Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-17
DEBRIS.
poR7v-rHrRD DAY OF THE sEICKENs
CASE IN COURT.
Testimony for the Defense-Evidence Of
a Miner, a Banker. Physician
and Civil Engineer.

The debris case was resumed yesterday at 9:3o A.
N Judge Temple presiding.
Jim C. Pierson, County Surveyor, was recalled
and asked by Ar. Catlin to identify certain maps
and profles made under his direction. He also
testified in regari to the amount OF water in the
tule in Yolo county during the foods OF 1882 and
1879 The water attained greater hight in the tule
in 1862 than it has since. Witness described the
surveys made by him in the YoIo basin from sacra-
mento TO the Montszuma hills
Daniel c. Webster sworn for the defense. CTo Mr..
Byrne)-Live at Volcanoville, in Il dorado county,
and have since 1853 Been in that section since
1850. Very few men were engaged mining on the
divide then, but from 900 to Is 600 men obtained
supplies from Georgetown in 1853 Above Volcano
vile there are some 50 60 slides, large and small
One above Pilot creek is some threef0urths OF
mile long and 20 rods wide, and of average depth
of 20 feet One IS further up the north side OF
the South Fork of at lelst 40 acres, but 1 never
measured it. 1t is about 5OO feet long and 100 feet
deep. Another is on the Middle Fork of the Middle
Fork 1t is at least 40 acres, but not SO deep as
some Another is or the side OF Mount Gregory, is
three-fourth5 of mile long and one fourth of a
mile wide, and from 10 to 90 feet deep. An1ther is
at where VolcanovilIe canyon empties into the
river. 1t mas gone out in part 200 feet deep. 1t
is mile long. I've seen others stiH higher up on
the Middle and South Fork. I've seen them at 8
distance. Around Yolcanoville are number of
small ones. These slides on the South Fork expose
soft granite; on the Middle Fork it is slate. This
exposure washes continually, and forms common
sand, and it goes into the South Fork, and from
there to the Middle Fork, and suppose must reach
the Sacramento. Tha: which will come in the
future into the river Will be very heavy material
and hard to work out. That recently deposited,
say within five or six years, is heavy IL is now in
the bed of the Middle Fork That bed has been
filled for eight miles, on an average to depth Of
80 feet. Where deep pools and RIFLES were, now
is all filed up. Above Ford's Bar, near the
mouth of Otter creek, the fill is 40 feet
I know of instances where this material has re-
cemented in the bed Of the river. In working this
material the second time 1t has to be blasted with
powder This material Is almost as compact as it
in its natural or original bed Have seen shafts
sunk to a depth OF fifty feet in this debris filing
and it has been found to be as compact as was the
original bed Of the river The Middle Fork, at Vol
canovllle when the river is full, IS 125 yards wide
Vast gu antities of water flows through this river
during food times with quite strong current
Cross-examination Thy Mr. -Yolcanoville is
situated between the Middle Fork of the American
river and Otter creek. The early mining on the
Georgetown divide was very extensive and there
at least 900 men engaged in the working Of
the placer Tayines and gulches in that reglen
There were very few gravel deposits worked in the
early days. The proportion OF gravel in the material
OF the early mining not more than ten per cent.
OF the who G. There was in the neghborhood Of
1000 600 cubic yards worked off in the early mining
in the neighborh0od OF foicanoVile There has been
perhaps 100000 cubic yards removed by the hy-
draulIc process at that point The material moved
in the hydraulic mines is mostly heavy gravel and
powders. On the surface we find few feet OF red
earth and volcanic ash. In some places the
gravel deposit is capped with heavy layer of hard
lava. The Dardanelles mine is Gu the opposite side
Of the river from Volcaneyille, about mile and
half below. Witness described the channel of the
river in the neghborhood of Yolcanoville the falls
rifles and depth Of the filing The river began to
grade itself in 1858 ALI the natural falls and rifles
have been covered to great depth, and the river
now presents an even, regular grade Tie Darda
nelles dump has forme1 dam in the river, and
stopped the flow Of debris from above. When the
river i5 low opposite the Dardanelles damp the
water runs on the Ii Dorado side. The material of
that dump is powders, eobbles, gravel and
sand. Some Of the bcwlders in that mine
weigh great many tons. The canyons putting into
the river in the neighborhood discharge matter into
the river that is very heavy and when set loose rolls
into the river without aid The river has been
graded not below Ford's Bar, but from there up it
has as far as there has been any hydraulic mining
That is, the holes have been filed up and the water
runs faster places. and smoother all along, over
more even grade The river is wider, spread over
more ground, and is filed up. I've seen rocks In
the dam (that begins the fall Of 30 feet) weighing
BOD pounds, more or less 1hnk the rst Slide de-
scribed was in the winter Of 1862. No mining
was going on then. Where it occurred the noun.
