Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-05
THE DEUCE.
THE RIVER SCORES STILL HIGHER
rs FEET INCHES REGISTERED.
A Sensation Caused by False Report
Sacramento Safe and Sound
Broken Levees in Yolo-Wash-
ington Under Water.


wharf in front of the river gauge was sub
merged, tie heavens had clouded over again
and rain was commencing to fall, while in
the lower part of the city could be heard
heavy roaring on the opposite side of the
river, indicating fresh breaks in the leyees
and general flooding of Washington.
amid the darkness and gloom of the
terrible night. This was a little after yes
terday morning, and the outlook for the tim
idly disposed Was not cheerful The river
/ continued rising slowly until about o'clock
/ \, N when the hood-waters marked % feet
and inches at the gauge. which was six and
one-haf inches higher than the highest point
reached at the time of the next greatest flood
on record of any previous year, which oe
Cured January 20, 1873, when by the same
| gauge % feet III inches was marked. That
/ occasion was quite generally regarded the
maximum Of all probabilities for high water,
and when that record was discounted few
days since, people again shook their heads
/ wisely and supposed that at last the limit
had been reached. Now, however, from
! present experience, the former idea that
there was a bound fixed above which the
river would not pass is abandoned with
out argument, and people seem willing to
wait and see what shall come to pass, but
meantime are unanimously resolved to make
the city's deferses such that they viii with
stand all pressure that may be brought
against them, and which shall be such as TO
remove all doubts and fears of the future Sc
curity Of the city, even IN the minds of those
most tinidly disposed. Notwithstanding the
I greatly increased hight OF the river, even be-
yond point heretofore anticipated,
THE CITY LEVEFs STOOD SECURELY
And yesterday morning presented 40 appear
ance or groundsfor eleast apprehension. The
water ran within a few inches Of the top of
the embankment alta few places south Of o
street, but there was no weakness in
Dictated, and during the forenoon the
river commenced TO fall and before
noon had got back to 26 feet 3 inches
The following record Of the hight of the
river, taken from the K-street gauge, and
kept by George Beeler, the railroad com
pany's Waterman, at the steamboat freight
/ depot, Thursday evening, at 8 o'clock, shows
the movements of the river during the several
! hours which cover the highest flood measure.
ments 9 o'clock p NJ, it raised to the &c foot
l inch mark at TO- it was 26 feet inches at
II, 26 feet 8 inches at y, &c feet 8 inches
at A. NJ, 26 feet 81 inches; at 2 A. NJ. 20
feet a inches at A NJ 20 feet A inches;
at A. NJ, &c feet inches at A. NJ, 20 feet
6 inches; at 6 A. NJ, 26 feet a inches at
a. NJ, &c feet inches, at which point it re-
manned during the day.
THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE,
Appointed at the meeting of the Board of
Trade, and others, to act in conjunction with
the Board of City Trustees, and render such
aid as might be serviceable in guarding and
maintaining the city levees, held meeting
Yesterday at the Office of John T. Cary. MIR.
| Cary presided and E. K. Alsip acted as Sec
rotary. After free consultation and review
! of the present condition of affairs, and with
view to extending the means for watching
and guarding the levees. it was unanimously
resolved to suggest to the Board OF Trustees
| the following: That the levess from Brighton,
extending along thegnorth side and front of
the city to Y street, be divided into four de-
partments, each to be under the supervision
of a competent foreman who has had expert
ence in levee work, who shall have charge Of
! q gang Of y men, to be employed In watches of
6 ar d of six hours, to patrol the levees and do
such work as may become necessary to be done;
that 2, Geo sacks of earth be provided for use
in repairing any possible damage that may
result to the levees, to be placed on fiat cars
and distributed as follows Five hundred on
the north levee, 800 on the south or R.street
levee, 500 on the east or Brighton leyse, and
! 500 on Front street. It was also proposed
and finally decided to suggest to the Trustees
that ten men be sent 60 aid 10 watching the
| levee Immediately south Of Y street, as It
was of
VITAL INTEREST TO THE CITY
/ That no break should occur there, and the
condition of the levee in that distrc. had been
such that the men needed to be relieved
for rest.
The committee then called upon the Board
/ Of Trustees and laid their suggestions before
them, which were coEcurred in and adopted,
with the exception Of the proposition to send
ten men south Of Y street. This matter was
| discussed, and finally it was agreed that
8Iessrs. Miller and Ryan should 90 there at
once and Investigate the matter and report
as TO the advisability If taking such action.
They returned last evening, and recon
meuded that patrol be sent down for one
night to relieve the men there, and it was
understood ten men would go down last night.
ALMOST A PANIC FROM A FALSE ALARM.
About noon yesterday a couple of citizens,
who were driving along the side of the north
levee. between Twenty third and Twenty
fourth streets, struck quagmire which has
existed at that point for fifteen years, ana
which is deeper and softer at present than
usual on account of the heavy rains and high
waters. They went in, buggy and horse, and
had considerable difficulty in getting out.
They reported this piece of experience down
town, and when repeated by a few different
| ones was augmented and intensified as in
dicating bad place in the levee. Shortly
afterwards, in pursuance Of the arrangements
above referred to for putting quantity of
filed sacks along the levee for use in case Of
necessity, cars loaded with these sacks
were started out from the railroad
depot accompanied by several railroad
employees, going out to the junction
of the levee and the railroad trestle. The
II IL Z
ont as they did, together with the previous
exaggerated reports about the miring of the
horse and buggy, was at once coupled to-
gether. and word was given that the north
levee had broken. The alarm spread with
great rapidly, and at first it was stated that
there was break at Sixteenth and B streets,
and next that it was at Twenty-fourth street.
A milkman came into the city and in an eX-
cited manner said he saw the water pouring
through the lavee. Two or three men came
riding through the streets as fast as they
could go, crying out that the north levee had
broken, which
CREATED ALMOST PANIC.
The men at the railroad shops at once quit
work and made for their homes, and soon
general CONSERVATION prevailed throughout
the CITY, Carriages and horses were at a pre-
MUM, and were seen.fying in all directions
toward the supposed point Of disaster. In
fact it was big scare, and hundreds of citi-
zens began TO pack up their household gods
for removal The City Trustees and Cit
liens Committee Immediately Investigated
the matter, and found there was no cause for
the alarm, and no accounting for the false
report. only as above stated.
A RECORD UNION representative, In CON-
pany with II. NJ. Larue and Others, immedi-
ately started for a tour of the levees. Taking
/ the top of The levee at Nineteenth street.-The
condition below that point being known to be
good-the levee was followed out from the
|; CITY and found to be as follows: At Nine
, teenth street the water was perfectly slack
; and dead, and was about Al or a feet below
the top of the levee. with not the slightest
perceptible wash. The levee is tall, very
broad and solid structure, and even IN the
minds of the most cautious and timid can In
spire no other feeling than that OF confidence
At the point between Twenty-third and
Twenty fourth streets
THE QUAGMIRE WAS FOUND.
Here was some sipage, which came appa
rently through the levee. The channel Oh
drain cut some years ago along the road so al
/ to drain It, has been filed with water iron
/ the recent rains, and some of the bank on the
J levee side has caved down or sunk, caused by
J the soft state of the soil, or quicksand whlet
is underneath. Opposite of this point anc
for some distance above and below, the leyet
: is thoroughly riprapped w. Z. Knox st. tei
: that careful attention was Maid to this placs