Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-11-23

pretty effectually destroyed. In 1862 1 had
an orchard producing some SO, 600 or 81 600
per year. First the slickens killed the
peaches, and then the apricots, and last the
apples, and now they won't grow there at all.
1t used to be the finest land in the world be-
fore 1861 2. After that had to change the
whole course of my farming. Never had any
levees. Have had four or five foods up there
since 1862. 1t takes very little rain now to
produce Is flood up there. as the bed of the
river is pretty nearly even with the banks in
fact the banks are all gone. They stick out
in some places, but generally are gone. It
used to be 6 narrow, deep, pretty stream.
Now on one place on my farm it is one-quar-
ter Of mile wide. On part Of my land l
lost BY it 60 odd acres. The stream has
changed it is not where it was in 1852. 1
think one-sixth part of the water of 1872
would now produce flood.
DISCRIMINATION.
1 had about one and half miles OF 'front.'
age on the American river and about one
mile back. By the food of 1862 I didn't
lose much Of that land. l lost some then.
1t began to cave then. and kept on caving
up to 1880. The banks keep caving. One
cause is the eating in of the river on my side.
The alfalfa l spoke Of was on the slickens of
1862. In 1880 | had between 400 and 500
acres Of alfalfa; had beets in the deposit Of
1862; raised them, l think, in 1872 for the
sugar works. The slickens that came mixed
with leaves grew beets, but that mixed
with white sand would produce nothing
The north leves of Sacramento extends
to within mile, about, of the lower bound
airy of my land. From 1850 to 1862 my
land was never overlooked. The food of
1868 overfiowed all my bottom land. In high
water l feel on my land the effects OF the
north levee. 1t backs it UP. WITNESS, in
detail, described the effect of the floods Of
1868, ETC., on his lands and those of his neigh
bors. He stated at length in response to
questions the amount of acreage Of the farms
in his vicinity and to what extent each has
been damaged by the floods. The whole was
to test his statement that 400 or 500 acres in
the vicinity of Brighton has been badly In.
jured. The water at my ranch was higher
in 1862 than in 1881, good deal-say from
foot to eighteen inches higher. Think the
water has never been so high since as in 1862.
W. S. MANLovE
Sworn Lives eight miles from the city
front, and nearly mile from the American
river. Have about 345 acres. My valley
land runs at one place within about twelve
rods of the river. Been there since 1851, and
farming ever since. Then the American was
a swift, clear, pretty stream, and in its bed
were cobble and eravelly ridges, with reaches
of deep water. 1t was narrow streani-say
300 or 400 feet. 1t had quite high, bold banks
at low water. Measured the water in 1858,
at Mrs. Bowles' place, seven miles up the
river. Found it to be in the neighborhood of
thirty feet deep in August at iow-water
mark. From the bottom of the bed to the
top of the bank was fifty feet or more then at
that point. There is little strip between
my land and the river. Have known the
river as far up as Folsom for TWEEN ty-fva
years. AS you went up to Folsom the banks
got sleeper and holder. For ten or twelve
miles from Sacramento the banks were
rich, loamy soil. AS you got toward the
foothills it was grarelly. 1t was very
crooked stream. of about uniform ridge from
Patterson's TO tins old mouth. 1t has filed up
at my place fifteen to eighteen feet with coarse
white sand, and it continues down to the sugar
beet ranch and up to Pattarson's. That is as
far as I've seen it in late years. The
deposit is about all alike. It has very little
silt in it, Where the water stands q little
the siickens deposit. 1t is a different soil en-
tirely frem that of the valley. Noticed the
filling first about 1862. Since that it has
been going on steadily. At the first rise the
river scours out and after that it fills in again.
The Sacramento, when high, backs up the
American and checks its velocity. Have
seen waves six feet high in the American att
point opposite my place. Think these waves
are caused by the water being 30 heavily
charged with sand and slickens. The water
is so thick near the shore that you can see the
slickens in it. The proportion of sand and
slickens in the water | think is about one
sixth. The American has filed up on an av-
erage from fifteen to twenty feet. In some
places it has filled up to depth of thirty
feet. The river at my place is about seventy
rods wide. The carrying capacity of the river
has been reduced one half in the last few
years. / had about thirty acres covered from
two to five feet deep in 1868. The river bed
is filling up more each year, and at the same
time getting wider. 1t takes much
LESS WATER
To make o flood now than formerly. Previous
to 1862 we did not need leyees. neither were
we flooded. The early foods of clear water
left nothing that was injurious to the aoil.
It is very difficult to terminate seed in what
is called s!ickens. The waters of the Ameri-
can cannot be used for domestic purposes
The Sacramento river water is not so tu1bu-
lent as the American. La front of my place
il 1868 the river cut new channel. This
channel since that time has filed up six feet
Nothing but willows and coarse weeds will
grow on my land that is covered with white
sand. The sand on my place is coarser and
whittier than the sample marked "Hodgdou."
Cross-examiHation Ito Mr.. Catlin) THE
land between the railroad aad river we term
valley. In 1862 aud 1868 tbs floods came up
almost to my house. Some of my land is not
inju,ed, but the sand encroaches more and
more each year. If the sipage water comes
any nearer the surface than at present it will
destroy our vineyard. There are no banks,
ard water spreads over the whole country.
A. S. Greenlaw, recaled-There we're four
roads leading north from Sacramento, in
early days, between Front street and Smiths
Gardens. These roads went out on the fol-
lowing streets: Front, Twelfth, Twentie h
and Thirty first streets. The road on Twelfth
street is the only one left at present. and last
year it was badly damaged. 1t has been
raised several feet and graveled, but for a
considerable time during the winter is i'm.
passahle. In early days these roads could
be and were travelled during the winter sea-
son.
At 4:45 the Court adjourned until $50 A. NJ.
to day.