Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-11-24

The Freeport levee is seven miles above me
The Lisbon district il about II miles from
| Sacramento by the river. The levees OF thai
district are 10 or II feet high, with base q
40 feet. The raising of vegetables is not Sc
extensive during the last ten years as the ten
| years preceding. The fruit crop has greatly
diminished during the last FIVE years. The
Tullis fruit ranch has not been so productive
| during the last few years as formerly. Prior
to 1867 could have cultivated four fifths of my
entire place. Last year I cultivated only
| about 100 acres. At least three-fourths OF
this land was cultivated Ia 1854, 1855,
1856 and 1859. During those years
IL was not ovsrflowed to any extent.
Sol. Runyon was tbs largest fruit-grower on
the river. Hoilister, Rswlston and others
have very extensive orchards. The upper
part OF Grand Island is tolerably high land.
Some OF the titles to land on that island are
United States patents; others bought from
the State undsr the Swamp Land Act. In
eariy dsys the island crop was almost entirely
vegetables.
J. N. UPHAM SWORN.
moved to Sherman Island in the spring of
1862, and to Emmaton. my present residence,
IN 1871. The island is about twelve miles
long. have been an extensive landowner
there Tor some years, and been one OF the
Trustees since 1868. Large bars of sand have
formed IN the river west of the channel
in the last few years. The channe
has decreased about one-third of its capacity
By the filing in of the bottom and on the
sides with sand and sediment. The bottom
has filled to depth OF ten feet. This deposit
has been increasing every year, and at pres
ent the discharging capacity of the river has
been reduced fully one half. During the last
fat fta Io.
laden with sand than formerly, and has had
tendency to make the carrent of the river
sluggish. The river is gradually losing its
velocity The more debris there is in the
water the less the velocity of the current.
After 1868 and until 1866 there were but q
few levees on Sherman Island. The island at
that time was very successfully cultivated in
vegetables. In 1868 they built large and sub.
stantial levees. but the continued raising of
the river bed by the deposit of sand and de.
tritus rendered them useless when high waters
came. In 1877 anG 1873 the waters over
topped the levees. We have expended since
1862 about $50 per acre on our levees, and
have been for the past four or FIVE years IN
der water most Of the time, and especially
during the planting season. The sol! was
very productive. Have known wheat yields OF
60 bushels to the acre. In 1862 there was no
land cultivated on the island.
THE CULTIVATION
OF the island began in 1856. We raised our
largest crops IL 1877, after we made our
heaviest levees. Sherman Island is now all
under water, 14,G00 acres, sud all of it has
been cultivated in past years. 1t has been
under water for two years before this one.
The yesr before that some attempt was made
to cultivate We have there q school house,
store, shop, houses, etc., and religious services
are held some times. The school house foated
away once, but was brought back. Think
the island is ruined. Don't think it will ever
be recusitated. The water stands over the
lands the year round now. Formerly the
tide fell sufficiently to drain the lands, but
now the tide is from twelve TO eighteen inches
less, and we lose its drainage effect; then,
too, the water In the river is so much higher,
that between the two our drainage is de-
stroyed, and it is due to the rise in TIE bed of
the ,iver. 1t would cost fully $50 per acre
now to repair and rebuild the levees. The
breaks we think are attributable to the rails
ing of the bed OF the Sacramento river by
reason of its filing up. | have been over
Brannan, Andrus, Grand and other islands
GA Sherman Island the soil is mainly de-
cayed vegetable matter. Have had but little
deposit from the river.
MISREPRESENTATION.
Never heard Sherman Island called floating
island. Never heard any who lived there so call
it. In some places for four and five acres
the land, to o certain depth, rises and
falls, that is, is influenced by the food.
Probably out of the 1900 acres there may
be twenty-five of that kind. That's all l
know of showing those indications. | believe
Sherman Island can be reclaimed, but don't
think it will be. The first assessment on the
island to reclaim it was 81 so per acre. That
first levee we built was of a material that
would not wash away. 1t broke from pres
sure. The water was higher in 1862 at the
island, bysa foot or two, than at any time
since Don't think the island was flooded in
1874 and 1875. There was no general over
flow in those years, but there may have been
a few breaks that admitted the water for
day or two, until the breaks wero repaired
but | don't say certainly that that was SO.
A break in 1878 caused a general overflow of
the island. High water was the only cause
of it, and not defective levee. The levee
broke 10 at Horseshoe bend, in the river, by
reason of strong current due TO the filing in
Of the river on the opposite shore. After the
ward pressure OF the water inside caused the
weaker places on the San Joaquin side to
give way, as the water from the Sacramento
was SO much higher than that in the San
Joaquin. There was no school-house prior to
1862 on the island In 1872 we built one and
o year or two before there had been another
built, SO we had two some distance apart.
Up to 1867, it there were no levees on the
islaud, the tide at the high tides would
just perceptibly flow over the banks,
but never got back to the middle of the
island + psrcolated through, but the
Absorption and evaOration kept the middle
d7y, so much so that in one or two years we
had extensive fires, the soil taking Gre some
where and burning extensively. There are
some small sloughs running back few rods,
and one slough, Meyberry's, il eight miles
long. The $35 per acre expended in reclama-
ton has been in part expended in the repair
of lsvees. The highest single assessment was
S13 % per acre.
All P. NJ. the Court adjourned until $3.50
A. NJ. Monday. During the afternoon coun-
sci aud the Judge of the Court drove to some
Of the points near the mouth of the American
loan river refprraI Tn in the testimony