Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-19
Afternoon Session.

Judge George Cone, sworn Ito Mr.. Hart
I live on the north side of the American
river. about one and half miles from the
city of Sacramento. I went on this place in
the month of August, 1852, and have lived
there continuously ever since. My farm con-
sisss of sixty-two acres. The American
river. when I first looked upon it, in 1852, in
all its native purity, was magnificent
stream. It was about 400 feet wide, at its
mouth. from bank to bank. Its waters were
of crystalline clearness-free from all impuri-
ties. and its bottom was of pebbiy smooth
ness. Its banks were Oh either side abruptly
from 16 to 20 feet above low-water mark, and
were covered with fine groves of oak, syca'
more and willow. Cottonwoods grew on the
banks of some of the sloughs, but were not
numerous. In those early days I had occa
sion to often ford this stream, and always ad-
mired its hard, pebbly bottom and its clear
waters. At that time it was very much
like the Ohio river in all respects.
On this side of the river the timber was viii
low and sycamore. Sycamore and oaks in
large bodies of trees grew on the north side of
the river. The country north of the river
receded from the banks back to the
tules. The land was all settled with
small IaEuS, lTOiu VI Vic ilfci
along up for many miles. Mr. Bannon
owned about 1, 900 acres. Mauldin, Bush,
Mitigate, and others had beautiful places,
elegant homes, and valuable farms, planted
in orchards, gardens, etc. The ferry in those
days was about four and half miles from
the mouth of the river. The Improvements
on all of those farms were not extensive the
buildings were of a cheap class. The land
was in high state of cultivation. They COM
menced planting orchards as early as 1856,
but the majority were planted in 1888 and
1860. I planted mine in '5S, 59 and go.
The north bank of the river was fully settled
in 1858 to my knowledge, at least thirteen
miles from its mouth. You do not strike the
foothills until you get to Mississippi bar,
sixteen miles from the mouth of the Ameri-
can river. The land on the Sacramento side
Of the American did not contain SO much bot
tom area. The banks and adjacent land
on the south side of the American
were thickly settled from its mouth to Fol-
som. The land on both sides of the Ameri-
can to Folsom was all claimed and occupied.
The American river at that time was as clear
as any Western river have ever seen, and l
have seen. many. I was in swimming many
times, and can say that it was as clear as any
stream could possibly be. The tide raised at
the bridge il 1854 eighteen inches. The bed
of the river was of a fine gravely sub
stance. about the size of peas. It was
what would be termed in the Western
States a pebbly bed. Until 1860 this
land was cultivated clear back north as
far as Nicolaus, and on the south to Sacra-
mento city line. The bed of the American
river commenced filling up in 1897. 1t was
filled up at that time about fifteen inches.
In 1859 the high water secured it out con-
siderably. The bridge went away in the
high water of 1859. The American river
rises and runs out some times before the
Sacramento comes down. The bed of the
river at the bridge was nicely cleaned out in
1859, and left it as it was originally, before
mining commenced. In 1S61-62 the floods
deposited several feet of coarse sand and
debris in the channel. These large deposits
were somewhat cleaned out in 1868. When
the water receded in 1868 saw sand-bars in
the Sacramento river just below the mouth
of the American river. These bars have al
ways remained. They are there yet. and
will likely remain. Since that time it has
been constantly filling. In 1875 it filed
up about one foot in 1878 about FIVE,
feet. It has, in all, filled up from
fourteen to sixteen feet of the whole
bed. The river cannot carry one-half
as much water within its banks now
as it could formerly. This filling in and COW
ering of the lands with debris has destroyed
them almost entirely. There is not a house
north of the river on this bottom land but
what has had to be
PUT on MOUNDS
From ten to twelve feet high. We formerly
harvested immense crops and now we get
comparatively no crops at all. Prior to 1862
the floods were no detriment; the water
stayed on the land but a few hours, or days.
at time, left no detritus and did very
little if any damage. Since then each
year has added to our destruction.
The water runs during ordinary seasons now
over this land at a depth of from three TO
FIVE feet. The amount of overflow increases
in depth annually-caused by the river chan
mel filing up to such an extent that it affords
no escape for the water. Mr.. Cone was
shown specimen of white sand, which be
recognized as being the same kind Of material
as damaged him last winter to the extent of
destroying fifteen acres of his most valuable
1and.] l call that sand poison, for the
reason that nothing will grow upon it. A
thousand acres Of fine land north of the
American. within three miles from the mouth,
has been hopelessly destroyed. Some of this