Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-10
DEBRIS.
rHIRrY-sEvsETH DAY CT TIE s.IcKEHs
CASE IN COURT.
Festiuouy of a Farmer, a Rancher and a
Civil Engineer = Effects OF Land
Slides and Natural Wash.

The debris cass-the People of the State Of
California vs.. the Cold Run Ditch and Min
ing Compauy-was resumed at 10 A. N. yes
terday in Department Two of the Superior
Court, Judge jackson Temple presiding.
Washington Fern sworn for the defense.
Direct examination 10y A. P. Catlin)-I am
farmer on the east bank of the Sacramento
river. three or four miles south of this city. l
have 40 acres Of land and Sc rods frontage
on the river. 1 have 80 acres of high soil,
and the balance is tuie. 1 have been farm
Jog there since 1852. Ibave some bored wells
On my place-nesr my house on the high
land. We have to bore about Is feet for
wafer. The water is quite hard; we use itfo
domestic purposes. l do not know how high
the water rises in the wells. The river water
is quite soft. Last winter there was a break
in the leyee opposite my place. AT that point
the levee was six feet high. thirty feet base,
and four feet wide on the top. That levee
was constructed since 1862 It has withstood
all tie floods uotil that of iass seasou. 1t
broke there twice last winter. The break
was 1856 feet long. The water that flowed
through the break was $50 feet wide, ana
from two to nine feet deep. / do not know
what proportion of the water of the river ran
through the break. The waters flowed
through this break about ak weeks. Il was
repaired by driving plies and putting in
sack dam. The water remained on
my, place for quite white, and the
land could not be used during the
entire season. There wls deposit came in
on one portion of my place to depth of about
two feet. planted sweet potatoes In that
debris deposit, and raised fine, large and
abundant crop of potatoes. The deposit on
my land varies from eight inches to two aud
hs feet. The upper field l uge for hop
field. Tule would grow en- all Of this deposit,
did / not keep it down by blowing | think
this deposit benefit to the tule land, and
would like to have much more of the same
kind. When the river gets to hight OF Is or
90 feet, we have considerable sipage. 1t
does not come through the levees, but
through the soil that underlies the
levees Oar back-Water comes through
Willow slough. The drainage canal
from Sacramento city az times floods
Mr. Gees plscs and then comes on to my
lard. Grundon or Hooker Lake is about 8
quarter Of mile from my place. When Is
oyeriows it affects my place also. | cant
cay rs to the effect of the tide water in the
river opposite my place of late years. For
merly il was quite perceptible. The watsr
from Besch's Lake packs up into Hooker
Lake almost every winter. Il has done
this every winter eXcspt one since | have
ivsd there We formed evee district few
years ago and expended $40, 900 in digging a
canal and making leyees in order to keep the
Pocket from Overlooking. This Pocket is in
the shape Of horseshoe, and is formed by
a bend in the Sacramento river. The break
In toe levee opposite my place was caused by
gophers. The river also was very high.
Bssch's Lake l am not much acquainted
with. Ever since the Lovedal break, some
three or four years ago, the level of she wa
ter in those lakes has been higher. | do net
know the cause. There is more drainage
into Willow slough than formerly. These
lakes lie at the edge of the high ground. /
never have seen water Going through the
levees, except where they vera mined By
eophers. The new levee has always stood in
tact except where the gophers have furrowed
in it.
CIoss-examination 10y George Cadwaladerl
My land slopes from the river into the
tules. My house Is on the bank of an old
slough. The ground on which it is built is
higher than the surrounding land. There is
no psrson living between my place and the
tu!es. l formerly owned the place east OF
me. It has been cultivated ever since 1852.
[ don't know whether there was any hardpan
where we bored the well or not. There was
q deposit on my yard of eight inches, left by
the overf1w. Near the county road it
washed out the surface considerably. There
il tNo feet of deposit in front of my house.
East Of the cluuty road there is quite sandy
deposit. The sweet potato patch that |
speak of was planted ia deposit of yellow
ish sand two feet in depth in the northwest
corner Of my place. l put those in for an
exp, riment, and told soma of my friends Of
the pr iductiyeRess OF the sandy deposit. The
faos got out, aad some OF the attorneys got
hold of Z, AID I was suhpenaed here
h-re no taiIiGZ Interests. Back
water his hurt Is 10 great ex.
tent ! wogld rahr the river would
ovsff5w my place twenty times than be coy
cred p.i,h backwa.er TINS backwater de-
stray orr cr3rs. The overflow from the river
leav-s = sandy deposit, which is Of value to
us, l. b, ing productive spi'. Ga the west side
of the Pocket there il considerable sipage.
On udge Reefs place there are six small
bitches aug for the purpose of draining of
the sipace. None Gf those bitches run up u
The lev5es. The sipaee from the river comes
unaer the leves. If il wers not for the
gcpiers oar levees would afford protection.
Thu water cosid pour oveC the top OF those
leyees 20 :. depth Of t foot and they would
not wash away. know that the break at
my place was caused by gophers. The break
st ry place occurred between II o'clock
ami daylight. The tule back of my
place Las been partially filed with
sediment brought in by the overflow.
froIa the break last February. Water on my
place was of various depths-from twelve to
two feet. East of my place. about mile and
"a half we find what we term high land
IE.,Earst 4ar.rl Tharo ,sp N 10 10
or, ssed by the Fteepolt road. This road
crosses the drainage canal. Grundon lake
is owned by four different parties. Willow
slough runs between the lands of Winters AID
Gee The drainage canal does not run into
Willow slough. The waters of Bsach's lake
rise faster than the GIuadon lake, from the
fact that it has moIe inless and drains
greater ARA. The water in the river at the
tine & the break at ny place was within
loss OF our back land is largely due to the city
drainage canal. Our front land we have lost
none VI il. L am not u,uch acquainted with
the land bslow me along the river. Our land
Is tule land.
Attorney General Hart desired to recall L.
+. Bsssett for further cross-examinatio0.
OBJECTED to by counsel for the defense.
Court sustained the objection.
The Attorney. General excepted to the ruiz
ing OF bne C6uTe, and stated that ne oIIereu
to prove by the witEe.s that the soil i'm
msdiately underlying the city is very porous
aud full Of hoieR, so much So, that il an ex
ovation is made, and the earth smooth sliced
d,gn With spAde, very many # Them can
be seen in square foot of surfscs. tn Sc
holes are undoubtedly what were once the
roots Of trees and plants, which forced their
wav through the soil, finally dying, rotting,
and leaving hole where q root had formerly
been. These holes are partially due, also, 10
the boring of earth worm. These holes
made by the roots and worms referred to,
weaving and interlacing as they GO, give
ready chancs for the passage of water through
the soil. Ic digging down below the sipage
line, AZ in digging wells, and then keeping The
water down by pumping, the water can be
seen coming in through these boles, some
times in strong squirts. which run for long
tine without becoming exhausted, showing
that they connect with other holes for q long
distance back in the soil.
A. A. HOWARD
Sworn Direct examination Thy A. B. DID
bls)-I reside in Piacerville, Ell Dorado coun-
tv. l was in Sacramento city in August.
1850. ] saw the Sacramento river at that
time. | was ten or twelve niles above here
in September, and ci1 ped on the banks OF
the cramento river. l saw drift wood
lodged in the timber fifteen feet above the
plsce wh.rs slept l have lived in FL Do.
RADIO county sincs July 1850. The FIRST i've