Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-23

was originally dark adobe. when LETT there
two years ago, the slickens deposit varied in
depth, over a very wide scope of country,
from one and half to two feet. / falmed
s!ickens land for four years. and never sue.
ceedsd in raising crop on that character OF
sill This deposit has destroyed the pre-
ductiveness of the land, and greatly depreci-
ated its market value. All farming on
slickens land from this canal has proven
failure, and it has broken up all who have
have engaged in trying to cultivate it.
Cross examination 10y w. @. Belcher)-The
water in this canal was very thick. | raised
but very slight crops on sediment lands. The
land is not worth SO much, neither is it as
productive since its being covered with slick
ems as it was before. | am at present living
at Gfidley Station. and am engaged In farm
ing. The canal from the Cherokee mines
ernpties into sioughs. [ have known the
land in that neighborhood for the last ten
years. The basin at the mouth of that canal
has been frequently covered with water dsr-
ing food times. l bought my land for 81 80
and $40 per acre and sold it for S3S. sold
to the Spring Valley Company. l had a
suit against that company for damages, and
we compromised on S3S per acre. They had
covered up s. crop for me. The land when l
sold it was TO me worthless. The crop was
worth SIS per acre. l know nothing of the
land since I sold it. [ don't know of the
Spripg Valley Companys selling any of that
Land lately.
W. S. Green sworn. Direct-examination
10y Attorney General Hart)-I reside in
Colusa county, and am engaged in Che publi-
cation of q newspaper. | have been there
since 1850, and have been engaged in farming
and surveying most of the time since. Up to
1868 l was on farm near the town of Co.
lusa. My place was almost due west of the
town of Williams. In 1862 and 1868 farmed
some on Grand Island The drainage of the
Sacramento river on the west side is that por-
tion that is in the watershed of Stony creek.
The head of Stony creek is near Mt. st.
John. This creek has numerous tributaries.
The soil through which Stony creek runs is
alluvial. There is a great deal of chaparral
in the section drained by that creek.
Wherever chaparral grows the soil is light
and alluvial and easily washed. The farms
in the Stony creek basin are very small.
There has been more or less farming
in that locality since I first saw it
in 1885, The raising of all kinds of
live stock also has been quite an
in dustry since 1860. A great many were en-
gagged in cattle-raising as early as 1856.
Stony creek is dry at its mouth during the
summer season. During the rainy season it
is quite muddy, but its waters are entirely of
different character from the waters of
stream flowing from mining region. This
creek near its mouth frequently oveIfows its
banks. The deposit from the overflow is
considerable less than quarter of an inch in
thickness. The Sacramento river in 1872
was very clear stream during the summer,
and in the winter carried about the same
amount of sediment that Stony creek does.
Witness described the basin from Knights
Landing to Coiuss. The basin is frequently
filed with water. I do not think there has
been half an inch Of debris deposited in
this basin in the last twenty years. On the
east side of the river there is also a basin.
The water in the east basin does not stay so
long, and does not stand, but flows with
current. The debris deposit in this section is
very deep. There is no deposit in the Sacra-
mento river channel at all at the town of
Colusa. In driving piles for the bridge there
We found the gravelly bottom with no deposit
of sediment resting upon it, The river water
at Colusa in the summer time is quite clear.
Cross-examination( (by w. G. Belcher)-The
first creek below Willows is Courtaine, the
next below is Sand creek. Sand creek broke
through and washed out the railroad in 1878
Red rolling lands lie on each side Of Steny
creek to within short distance of its mouth.
The plains were taken up and farmed
as early as 1854. Farming did not amount
to much until 1866 Farming in aud around |
Newville commenced on pretty large scale
as early as 1862 There were great many
sheep in that section prior to 1860. Logans
creek has deposited considerable debris on the |
land near its mouth. Sand creek heads on
the ridge between Bear creek and the plains. |
It is perhaps eight miles III length, and has a
small watershed. Sand creek, where it comes
into the plains, is about 100 feet wide and
10 inches deep. This creek has natural
wash On the land near its mouth. Those creeks
prior to the cultivation of the soil and the graz
ing of stock in the mountains were quite muddy
and carried great deal of sediment. Ali of
those streams carry more or less debriss |
during high water. ] did some surveying |
for party ON Sand creek in 1856, and / think |
the coalition of the channel now is about the |
same as it was then. The lower valley of |
Stony creek has filed with sediment but |
very little. 1 think nearly all Of the debris |
from Stony creek is carried into tie river. |
At Colusa there is sandbar forty acres in |
extent. There are sandbars throughout the |
river above Colusa. They keep shifting all |
the time. This bar at Colusa has been form |
ing since 1850, but most of it has formed |
since 1870. Butte creek discharges into Sut- |
ter slough.
Court adjourned at 5 P. M to meet at $3.50 |
A. M. to day.