Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-21

river. I don't know every acre that raises
grain, but | know all the main shipping points
and wbeatraising vicinities. We take wheat
anywhere along the bank. The movement
begins about the middle of July and extends
up to November. The bulk of the movement
of wheat is in the low stage of water III the
Sacramento river. The most wheat our
boats moved in one year was over so. 900 tons.
In 1880 l think we moved less than GO. .OC0.
From 1872 we have moved probably from
half 80 two-thirds of the wheat. We average
fifteen sacks to the ton. Think the Sscra-
mento Wood Company moves from $500 to-
1000 cords of wood per year, but there are
other wood companies. Live stock is some-
times moved in barges, but not 80 frequently.
Corn and wool are light compared to our
wheat shipments. From Sacramento down
to San Francisco the local commerce is mostly
vegetables and fruits. Outside of what we
carry there is a
DAILY LINE OF STEAMERS
For fruit running in the season from just be-
low Clarksburg, and sometimes above there.
Harrisburg, by river, is eighteen miles below
Sacramento. They began to plant orchards
along the banks of the Sacramento river
early. They were thers when began to run
on the Chrysopolis. From HOLSTERS down
to Walnut | should say orchards cover more
than one-third of the frontage distance Of
ten steamboat miles-(actual survey shortens
steamboat miles,. From Hollister's to Sacra-
msnto there are orchards, but not 80 continu-
eusly. There are good many orchards on
Grand Island and that vicinity. Trees have
been killed by the sipage water standing
around their roots. The levees hold tha
water up higher since the filling up of the
channel and make the sipage water. gem
orally, while Captain, at points above RIO
Vista, was either in the pilot-house or on the
hurricane deck, and could see over the coun-
try. Sherman Island is nearly covered now.
That island is much smaller than when first
knew it. The Pocket, / understand, is the
bend in the river between the Riverside and
Freeport. The tuls water goes down about
the same time each year on the west side, but
that on the east side does not go out go
early The drainage on the east side has
been interfered with by several distractions
one being the railroad bed of the old line
from Freeport to Brighton.
Afternoon Session.
Cross examination of Captain Foster-tTo
Mr.. Catlin) u have here a statement OF the
freight we carried during the year $780, tits
269, ,172, 166 pounds. That includes 3S, ,992 050
pounds that have been transferred from up
river boats to other boats at Sacramento. The
actual weight of produce and freight would
therefore be only 23O, 1S0 116 pounds, or
nearly l35, 600 tons Of freight. The steamers
on the up-river weat as far as Mcintosh
Landing, 200 miles from Sacramento city.
I should judge that in 1850 there were at
times twenty.f FIVE to thirty vessels at Sacra-
meGto city at one time some Of the schooners
were more than of a hundred tons burden. I
should think that thirty was about as many
as was here at one time. [ don't know as L
ever saw full-rigged ship in the Sacramento
harl Tbery bcu Eca have TEn
larger steamers were sometimes, when heavily
ladened detained on the Hogs Back. The
Senator wes built fer an ocean vessel. The
New Worldcame around the Horn with steam.
The Senator formerly ran between New York
and st. Johns. The Wilson g. Hunt and
Confidence were built for the Hudson river
travel 1t was in the winter Of 1862
that 1 went to Patterson's on the American
river in the steamer Governor Dana. I am
quite positive that it was in 1862. Left here
at A. NJ. and got back to the bridge at just
dark. The American at that time could have
been safely navigated for a couple of weeks.
The next steamer that went to Patterson's
was the steamer Gem.
Went out on several trips to the Patterson
landing, and on her last trip was grounded
near Agricultural Park. The accident YVES
occasioped by her being drawn through a
break. Her tonnage was about 200 TONS
The steamer Pike also made several trips the
same as the Gem. The trees bothered some
and there were bars near the upper landing.
The city was overfiowed AZ this time. The
water continued high through January and
February, 1862. The water stood at about.
twenty -four feet at the K-strees gauge. The
country was then overEowed ives. as far as
Swingles, seven or efght mile and south
Of that il was fra miles wido. The
OF fhot ffuna
Closing up the mouths Of the slGughs, and
building high levees, has caused the water to
rise higher in the channels [ don't know
the hight of the river in 1852. In 1862 is
was "a feet and last year 265 feet. Feather
river empties into the Sacramento % miles
by the river above Sacramento city. Tha
f1ods at Red BlaI have never sircs been as
higa as they were in 1862. Eddy's Land ng Is
c2 miles above Knights Landing. From there
has been good leVe9 extending down to
Kirksyills.
ALL THE DEBRIS
[ think comes ous of the Feather and Amer
lean rivers. At low water now the fil-
ing OF the Sacramento at the mouth of
the Feather backs up the water in the
Sacramento river. Haycock shoals was per-
ceptible in 1S49. It wss not very percsp.
tibie, however, till 1860 The old Steam
Navigation Company built dams for ths i'm
provement of these shoals before the Central
Pacific commenced steamboating. Think
they were built since 1865. | was running
on the Chrysopolis when the dam was built
on Little Hogs Back. The real competition
of the river traffic commenced with the COM
pletion of the California Pacific Railroad.
The California Pacific secured the river boats
in 1870. In handling wheat in large quaGti-
ties it can be handled cheaper by steamers
and barges than by any other way. The
steamers running to Msrysville land at that
point three-quarters of mile this side OF the
old landing. Freights have at no time in the
past been as low on the river as they are at
present. The Feather river is considerably
larger than the American. It is longer and
has larger tributaries. The Yuba in low
water is about the size of the American, Tho
Yuba enters the Feather 35 steamboat miles
above its mouth. The Sacramento river re-
ceives large amounts Of debris from the
Feather. The banks in the upper Sacra.
mento wash down considerably, and always
have. The channel has changed in several
places since first saw il. From Butte City
to Red Bluff these changes are frequent.
THE NAVIGATION
OF the Sacramento river now is through Old
river, and not Steamboat slough Think
our steamers have been running regularly
there siuce 1873. There have been Seasons
in the summer when they have had deeper
water 10 Old river ia later times than in eslly
days. There are some bars in it. Srpposing
that there are large amounts of water stored
in reservoirs and lakes at the hesdwaters Of
the American and other mountain rivers,
and tbat during the summer season there is
a regular and uniform discharge into Tie riy-
era, then il there is direct communication
with the rivers from the reservoirs, and no
waste over evaporating surface, ETC., it would
tend to improve navigation in low water.
think the natural basins above here have kept
the Sacramento up, for instance. think
this year tho navigation from here up TO
Fremont has been as good as in 1Si9.
Most people would not notice
that in looking at the volume
of water in the river below. Between the
low-water marks of 1Si9 and of 1860 there
was difference according TO gauge can't
say how much, but as between that Of '49
and '68 I'd say the latter is two fee. higher.
The cutting OF the new mouth Of the Ameri-
can river did not cause less sediment to come
into the Sacramento river below. The e6dies
at the piers of the bridge cause sand bars.
Opposition was made to the bridge because
they said It would cause bars to form, but it
has not caused bars to any great extent. The
river at the low water ruus much further
west than formerly above the bridge and that
causes an eddy below the bridge. Sutteryille
was started in 1853 because it was on higher