Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-04

worn foot lower and foot wider in these ffty.tHo
years since 1880 and is still wearing deeper and
to ever happen again. That would be no miracle,
"a continual droppings OF the most gentle kind
will wear the hardest rock. But dos't what ,
these men thought took place in 1880 or how high
they saw the flood-wood l claim that steady
weeks wind from the south or the west in 1862,
blowing at the rate II City or Sixty miles hour,
which would be nothing strange and which perhaps
occurred in 1885, would have raised the water over
tbs plaza in Sacramento and piled it up tremendous
" at the fort and carried the food wood higher
than any Of them ever saw it, and even more than
equaled the widest statements made by the In idns,
the lamented General Vallejo, or anyone else.
have always supposed that the food that the General
spoke Of was the highest that anyone ever saw, as
he described the whole valley as one immense
sea- But l find that one of The Gold
Ran witnesses describes the flood OF 80 IN
almost precisely the same language He states
that he was at the graveyard between " and V, on
about line with Tenth street, during the Hood Of
1919, and "as far as could see-esst, north, south
and west-all was one vast immense Of water.
1t extended, as far as my obser alton went, from
foothills to foothills" One Gold Run witness
thinks that deSsit OF sand on the ridge between
o and streets south OF Suffers Fort, perhaps
eight ten feet higher than modern floods, proves
the hight OF some enormous former food Probably
some teamster dropped it there in line OF loads in
summer, TO help to business in the rainy season
while the fort was being built, but it was not neededl
| am now convinced that General Vallejo never saw
food any higher than about the same as all the
others 1t is very easy thing to have hoocs, and
il is also very easy thing TO prevent them, and we
need never have another, unless it the pres
ent BeXt succeeding season. il the proper meas
are used to prevent it. Floods steal upon in the
following manner: AS must make beginning
somewhere We Will begin on the Coast Range and
the val ey this side near the Montezuma hi s. We
will say let heavy rain fall there about November
LIST and flow itto the valley or basin this sde then
say another rain little further nortb, that flows
into basin Colusa; then another sill further
north that flows into basin north OF Colusa then
haay of mon tain RI
the east side Of the Sacramento, and follow down
the basins OF the Nevada range and tributaries OF
the Sacramento, as we followed up the basins OF the
Coast Range until reach Steamboat slough; then
repeat Then, We'll say, let heavy rains fall gen
orally all the State, until everything is full
Taen let the winds begin to blow from the west,
then from the east, and alternately pile up the
waters, first against the Nevada then the Coast
Range; then repeat, and perhaps repeat Then
let the SHOWS begin melt about the LIST of March,
and more rain and we'll be in the midst Of flood
that clnnot leave for at least two months
more, and the crops on all our richest soil will be
given up for the season as lost
1t will now doubtless be pa'nl that If We
had the money and the to send off into Susun
bay fast 1t falls all of the surplus water that
nature has freely and uselessy lavished upon US
leaving to settle in basins except what falls
there, we can be certain Of having the heaviest
cereal crops every year from all the lowest cutivable
lands in the State. and fair show for heavy crops
OF cereals fruits iand vegetables ali the higher
lands. Our general Government will be highly
money to rescue from destruction this lovely valley
and aid IN producing this result whenever the sub
ect is made plain, and Congress shall have passed
law to make the appropriation legal, and all the
sister States will shout "Halleluiah, Amen"
None of the paltry thirty, sky, five hundred
thousands will find response in the pulsations of
the great American heart but ten millions viii be
most cheertully appropriated, when right, reason
justice and freedom from wrong and oppression are
known to so beseechingly pl ad for il.
l would suggest that five millions be set apart for
the Improvement OF the Sacramento river and its
tributaries from their sources IN the mountains to
the Sacramento, and down that river to Steamboat
slough, described in the first page Of this lecture
| 1 would lower the celebrated Hogs Back - about
four feet probably nothing worse than hard-pan,
but blast if necessary l would propose to then
turn the American river by canal at point and
half miles east Of Thirtyfirst street. Sacramento
city, and follow parallel line with Thirty first
street TO where that line thus extended will inter-
sect the Sacramento river lit e below Freeport.
By turning the American at that point it VIII carry
off Burns slough, and by constructing it of sufficient
capacity it be made TO carry two thirds, three
fourths all of the American if necessary even at
highest floods, and deposit it 10 the Sacramento at
the point before named This would forever make
the State Capitol secure the city Of Sacramento
equally secure, and its sister city Washington will
have an opportunity to regain its former usefulness
and beauty.
