Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-03-10

for successive years found protection In
their substantial and very costly lsvsss.
In other seasons they have met with fns
success, producing splendid crops. but
this has been the winter Of their discon-
tent; the watsry grave Of their best pros
poets and hopes. So long q the dwell
ers on those productive and valuable
island ranches remain In iancisd security
behind their ramparts Of earth. Will they
continue to make improvements. erect
good houses and make preparations to
stay permanently in their particular local.
ity. whsn disaster does ovsrtaks them
IL ID all the more costly and destructive
from this very circumstance. Far better
and cheaper would II have been had all
the money expended in costly but inefa-
Gent lsvses been devoted 10 the creation
Of elevated spots upon which to build
farm houses. barns. g~ranariss. and whore
horses and cattle could seek refuge
from the overwhelming foods. In such
cast the damsgs could b comparatively
little, being confined to crops which
happened to DO seeded into the ground.
fencing. etc. The land itself would bs
benefited by the overflow. The sscra-
msnto Bee has the following practical
remarks in the matter:
In view Of the great disaster to levses
| caused by the recent food. the question
among those whose lands border the rivers
IL whether they shall renew their lsvses or
| content themselves with making mounds.
Lsvess are costly and In addition thereto
| men are apt TO put much money behind
| them in improvements, relying on the
leves for protection; but such protection
always fails whca the heavy floods come.
II In certain that NO levee that the present
population Of California may place on the
| river banks can contain the waters OF
the Sacranento ct certain periods, 20
that the levees must burst somewhere
or bo o~vertopped. And IL may be
ssid that they will burst or be
overtopped in many places. 1t IL because
there arc lsvees that great damage 10 done.
With mounds where the hay, house, cattle
and all the property could DO gathered,
the floods might come and 60 without dc.
stroyinx anything. And II the ground
were not freshly titled the soil would not
wash away or be damaged In any degree,
but rather would be enriched and bene-
fted. There arc plenty Of farming lands
In the State without using tho river lands
for that purpose. They are the best graz
ing and Alfalfa lands We have-indeed, II
may 10 said that they are the only lands
on which alfalfa can be raised without irri'
cation. II hydraulic mining were stopped,
and the State and the nation were 70 enter
upon the rsctihcation Of our rivers, the
time might come when levees could bt
made TO eon6ne the fdood water within the
river channel. but that will DO probably
many years hence. Discussing this subject
the Butte County Rsgisisr says:
"sincs the Inauguration Of the leyee
system, farmers have restsd quietly. dc
pending ON the lsvee systsm 70 prsteci
them, and have therefore taken no pre-
cautions to protect themselves against thu
breakage Of the levoss, and the result hal
been each year during the last twenty
years, that the farmers. depending entirely
upon their lsvess, have found themselves
suddenly flooded out. because Of the Civ
ing way Of some weak point In their struc
lures. Levees have been at no time ~
abiding Institution with the men who pul
their money In them. except In years o.
low water. when their capacity for stand
ing floods was not taxed. We believe tina
II the farmers Of the State will discars
their levee system and mound up or lsvs'
their building spots. and lot the wstsr rui
unrestrained wherever the slope Of th,
country may take II, that less damage vii
be recorded from floods in the Sacramento
Valley"