Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-16

in the drainage Of the Yuba, is material that il
very hard, coarse and dense. When deposited IL
the river by water it will become solid there SO thai
water will not move it
o-state your knowledge of the Yubs floods anc
overfioxs?
A.-WelI. nv knowledge of the Yuba floods and
overfiows is that the Yubas have overhowed ths
lands along the Yu and below the foothills on
both sides II the river four or five times since have
been in the State.
On that respect what effect would the filling
OF the channels Of the Feather and Sacramento rv-
ers to the depth Of FIVE ten fe OF sediment have
upon the hight and width Of the flood overfows oi
the Sacramento val eyf
Al do not think it would have much effect, fol
the reason that tine bed OF the river where the de
posts is very narrow, and the amount Of watel
that the small trough or basin OF the river would
hold would not add anything to the hight OF the
water when the water is spread over an area OF II
or 20 miles in width. do not thi k it would make
the one-sxteenth part Of On inch difference IN Q
high flood in elevation.
Q-Stats the capacity Of the reservoirs OF the
Yuba drainage area.
A.-They have q capacity to hold IL, OO0 lnehes Oh
water for five months Of the year.
Q.-Stafe the effect OF these reservoirs on the
winter fl f,ds.
A.-TiI effs ct is that the amount Of wat stored
in them keep. out of the river in times OF high
water
Q-To what extent would it le sen the fl cd
A-To the extent OF the storage.
Q->tte the effect upon the navigabilty Oh the
rivers in the summer or dry season.
Att adds to the quantity Of water in the river
the amount that is stored in the winter.
O. What has been the effect of the deposit OF
dense material coming from the deep gravel mines
10 the Yuba riyerf
At has had the effect to build natural dams
and distractions to the water and to hold back the
fine material that was put in there by the plaeers
and the higher diggngs in early days, and the rais
the grade of the river and destroying the velocity OF
the water.
Q.-Give on illustration.
A.-Well, at Smai tsville, where l am failing at
about $50 feet high The river, when went there,
was about $50 feet wide. Now 1t is about 900 feet
wide. The water was tarreLt during floods when
first went there. 1t went down in perfect torrent
and now the water comes down smooth, and the
river there is as smooth it is at Mary svile or in
the valley.
Q-State whether It projects the tailings across
and makes dams.
A-Certainly they do it. They form . dam at
every dump along the Yuba river where this coarse
is dumped in they have formed dams along
there 1.-THE gravel and coarse rock build their own
dams, and it has tendency to hold back any fine
that may come in from above.
Q-Referring to whas you say Is the very dense,
coarse material that has been worked and is
now being worked in the mines, what effect has that
in holding the dams in place
Alt holds them because it is adding to them
all the time. The coarser rock that is worked all the
time forms dams there Those coarse rocks act as
anchors to hold back the fine material that has been
placed there heretofore.
Q-what effect has this heavy material that IS
now being worked projected upon those DAMS in re-
straining the natural wash
Alt has the effect to restrain the natural wash,
or any other wash that may come. 1t restraints any
fine material that comes down the river 1t takes
large proportion OF the fine material to hil In the
l.N,,. NlAaA rralr
Q-Have you examined the Gold Run mine, or
will ask you first TO give other Illustrations Of the
same naturef
A-Well. could only illustrate that to you; tine
bed of the river now, in my judgment is very much
like it was in early days when we first found If.
Q-How do these effects compare with the effects
on Bear river.'
Al think ey are similar to Bear river. l saw
some dams on Bear river some four years ago The
Polar Star dam saw on the 10th day of last Novem
Der, and 1t has added TO the hight Of it, and think
that every year it has been increased in strength.
1t is there intact now as it was four years ago.
Q.-What effect has the foods had on the dams
YOU have referred to?
A-The food did not appear 20 have any effect
upon it, any more than to make it more solid and
C impact
Q.-With reference to the early mi. ing in the
river and the movement OF the immense amount
you refer to- from five TO forty feet deep. from 100
to 500 feet wde and ninety miles long, do the dams
hold back that material do they project it ahead
Al want to say here that the gravel was not
continuous ninety miles.
