Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-23
DEBRIS.
roRTY-EIGHrH DAY OF TIE sLIcKENs
CASE IN COURT.
Evidence Of the Prosecution in Rebuttal-
Testimony of General Bidwel1, W.
S Green and others.

The debris case was resumed at $50 A. NJ.
Saturday, Judge Jackson Temple presiding.
Cross-examinatisn of Mr.. Allardt 10y W.
G. Belcher)-I made careful examination or
instrumental survey Of all the largest mining
excavations along the Yuba river. Mr..
Manson, Mr.. Won Schmidt and myself made
the survey Of the river. We had transit
and leveling party. Mr.. Manson had
charge of the party furnished by the State
Engineer. A stone six inches in diameter
will weigh about ten pounds. The lower
strata in the North Bloomfield mine,
to the best of my recollection, is
composed of heavy, rocky material. firmly
cemented. This heavy material has to be
blasted with powder to dislodge and enable
its being washed. ] was in the North Bloom
field mine on three or four occasions, and re-
manned couple of hours each time. The
main channel of the mine is of this heavy ma.
terial. The sides are OF the material de-
scribed yesterday. made 20 critical ex-
animation as to the rim rock. When / was
last at the mine they were working in the
main channel. The material being washed
was cemented cobble and rocks, very little
sand, and firmly cemented saw large
number of men at work in tie main channel,
and on the high bank. [ noticed Chinaman
stationed at point where he watched the
high bank, and his duty was to give warning
to the miners when there was danger Of
the banks cavinG. I saw about twenty men
breaking up material, piping and blasting. [
personally visited the mines which I enun,er-
ated yesterday. l visited French Corral,
Birchville and hlanzanita have no distinct
recollection of the mines at those points. l
don't know the name of the mine l visited at
Brchville. It was an old pit above Birch
vile. The material of that pit was coarse
and heavy, and similar to that of the Milton
Company mine at Maozanita Hill. l cannot
recall to memory at this time the appearance
of those pits, as visited them two years ago.
I made the examination of those mines TO
ascertain the amount of material mined in
the Yuba basin, and not as to the character
of the material washed. Witness de-
scribad the instruments used in making the
Investigations Of the Yuba basin. In the
Columbia Hill, Relief Hill, Mcore's Flat,
North Bloomfield and other large pits we
made instrumental surveys. The depth of
the workings of the North Bloomfield mine
varies from 80 to $50 fest in depth. When [
made the survey of that pit, October q, 1879,
1 found SO feet was the approximate average
depth of the entire pit, which covers an area
of los acres Some of the banks in the North
Bloomfield mine in my judgment are 800 feet
in depth. l measured the banks by instru-
ments. l call all large stones powders, say
from one foot in diameter upwards. When
| was at the mine heard large powders run.
ming in the fuIae and grinding along on its
bottom. The water was SO muddy I could
not see them. Witness was cross-examined
at great length as to the extent of the pit,
depth of bank, etc. / do not recollect seeing
derricks in the mines I have been describing.
My recollection of the banks and the material
of those mines is very isdistinct II has
been long time since / made their ex.
animation, and then it was to determine the
amount of the material that had bsen moved,
without reference to its quality. Witness
described the gravel beds which contain
cobble in the upper washings Of the Gold
Run mine The creek into which the North
Bloomfield dumps has very great fall, and
in my opinion very little material could lodge
in it. l have examined Humbug creek very
thoroughly. 1t has a width of fifty or sixty
feet. do not know the depth of filling in
its channel. l do not know the extent of fill
ing in the Spring creek. l don't think it ex.
ceeds million cubic yards. The purpose of
my Investigations was not the amount de-
posted in the creeks and canyons. but to
ascertain the amount of the excavations. I
did not examine Shady creek. The fall of
Shady creek will average 200 feet to the mile.
Slate creek l examined from, Whisky Dig
gings to Laporte, distance of six or eight
miles. There is considerable deposit of tail
ings Ia certain portions of its channel. /
was in that locality in July and August,
1879. The width of the stream between
Laporte and st. Louis is about 200 feet. Il
may in some places be filed to depth Of
sixty feet.
General Bidwell sworn. Direct examina.
tion (by Attorney General Hart)-I arrived
in California in 1S41. Farming was begun
by Americans in that year. At that time
SUtter was farming at this point on a small
scale. Witness named a number of per-
sons engaged in farming in the Sacramento
valley prior to the discovery Of gold ia Cal
ifornia. January, 1S4S.] Stock-raising was
the principal interest in the Sacramento val
ley prior to the gold discovery. reside at
Chico, Butte county. The Cherokee mine is
a little southeast OF my place, twenty miles
distant 1 have visited it many times.
have observed at the crossing of the public
road this canal carrying debris material It
is yellowish substance. which, when dried,
shows great deal of white sand. The water
in that canal is very thick with this debris
matter. l have been acquainted with Butte
creek since the early spring of 1843. The
extent of farming and stock-raising was ex-
tensiye before the working of the Cherokee
mines. Butte creek rises in the Sierra Ne
vadas, near the head waters of Deer creek.
There was no farming done on the
head waters of Butte creek prior
to 1850. The cultivation of the soil ON
Butte creek was not extensive prior 10 the
discovery of gold, from the fact that thsre
was no market for agricultural products. The
channel of Butte creek has been filling each
year since mining began, and to-day the bed
of the stream is above its natural banks. The
grazing of cattle and sheep on the hillsides
and plains has caused the ground to become
compact and has reduced to great extent |
the natural wash. The valley in which [ |
live is so level that the natural wash is incon-
siderable. Mining has had the effect of filling |
up Butte creek. Chico creek heads near the |
source of Butte creek, in the high ridge of |
the Sierras They run through precipitous |
canyons. There is no mining done on Chico |
creek. It's waters are clear, and it carries no |
debris or silt of any kind, except little saw.
dust from mills along its course. The water
is clear in Deer creek. It rises in the came |
ridge as does Chico and Butte creeks. 1t |
carries very little sediment. From an OBJ
servatisn OF the channels of Chico and Deer
creeks for the last twenty years, | see
no perceptible change, except that their |
channels look perhaps a little deeper. |
Chico creek empties into the Sacram onto |
river below Chico. Deer and Butte creeks
also empty into the Sacramento river There
has been great many sheep pastured along |
those streams. The cutting of timber, especi |
ally during the past few years, has been quite
extensive. In 1843 Feather was perfectly |
clear stream, much clearer stream than the |
The American and Yuba were
also pure. lmpid. crystal streaUs and re-
mained SO until mining changed their cond.-
ton. In early days there was an old French
man here, Captain Arlington, given to tell |
ing extrsvagant stories, or yarns, which were
discredited. He stated that at one
time the whole valley was covered with water
10 the height of the tree.tops. No one be-
ieved his story.
Afternoon Session.
Cross-examination Of General Bidwell (by
W. G. Belcher)-Captain Sutter, in 1913 and
1874, had 1,5O0 or l. 800 acres in cultivation in
.he neighborhood of Suffers Fort, rear Sac
.amento city. The early farmers did not cul-
,ivate for export, with the exception of Sut
Ter. The other farms were conducted on
very small scale. In high water only part of