Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-01

TO the sides oi the stream. IEiS clay anu
sand comes from the mountains and mines,
and principally froni hydraulic laines. TIE
Middle Fork mines have the heaviest
clay. The mires of Dutch Flat and
Gold Run contsin lighter clay. In
the mining process this clay becomes
precipitatsd and the sand separated
from the lighter class. The upper surface Of
these mines is light aliuvial sell and clay, and
the lower stratas are composed OF gravel and
heavier material. This sample (No. 6) would
become detached from the clay in the process
of mining. In prscipitating clay, you find
that it all contains sand in larger or smaller
quap titles. The surface material of those
miues is always tie first 70 dissolve and pass
OH with the water. The sand contained in
the surface would be OF that class we call
white sand. Whom you get nearer the bed
rock the sand is of coarse nature. Cement
IS formed of the clay. Cobble stones would
be interspersed throughout All those places
where eobble stones are found were at some
past time river channels. | established
lime kiln at Clipper Gap in 1868. II is seven
or eight miles above Auburn. 1 know the
river below Doten's Bar. In 1S49, with
companion, left this city on foot, forded the
river opposite
Suffers FORT,
Followed it on its north bank continuously
up TO the point opposite Auburn, and on our
way prospected the river at many points.
The water was clear, and it had pebbly
bottom. Could see fish in the river. Trees
end flowers skirted its banks. 1t being the
spring-time Of the year, all nature was beau
tiiul. located at that time the town of
AuSarn, and gave it its present name. The
mine. along the river and near Auburn ws-a
profsably worked from 1S49 TO 1862 In 1879
and 1861 footed it from Gwynn's bridge, op-
posite Alabsster Cave, to Folsom every week
Nv route lay along the river, and I noticed
the many deposits on tire bars along that
portion Of the stream. There were imEense
deposits in that portion of the river, and they
were all swept out clean during The high wa
ters Of 1852 Since then they have filed up
again, and to-day there Is ten times tie
amount deposited along that portion of the
North Fork as there was prior to the food of
1861 and 1862. In the 1862 food was eatsE-
ing drift for building purposes st Kentucky
Bar and took drinking cup of water from
the river and foucd g deposit of one-eighth of
an inch settlsd immediately on iss bottom.
This water was dipped from the surface of
the food. l also sampled some OF the water
in the winter of 1866 at the American river
bridge, and found It similarly laden with sed-
inent. TIE debris that came down the
stream was of lighter character than that
OF late years. There was very little high wa
ter between 1858 and 1858.
HYDRAULIC MINING
Commenced in 1853 and 1860. The effects Of
this class of mining is seen everywhere aloug
the river. | moved to Sacramento with my
family the 5.h day Of April, 1865. I re-
tanned my interest az AlabasteE Gave. Marys-
vile and Clipper Gap. left San Francisco
for Sacramento or the schooner Severn, 100
tons hu.6er, on May 20, 1S49. The first
night we landed and staid all night on Grand
Island. When / returned to Sacramento
found that the debris deposits covered the
banks and large area of surface four or five
feet deep. The navigation of the Sacra-
mento river was very seriously inpaired-
When I first came to Sacramento the river
was navigable for rnost any kind of ships. In
1865 the river had shoaled considerably, and
deep-water vessels could not reach this port.
| noticed that the beds of the Sacramento and.
American had both filed up f.om ten to If
teen feet. The witness was here shown the
Joy map, and asked to point cut and describe
the Lisbon district l owned $500 of tins
5000 acres comprised in this district. | have
spent $3.50, 600 trying to levee that district
since 1867. The cross-levee was twenty eight
feet high and twelve feet on top, with base
of 40 feet. Have endeavored to maintain
that levee during the years 1873 70 so and a
portion Of 1881. At planting season this year
most of it wss under water. The second
overflow was in December, 1879, ard the third
overflow in April. 1880. The land in that
district is as rich land as there is in the world.
The water that flooded our district cane
from various breaks Of The Sacramento river.
4 strong current OF the waters of the Ameri-
can crossed the Sacramento and helped in
cur destruction. There wG5 a current COM
Jog down on cur back levee from the tuies.
TIE Baters'af the tuies On the Y6lo side
empty into Czche aGd other sloughs. School
craft Island Ia below Suttsr Island, on the
right bank of Steamboat slough going down
Flood waters that gather in the tule basin ia
foods, accumulate against Montezuma Hills.
and then sweep back and pour iGto the Sacra-
meRto river The waters when going south
ward, going down, have about filed up
Steamboat slough. All the waters that pass
through the breaks on the Sacramento river,
On the west bank have to pass over School
craft, Suttar and other islands before Steam
boat slough is reached. TIE backing of
waters from The hills checks the current in
Steamboat slough, and hence it is filed up
The waters after this pass on to Staten
Island, and over il and Sherman Island, and
thence into Suisun Bay. When the waters
rise to certain height they pass right over
Steamboat slough, and over Grand Island,
and take down the levees on it. had
TWO THOUSAND ACRES
On Grand Island, and tried to reclaim it. I
sold out in 1873 We had then spent S13 an
acre to reclaim it. Since then, learn, they
have spent in all S35 per acre. This year no
tule land was cultiyated-only bank land.
Have at nay bridge on Rattlesnake Bar
looked up the river and seen the waters in
the river coming in waves, one body of water
mounting over another. l have seen the
Sacramento river run sczoss the American
when the Sacramento rose first. I have, at
Steamboat Slough seen bodies OF water
run across the sicugh and t5e island, ard
across the old river. at speed of five or six
miles an hour. Have seen such cross cur
rent 1--WE miles wide, and over the tules on
Grand Island it would be about eleven feet
deep. and on the banks shout fve feet
Steamboat Slough now is cot passable for
vessels OF much tonnage. The cross current
| describe, when it crossed the Sacramento
river, deadened the current in the Sacra-
msnto above. Have seen this in 1878 and in
1885, 1t was worse, [ think, in 1880. The
sediment has filed up Schoolcraft Island
from three to ten feet with matter that
makes very good productive coil after it is
decomposed. The waters that came through
the breaks of the Sacramento river on the
Yolo side show sediment deposit not further
than mile below
WASHINGTON LAKE.
mean on the road to Woodland Back of
Washington the land is largely covered with
sand. Saw sand three feet deep each side of
roadway seven miles from Washington.
That Is on the road to Davisville and Wood
land. There is Eo depotit down the river in
the tules beyond ne mile below Washington
lake all of it is cut toward Davisyille [
know the Wilcoxen ranch below Washington.
There was break opposite il four or FIVE
years ago, and Though that large sedi-
mentary deposit was carried en- to the rear of
the place. So, too, at Megowans and Sny-
der's; but the deposits of sand from the
breaks above Washington deposit before they
reach so far down, and the water that runs
down by Lisbon district is much clearer than
here at Sacramento. The deposit in the
willows back of Washington is from two to
six feet deep. The embsnkment of the rail-
road to Benicia checked the current from the
breaks above Washington, and SO the depos-
its were left where | describe. On the toll
road to Woodland last week | saw de-
posits along the road as high as the road
itself. The heaviest deposit opposite
THE ENGLISH BREAK
In several places covers the fence pests. I
know the Sacramento shore OF the Sscra.
mento river down as far IS Isleton, forty
miles Each year the bed Of the river has
been risir e, and if the levees remained as
they were the waters would have cvertopped
them. Sipage water has risen, too, as the
river bed rises and this prevents the cultiva-
ton Of the lard early enough 10 the season
to sec,,ra q cror T have reve- been lfeyees