tain side covered with trees The river had
been rising rapidly, then stopped almost suddenly,
and then came in great volume, bearing tree
debris, etc After that we saw where the slide had
taken place. The next slide, on the Middle Fork of
the Middle Fork. the same winter. Saw the ef.
fect5 Of it. Ordinarily the slides go right away
wash down the river. Very lit OF the material
OF the slides is there now. The other
slide at the mouth of Volcanoville
canyon l measured, but did not mathemat cally
estimate the cubic ysrds. saw that slide. 1t was
mile long, 200 feet deep and upwards at the head
and narrow at the foot. 1t went out slowly was all
winter going out. It nearly all went down the
river. Slides have occurred that did not carry much
rock or eo61!e. There are plenty OF places on the
cuts where you can dir 100 feet and not strike
rock. Plenty ei places reveal only pipe-clay and
lava clay. The material from the slide that took
place in 1882 weut down the river in that season.
From Voca owl down, don't think the grade of
the river will exceed twenty feet TO the mile Don't
think ] ever the current run tWeutY-four miles
an hour. The serpeutine belt is composed of soap
stone, stelti e. etc. can't describe its geological
formation. kedirect-The Middle Fork and North
Fork about Of size. ecross-exaIoination.-
Saw places when 1 went up the river, in 1928
where there had been great slideS-miles in ex ent
but saw no evidences of recent slides At Van.
kee Slide the noun ain-side had broken down m
the past for three quarters of mile. Have seen
many of these ancient slides. Think l could easily
lind fifty, and some OF them very large.
r. G. Snea'h, sworn for defense To Mr. Bel.
sher)-I live in San Mateo county and San Fran
cisco. Came to California in the spring of 1850
For twenty years was a erchant since then
farmer and banker. Merchandsed all over the
State in Sacramento ten years, Salt Lake Red
Bluff Placervllle, etc. Own lands in the State ;
most in one place is in San Mateo csuntY-2, 500
acres. = hat land drains into the bay OF San Fran
cisco. The wash of that land, and the effect of
storms, is into the bay. 1t is sandy soil, and the
wash is to the bay l can't piow it, enly to get it
into permanent grasses. Pye made a sketch of one
ravine shDvrno y yyael, into fhe hav The win
is $50 feet long at the place of greatest wash D-
vided into four sections show the branches. No. l
is the main body of the ravine In six years past
the wash IN the raviae has been observed by me- At
foot bridge there it six feet wide and six feet
deep 1t is les feet wide and &C feet deep on the
average. Directly above it the rayine is about the
sarne shape it was before. The plowing OF the
land along the sides has undoubtedly deposited
there. In the summer very little water
runs in the ravine. lwItiless described the wash
the OF the banks and the flow of the sand into
the bayl To stop the deposit he built dam across
the lower point OF the raviEe The deposit is sed-
mentary, and includes redwood stumps, twigs
Srauches, etc, aud these he had found thirty feet
below the surface. The entire amount of material
carried out-the total wa.h-he placed at three
times 60 600 cubic yards The latter figure was the
wash for he last six years. The deposit went upon
the low lands along the bay The grade in my ravine
is probably ten feet in the first 500 feet above the
dam. In the winter u considerable stream runs
through Lux & Miller'5 lands near there, in LuA's
valley. The grade is very light. There has
been no WASH IN the valley, Dut from
the hill sides the valley has been filed up
have seen two fences covered up in that valley
They have had TO raise the railroad several times
TWAS raised several feet duriog the past year. Mr.
Luxs house is situated juseast of the railroad sher
distance. The house originally stood on side hi
but the filing of the valley by debris has been to
such extent thst the house ROW stands ia the
center Of basin. All Of this filing is the result of
natural wash wblch is mostly attributable TO agri-
culture The cultivation of the soil is the principal
cause ii natural wash. In some places the natural
soil, wh plowed washes to such an extent T. at
the land is destroyed. / am acquainted with
the timber het OF TshaTna and Butte counties The
companies with which am interested cut annually
from fifteen to forty millions of feet of lumber
The denudiug Of the forests and the construction of
logging walks has added greatly to the natural
wash Have cattle on my place in San Matee
county. Cattle in travelling usually follow in line
form trails, and the winter rains gully out those
trails and my place there some OF those trails
that have washed out TO the depth of several feet
Cross-eXamination ito Mr.. Hirt)-Know that in
San Nateo the ecsan has formed sand hills of sea
beach sand The land and soil / described Is not
all sea beach sand but other material There js a
slight admiXture Of clsyey matter The soil of the
Saeramento valley is much more alluvial stream
in San Matso on my place would carry some sand
all the time Flowing did not the wash in the
bottom OF the sixty six feet gully or ravne Plow.
ing was had the sides. Powing on the sides
will increase the wash, for broader stream will
wash out on plowed sides faster. Don't tn nix
stream washes most on the bottom That stream
he referred to is small one, and the wash was
caused more by caving in than by wash at the bot
tom. Have seen sand bars that have formed at the
nnosth Of the American river. stream like the