Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-21

part OF last season. The Julia and Anlsdor
nave now been succeeded by stern. wheel
steamers of lighter draught-the Apache and
Modoc are of that kind. They draw about
four feet afs and three forward, and viii csrry
400 tons and mark five feet of water. There
are
NO sIDE-wHEELERs
On the river up to here now. Tbs Nsw
World in 1875 came up for repairs and during
them the shoal below the gas works an.
psared, and the New World couldn't get
back. She was ipRRupded up here by that
bar till Novembi the first rise came.
1 know of the the barge Napa, l
think, Octobea he was loaded with
wheat at Sacfa4 4 4 sp up.river barge
During the nigh fell enough to let
her down and suag Bon a snag below, and
she filed. The tida ebbed and flowed then
about ten inches here. This was at the foot
of K street, IN the wake OF the steamer land
ing. The tide has gradually run out. At
low water there may. be an inch or two, but
this last season l hadn't been able to observe
it at all. The barge at the time referred to
was drawing but five feet. She lay over an
unknown snag, and as she settled with the
tide the snsg burst up through her. The
tides in 1S49 and later were from twenty to
thirty inches on the Sacramento, and ex-
tended noticeably third of the way between
Fremont and Knights Landing. AT the last
place ten inches was good tide. The
tide may have benefited navigation some.
Gradually the water in the river has been
getting worse as to sediment in the water.
No steamer could make the time now that
they used to In early days, even if she ran
clear of the bottom, owing particularly to
the filling in of the deep reaches, as now they
feel the suction of the bottom all the way.
It manifests itself very perceptibly. I have
noticed the floods In this valley. A first gen.
eral rain does not send food here from sll
the rivers at the same time, but continuous
floods are after the Sacramento water gets
down here. The Feather river water gets
here in about fifteen hours, and the Sacra-
mento water IN forty-eight hours. The
American generally falls before that. In
1875 at the shoalest water-the last of Sep
tember or the 1st of October-we had on the
gauge above low-water mark over four feet
above the low.watsr mark of 1S49. So the
surface water was over a foot above that of
1919, for the gauge showed three feet to be
the low water mark. The American sends
out muddy water. 1t has
DOUBLE THE SEDIMENT
In low water. should say, than there is in
the water of the Sacramento above the mouth
Of the American. As compared to the Sac
ranlento the American shows more sediment
at lowswate-. l have seen bar formed by
the American in tne Sacramento. This bar
is continuous from TIE American to the
railroad bridge, and there it tails down, and
really it is continuous across the river. and
reappears On the Yclo shore under our boat
ways The American has now cut away the
Yolo bank, so that at food-time the Ameri-
can crosses the Sacramento, comes down the
Yolo shore, aud then bounds out aud passes
fho in hri5 5r5 Hho hau
describe, a. 26 feet of water in the Sacra-
mento, one day last year was within feet Of
the top of the water above the railroad
bridge. I remember that case particularly,
for they refused to pass the Dana through
the draw of the railroad bridge then, as the
bar showed up under the bridge. The big
food of '612 stood just "a feet above low
water mark. There was mora water in the
valley then than that in any subsequent food
more than last year-for Mr.. Kerche-
val and I established the mark at
Grand Island. Levees have the effect
of making the water higher in the river.
At highest water here last year. for
instance, it was two and half feet lower in
side the levee at Washington. OF course the
velocity of the water is ereater-na.urally. 1
don't think there is any doubt that the iu-
crease of the leyees increases the carrying
capacity of the stream. As TO that bar form
ing, of which I spoke, want to say, that
while the bsr was forming above the bridge,
there was q cutting away by the river il the
channel at the bridge deeper, and it cut out
our dolphins there, On all full raises the
channel deepens-that is the first effect; as
the river fills belog. :he current slackens and
the river begins to fill again. The most ssdi-
ment comes out OF the American river at the
extreme food, at tbs first of the food The
bar that river forms chaages-it is lower
down now than last season. Here witness
was shown sand from Captain Hodgdon s
place, and recognized it as the sand that is
carried in the waters Of the river. [ have
not seen as coarse sand as the sample shown
until recent years. I knsH but little about
the American river in 1319.
THE OLD PRISON BRIG
Was moored about opposite 1 street, near
where the bridge is now. Here witness was
shown an old map OF Sacramento city, aud
asked to point out Sutter lake, which he did,
showing the portions that had been filled mp
since the map was made The river sloughs
have tendency to relieve the rivers in times
of high fioods. Through some of them the
water returns again into the river The
water Of the river fall faster than that
10 the sloughs, thus enabling the sloughs
to discharge-6rst, the sloughs relieve the
river, and then the river relieves the
sloughs. The high water spreads tie shoals
and bars. The water al the city front in
early times was On an average "a feet deep.
This banks were high and abrupt. The banks
were from Is to 20 feet in hight above low
water mark. "Lumpy" river is where we
have shifting aud moving sand shoals. The
ChrYsopolis was caught on one of those after
1865, and the pilot carne near losing his life
by being thrown over the wheel. The shock
was so severe that passengers were thrown
down in the cabin. The mouth Of the Sscra-
meuto 10 at Collinsyille. The San Joaquin
and Sacramento rivers come together at that
place. Gecrgiana slough, however, connects
them above that point Il don't take SO
much water nowadays to make an overflow
as formerly. The current OF the American
as it emptied into the Sacramento before the
Sacramento became so filed in was very
strong and wild, and during high water it
was serious inpediment to navigation, it
coming So it did SO near the draw in the
bridge. | have known vessels to lay up for
several hours waiting for it TO subside. The
4th Of February last the extra commotion in
the water of the Sacramento was occasioned
by an extra raise coming out of the Ameri-
can river. 1t was more surging, as / de-
scribed. The piers of the bridge occasioned
trouble in the water, too, near the boat
house. 1u 1879 they had
TROUBLE IN THE DRAW
OF the bridge. There were steamers that
couldn't get through the draw without taking
out their coal, but which, when they got
through, could go up as high as Colusa. They
were stern-wheel steamers. I remember one
in particular. She drew more water than
most that went up stream. The draw now is
about 100 feet wide. The trouble was in the
east draw the other one was closed up. The
old draw was so feet. Nearly all commerce
on the Sacramento river now is carried on by
steamers and barges. Our largest barge
would at this stage of water fiat 1, 900 tons
at four feet draff, and light she will draw
about eleven iaches. She is heavier than
most Of them. There was very little barging
done till after 1866, and then mostly on
the upper Sacramento. None were in gem
eral use cn the lower river that early. Barge
carrying on the upper Sacramento increased
as wheat-growing up country increased.
Wood, hops, broom-corn, live stock, produce,
etc., come on the down-riyer boats. Consid-
cradle of the products of the upper country
come now by rail- The largest amount Of
wheat we carried down the river in one sea.
son was GO, 900 tons. Not large amount Of
fruit is shipped down the Sacramento. It
has not exceeded 80 to 100 tons in any one
year, At one time our steamers and barges
exceeded thirty. They are much diminished
now. We had as high as six steamers. each
with barge, running on the upper river for
wheat az one time.
RIVER FREIGHTs
Are much cheaper than by rail- Others have