Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-18
DEBRIS.
MORE ABOUT TIE AMERICAN RIVER
DEBRIS DEPOSITS.
Third Day in the History of the Trial of
the snckens Suit in the
Superior Court.

6upeI1uI SVuAts
The trial of the slickers case Of The People
va Gold Run Ditch and Mining Company
was resumed in the Superior Court yesterday
1880 a. NJ, Judge Temple presiding.
Attorney.General Hart asked the Court to
make an order directing the official reporter
to write out the evidence each day in full
Counsel for defense objected and proposed
that an arrangement be entered into, where.
by the entire proceeding might be written
out and printed each day. After consider
able argument pro and con, the Court ordered
the reporter to write out, each day, all the
oral testimony.
Cross.examination by Mr.. Catlin of Cap
tain W. Hodgdon-Tne vessel in which l
came up the Sacramento river in the month
of March, 1850, was much smaller than other
vessels that came up in the month OF
July the same year. have seen very large
vessels moored in the American river, quar-
ter of mile above its mouth. Some of them
ere ocean vesssls Of mora than 800 tons bur-
den. The American river at its mouth was
viaibly affected by the tide. am &C years
Of age, and have lived in the town of Wash.
ington nearly all the time since I came to
California. I mined at one time on Massa-
chusetts Bar, about ten miles above Folsom.
have never navigated the American river,
except near its mouth. It has been twenty
years since mined or was in the locality OF
~. Da, 71o -oad hat harn
and Folsom ran along the banks of the Amer
ican river most of the way. When came
up the river in March, 1850, don't remember
of meeting any vessel going down
I MooRED MY VESSEL
On the east bank of the river. 1 sold the
"Hodgdon" in 1852. I should think there
were three hundred sail moored in the Sacra-
mento river at one time in 1850. There
were many more vessels at Sacramento at
that time than at San Francisco. There were
about fifty lying at the mouth of the Ameri-
can river, and the remainder were moored
Between that point and point opposite Il
street. The bark Annie Reynolds lay near
the mouth of the American river. The
lJopT1HBt, IllA1 DDAtDh oAh OshSAo sASs -
have forgotten, were moored in front OF the
city. The "Hodgion" carried usually be-
tween 200 and 800 tons. Do not recollect
hes registered tonnage. The average depth
of the Sacramento river during the
last ten years is six or seven feet /;
have seen steamer hands sounding its depth
between the bridge and the K street landing
with poles. I do not know the tonnage Of
the Modoc or Apache. The last tine I went
down the Sacramento river on steamer WAS
ten or twelve years ago. When so TO San
Francisco nowadays I go by rail. When 1
first came up the Sacramento river l passed
through what is called Steamboat slough.
The reason came through that slough was in
compliance with the direction of my pilot.
don't know that the old river channel was
not navigable, as 1 never tried to navigate it.
don't know of any shoals in the river, hav
ing never encountered any of them myself.
know of bark that came up in July or
August, 1850, that 1 should judge was of
more than 800 tons burden, and drew fully
fourteen feet of water. The water in front
of the city at that time, clear across the river,
was from % to &c feet in depth. 1 never
heard of but one shoal that gave any trouble
to navigators in those days, and that was
what was called the Hogs back" Many
years afterwards, the Senator, Chrysopolis,
and vessels of that size, had trouble coming
up the river. Before the last rain you could,
from the railroad bridge, distinguish the
American river water from that of the Sacra.
mento proper.
THE AMERICAN
Is much muddier-carries a greater amount
of slickens and sediment. L have owned
part of my land for twenty-five years took
up a portion of it as swamp land. l did not
present claim against the Levee Commits
sioners for damage done me at the time my
neighbors did. My damage at that time was
not enough to justify my presenting claim.
Some of my land runs back from the river to
the tules, distance of about one mile. The
principal damage to my land by debris and
sand was done last winter. The water last
season flowed through my orchard but did
not leave much of a deposit there. The
Reed break, about opposite NJ street.
and one opposite r street did me the most
damage. There we're two or three inches of
slickens left in my orchard. There are twenty
res of my land that were covered
last winter to the depth of two or three
feet. This deposit in some places covered
my fences and came through the break ABOVE
the bridge. This land was all good land, and
was cultivated every year. l think that the
highest land on the banks of the Sacramento
was, originally, fifteen feet higher than the
lowest land in the tules. During the last ten
years steamers like the New World, Senator,
and others of that size, could not come to the
K-street wharf. Small boats and fat bottom
boats can come up without trouble. The
steamers in use now draw only from twelve
TO eighteen inches. Light.draft boats run up
the Sacramento river now. The steamers
that formerly ran up the river above Sacra-
niento were four times ss large as those run
ming now. The Governor Dana was small
boat, and of very light draft. In 1850 schoon-
ers Of large sizs ran to Marysville.
REDIRECT EXAMINATION.
(By Mr.. Hart)-Ths Queen City YVES a
large boat, that carried three or four hundred
tons. She was o siie-wheeler, and larger
than anything now on the river. [ don't
think she could navigate the river at all III
the channels present condition. The deposit
on my land last winter wss coarse, gray sand
and slickens. Mr.. Hoagland's levee was
composed Of back surface soil. The levee in
front of the town of Washington was COM
posed mostly of sand aud sediment. taken
from the river. Last winter the banks were
washed but little; they do not contain any
sand, and the deposit on my place is all such
as came down Ln6 IlVer Will Tue HOOls. AZ
is o coarse, gray sand, that cannot be culti-
vated at all. Steamboat slough is much
shorter route than the old river channel.
Mr. Eodgdon was shown by Mr.. Hart map,
and asked to show Steamboat slough. This
map, one made by Engineer Jim G. Pier
son, was then presented TO the Court, to be
used as diagram. Mr.. Catlin asked that it
be introduced as evidence. Mr. Hart OBJ
jected, aud the same was received by the
Court as a Court diagram, and not consid.
cred as offered in evidence
Recross.examination (by Mr.. Catlin)-The
amount of earth that was washed out of the
levee was SO small, that if it all had lodged
on my land it would not have covered it ar
inch deep, and would have done no damage
There was some of the levee az one break
that was composed of fine sand, but the de
posit on my land is not of that character; il
Is coarse gray sand.
Mr.. Cadwalader requested Mr.. Hodgdon tx
bring in from his place specimen of thii
gray sandy deposit.
Mr.. Catlin here requested counsel for the
people to have Mr. Hoag bring into Court 8
specimen of slckens.
Mr.. Cadwalader-Very well.
/. n. BABcocK
Was next sworn. ITO Mr.. Cadwalader
C.I 4 Al :