This would necessitste stationary engine for
S Sacramento, both summer and winter, to pump out
the sewage water but IL can be constructed as
to cost for the whole year than it does for
the half year now. And by . little genius-as salt
water Will flow here freely after the Hogs Back
is owered-the mouth Of the discharge-p!pe can be
set below the surface Of the water at low-water
mark that malarial effect can arise from it, 1t
will abolish the drainage canal, abolish law suits
and malaria, and give Sacramento the most reviying
agricultural horticultural and floral breezes during
the entire summer. ! would then straightcn the
Sacramento at what is called Gray's Bend, and at
other points necessary and then commence levee
building at the lowest points ell along the line and
carefully keep all the lower places higher than the
highest water until the twenty-four feet level is
reached and made permanent would then sug-
gest that three millions be set apart for the con-
sruction Of canal from Red Bluff, along the foot
Nils OF the Coast range, through the Montezuma
Hills to Suisun Bay with embankment along its
EASTERN and, wherever needed on its western side
Of uniform hight with the river evees (twentyfour
feet) above its own lowwater mark i would tap the
Sacramento at Red Bluff, and build strong stone
abutment, with was gates Ito be moved on steel
rol ers) OF sufficient capacity to turn the whole Sac
ramento through the canal if at any time necessary
when heavy eastern storms are approaching or the
melting SHOWS threaten, or back to its channel
again when heavy western storms approaching, or
divided, secession may require. would build the
kind Of stone abutments and waste gates flor
watering stock, or as exp riment on irrigation or
any other purpose needed) at both Cache and Putah
creeks; but the smaller streams along all the en-
bankments that SO much resemble the map the
capillary veins in the human system as represented
in anatomical chars, viii not require any attention.
the largest OF them will settle into the
ground or eyaporate in time for late crop OF some
kind.
1t must be plain to all, that not only the !
grand securing problem is solved, but that art
has described limits to " natures" Sacramento val
ley floods and that the heaviest rains or melting |
OF SHOWS from any point Of the compass can be sent
in straight schultz in from three to five days into
to the instead OF lying here from |
four to six months, dead weight upon
the most extensive, vital andheaven born interests
of the entire State | came to California in 1850.
at San Fran IIfit a,,l ak c.
mento the 9th. commenced clerking the 1st Of |
August in grocery and general merchandising es-
Enlistment next TO the corner of Seventh and J |
streets, fer the honorable and ehterprising Young
firm of Es5pe & Lameroux (Lam'er-o) They i'm.
ported md st'of Their merchandise from New York,
but also tufht largely 10 San Francisco and iOr
anxious to be brief, and must refer back to q few
scenes in my earlier life labored several years at
farming when quite young, and also at mechanical
business, before had anything to do with merchan-
dising in the AtlIntc States, and my jud2m now
is that was quite good farmer at the age OF four
teen. My father was merchant and general trader
and farmer, but died when was but eight years old
and being reduced 60 hard scratching to support my
self and pick up little education had to use rigid
economy; but having the most retentive memory at
that age that was ever acquainted with, remem-
bered everything told to me about farming every
pattern get me, every experiment tried, and every
rule in farming that was ever fairly laid before me-
And for the next twenty-six years. until came TO
California in 1850, was engaged in various enter
4
years of the twenty six (the regular Id Eng.
sh seven-year apprenticeship Tor any trace grist
mill in connection with a small farm and of ali the
tormentng pieces OF property ever saw that was
the worst. LIQUID not then the point why
thus torlrented but now see 1t. 1t was to ed
ucate in the practical experience as well as
science OF hydraulics and The proper manner of
handling 4terial for building DAMS evees or other
entertainments in firm manner il not sufficient
ly firm, to know how to search out and find the
reason why. 1t was to teach how to annhilate
Sacramento valley floods. was in constant trouble
there during that seven year,, about as we have
been here during foods, though only in min. |
iature dimensions. Something was constantly going
wrong day and night. Sometimes the tarace YVES
filed with debris, and dredging became necessary !
Planking sometimes the main dam gave way
sometimes the left wing and sometimes the right
some times some portion Of the half-mile race bank
side or the other, and sometimes b,.h SIDES
Frequently the break would be caused by gophers |
then again by crawish Blind hell was breaking |
loose somewhere all the time. swore enough il
converted into steam, TO carry two such mills /
admit it very bad; but it is true. often
thought OF the man who planted potatoes on side
hill He plowed his ground early, and, fool like
fuirowed it for rows up and down the HILL and
waited for rain. He it coming, and had lust
time to finish it commenced raining. He con-
gatu ted himself on having the earliest potatoes in
town but he found the water had followed the