Noticed the sand most in 1862.
Saw only little before. Before 1862 con-
siderable Of the country was under cultiya.
tion over there, along the Sacramento and
American, and families lived along both
rivers, especially on the north bank. They
lived there the year round. Had no trouble
till late in cultivating. Have seen the sand
coming every year getting worse. With the
first rains the American comes down first,
generally. At such times it just comes roll
ing, and with apparently more sand than
water. It will cut cut channel and draw
into narrow channel. but steadily cutting
out the sand banks each eide. Have seen it
in ten days spread clean over and ELL up even
with the Sacramento after rising would go
down again, and then the American would
cut out again and pour into the Sacramento
The sand [Hodgdon exbibitsl is like this.
You can get varieties OF it up to
sLUMGuLhIoN,
And much. it being six and eight feet deep,
as I've seen it along there. The sand goes
more in the middle. This Hodgdon slickensl
settles in dead water. Then I've seen the
water come down all blue. charged with blue
mud, caused by the different mines when
they wash out the blue-nasty, sticky,
blue stuff. 1 have seen the mouth of the
American coo feet wide at the regular chan
mel. At highest water it is over the whole
country this way to Lisle's bridge and the
city, and the other way clear to Fremont.
Have seen a current clear over our land and
Cones, northerly, and OF the same time over
all the land this side to the city. At such
times the water is very muddy and gritty. 1t
deposits there like No. 81 Greenlaw's exhibit
On our 10, 900 acres We used to keep 5000 or
5000 head of cattle fat on it on good grass.
Now, and for five or six years, no grass grows
on it, and it supports nothing. Where the
mud settles it kills the grass.
Afternoon session.
e. w. Clarke resumed-The slickens de.
posit is all over our land. Where grass
formerly grew there is nothing but whortle-
berries. Where we used to keep 1000 cattle
formerly, we cannot keep 100 now. 1t was
originally excellent pasturage. There was
quite perceptible tide until within four or
FIVE years. The old bed of the American in
places has filed up higher than the original
banks. The Sacramento river prior to 1868
was deep at the mouth of the American.
Boats had no trouble i'll entering the Amer
lean river. think the bar above the Pioneer
Mills covers entirely the old channel of the
Sacramento river. The bar formed at the
mouth of the American ] have seen when it
extended to the bridge. l have seen steam
boats at that point engaged in cutting it
away that they might effect a landing at the
mills. Every year the top of this bar to the
into the city. The land along the Riverside
road was fine agricultural soil, and covered
with orchards and gardens II was very
valuable before the deposit of sand and
slickens upon it. In high water, as long as
the levees stood the rivers ran swift and car
ried large amounts of sand. This sand and
sediment in enormous quantities is carried
iuto the Straits and Suisun bay. Have seen
moving bars of sand in the Sacramento river
below the city. l have besn engaged in
steamboating on the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers. When the rivers here get full the
sIPAGE WATER
Bothers greatly and kills all the stone fruits.
Every high water the sipsge kills thousands
of trees. This state of affairs is not confined
to this vicinity, but is just the same clear
through to the Mokelumne. First recollect
levees about the year 1860. My land was
originally levsed. All the land along the
Sacramento river was included in the levee
districts. About $500, 900 has been spent in
.leveeiDg Grand Island. They have been
taxed over S35 per acre for levee purposes.
In 1873 the Iadian mounds were covered with
water. That year the current Of the Ameri-
can crossed that of the Sacramento and de.
stroyed Washington and the railroad beyond.
General Williams in building levees took
with machinery from the bed OF the river a
great deal of sediment The land on Grand
Island is the finest body Of land in the world.
Have seen wheat yield sixty bushels to the
acre there. Tule grows in black toil. Prior
to 1862 there was
NO DIFFICULTY
In cultivating the margins of these islands.
There was no difficulty in raising crops prior
to 1860 without levees. | have put in three
crops on Grand Island and lost them all.
The high grade of Sacramento has been es-
tablished since 1862. Last winter the water
came into the Pioneer Mills and stopped the
rnnning of their machinery. The water in
1873 covered the railroad track on Front
street from J street to l.. Witness here at
length describetfthe high waters of 1878. their
effect at and below Sacramento the pumping
over the r. street grade, the building of the
Y-street levee. the food of 1880, the hight of
the water on Front street, the filling in of
the rivers, the cutting out of channels, etc
Have seen the American in ten days fill eight
feet ct It's mouth. When the water first
comes it will cut out the sand. When the
Sacramento rises it checks the American, and
it then fills in level across its mouth. When
the Sacramento falls then the American will
cut out again. So one year this level bar will
be on one side, and next year on the other
The first riss in the American occurs about
this time of the year. High water don't last
in the American long. Witness described
how stock viii mire in the slickens and have
to be dug out, and how the slickens dries and
cracks deep and wide There used to be a
fine race track about mile back of Wash
ington. 1t is covered up now with this stuff,
and the old fence is gone. From the Putah
and Cache creek sections plenty of hay and
grain used to be hauled on a toll road across
the tules to Sacramento. Last summer it was
so dry the road could have been travelled. For
four or five miles there was natural water
way before Stopped up by the railroad en-
bankment. In the winter of 1850 think
you could cross there at any time l know
the Lewis grade road that runs out back Of
the old Tule House. It was built long ego
and thrown up four or FIVE feet: used to use
it all except the food years. Don't know
how much sand is cn it now. East of Hobo.
ken the American is filed up nearly to the
top OF the banks, up as far, say, two miles
above Hobokep. That embraces Sullivan's
Island.
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