Q.-What was the length of it
Al should judge about forty miles. The rivers
were ninety miles but the gravel was not contin-
uous. There were places in the river where no
gravel was found.
Q.-Wa3 the effect OF the displacement OF material
TO project it aheed?
At projected itsef ahead and it is that mate
rial that has found its way to the lower rivers, it
being so much lighter than that we have been put
fort tbat last pi,r u
in those days close to the valleys. They mined
in the lower benches next 70 the river The present
mining is farther away.
Q-Did the early placer mining form dams in the
river
A.-No, sir; it could not, for the placer wss
face mining and in light gravel the largest quantity
being float matter
Al have, sir. ! examined it, think, on the
18th of last November ..
Odd you at the same time examine the North
Fork of the American river below canyon creek and
The Cola Run mine?
A-Yes | came down from Pickering's Bar to
Rices bridge. The upper deposit i'll the Gold Run
miue has been washed off and there is only there
what call the lower channel. There is some of the
top gravel on the lin rock on both sides OF the
channel, but right there the channel for distance
OF N le, l judge, is stripped of gravel and the
blue gravel is exposed.
Q9~hat is the charac er of the bottom material
with reference to the character of the material you
itself and formed dams?
Alt is similar in formation and appearance.
O. Describe the method of working in the Gold
Run mine.
A.-ihe method of working in that mine is the
same that have carried on myself for years, and
which had been carried on four years prior to my
coming California, working gravel by the use of
water
o.-state whether that has been the universal
method for twenty eight years within your knowl-
edge?
At has, sir.
Q-Is there any other method by which that mine
could be worked
A.-There is no other method that I know that
YOU can extract the gold from gravel and Gem mt
other than the way they are working the Gold Kun
mine.
between Rice's bridge and the Gold Run dump.
A-The deposit in the river from Pickering's Bar
to Rices bridge is similar in character to the bed OF
the Yuba river VIXEN came there in 1858.
Q.-Has this mater al impounded itself.
Ayes, it certainly has, or it would not have
been there.
Q.-To what extent does it hold itself in place!
Alt holds itself to The extent that there are
large amounts of 1t up next 10 Canyon creek. and
when we come down the river about eight miles we
find that it is very much lighter Certainly that is
evident fact that it is holding ITSELF or it would
not be up there. 1t commences at Canyon creek,
and there is some at Pickerings Bar.
Q.-Compare this material SO imp1unded with
the sand and gravel on the Yuba river, in the beds
and bars, that was removed by manual labor in early
years, aud could not be removed by the flood water.
A-They similar i'll character.
Q.-What is the character of the Gold Run sands,
with reference to mica?
Al SAW no mica in the God Run mine or in
the North Fork OF the American river, as far
travelled up above Rice's Bridge.
Odd you find formations there that would
yield mica?
Al did not found nothing but cement and
slate, and have never seen any mica in any Of the
old blue gravel channels that have examined,
Q.-Where do those micaceouS sands come from :
A.-From granite formations.
Q.-Are there any granite formations in the Gold
Run mine?
Al saw none.
Odd you examine to ascertain whether there
were any there?
A.-Not with that object But saw nothing
there but sate-sate rock. never saw any gran
ite in slate ck
Q-Have you examined the American river from
Sacramento to Folsom
Al have.
Q.-why did you examine it
Al examined it to see how it was in relation to
mi, ing material being deposited there.
Q.-What did you find IN that examination
Al found immense erosions in the banks OF the
river. Large quantities Of land had been washed
out.
O What amount of landi
Al should judge from Sacramento to Folsom,
on the south size OF the American river, there
have been about LOCO acres.
Q.-What caused ibe erosion Of the banks and
the washing away OF the thousand acres you speak
A.-The great foods
Q.-What effect had mining to do with itl
Al do not think mining had anything to DO
with it.
Q-State whether you saw evidences OF mining
on the river and its banks between Sacramento and
Folsom?