Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-21
REPLY TO RosEczAEg LErrss.
By the Residents Of the Bear River VAL
lev Sent to the Secretary Of War,

Corning lDe DuhclhS OF UaEns II Ine ilVeI
canyons TO hold back the debris, and in
which he urges the use of the $500 ap-
propriated by the Government for improve
ment of the Sacramento river, or portion OF
it, for the construction of such works. The
residents of the Bear river valley have, in
reply, forwarded the following letter:
Hon. Robert Lincoln, Secretary Of Wsr, Wash.
iugton, d. Dear sir: We, the undersigned, res
idents of the Bear river valley the heaviest losers
by slickens, and the prime movers in this debris
question, most respectfully ask that you do let
the mmunication of Congressman Rosecraus irfu-
ence Your previous decision to the disposal Of
the $4,000, left unexpended Of the appropria-
ton made by the last Congress for the improve
msut Of the navigation OF the Sacramento river "
We have resided on this river for the last fifteen
yesrs, and it must be Acknowledged that we are
thoroughly conVersant with at le4st the practical
eide of the question in all Of its phases.
Il Is literally question Of sfiiuenCe or poverty
with US whether hydraulic miners shall be made
amenabe to law aud equity or not. We have no
controversy with that part OF the rniHing Interest
OF this State which does not lagranty oVerstep the
bounds Of the law Of all civilization and openly in
suit us 10 dignity free and intelligent prop.
erty-owneys and American citizens, entitled 10 all
the judicial respect ana protection allowed the most
favored.
We have s:riven by all legal means TO secure a
lust and eeujtabe decision and official enforcement
Of the same through the Courts, with what results
you proc.asti alton and studied delay-till
now the eud, though nearer, seems yet infinitely
distant unless a decided stand be taken against
this bugheAr # resraining the Accommodations and
future washings OF hydraulic debris by dams.
The letter Ui Congressman b5sccraIa is unworthy
Of your serious consideration. It was either writ
ten in = spirit Of ignorance and it s bard TO he
lieve tnat one having bad such opportunities to be
familiar with the question in all Its details, and a
graduate of the Military Academy at West Point,
Nm A.
and unscienti6c ution Of this question in done
in the letter question-or else 1t dictated by
interested motives la ithar case, the main idea
dividing the river beds Unto pools, training
their present debris, and compelling the water Of
moderate stages TO spread out so that they cannot
erode and giving a wide shallow water way for the
floods is radically wrong, scientifically uHteuable,
and literally 6 betrayal Of the valley people.
There are bat three methods that the hydraulic
miners might use in disposing Of their debris: /.
The debrls might be all restrained in the mountains
and Canyons, that the valley would sUaer no in
jury from the use of the river waters by the by
draulia miners. But this is imprsc ticable, il not
impossible. In the Pacific Rural Press Of July /,
1892 on page 2, this same subj ct is spoken o. in
connection with Judge Temples decision in the
Gold Run case 1t SAYS d" In his dependence upon
the dams which he proposes that they should
build he totally disregards the opinions OF Colonel
Mendell and State Engineer Hall In sreaking of
dams, Colonel Mendel says, in his report to the
War DEPARTMENT: 1t may be asked whether the
include all grades Of mining taings This cannot
be claimed The suspensory matter Of fine sands
and clay cannot be retained in this way, or by any
other method which does not provide Q settling
basin in which the water can be ,utlined in a
qui-sCeut state for time MAJ also be expect.
ed that during thu flood stages in the early period of
development, certain portion of material Of every
grade may be suspended and thus pass the crest of
the barrier Mr.. Hall states that from 40 h. 60 per
cent OF the debris Of hydrsulic mining consitso fine
sand. clay and impsl pablo matter, which cannot be
restrained except in extensive settling reservoir
They 1.-THE engineers1 recc gUze and point out both
the inability OF restraining this matter by system
OF DANG and the large share is PLAY in the desruc-
tions Of mining debris The waters Of rivers
would be as much polluted and as unfit for domestic
uses and irrigation even il they contained only the
matter held only in suspension and il the navIga-
bility OF the rivers impeded by coafser mate
rial 1t is not the coarser material that the agrcult
urst objects TO- He is principally affected by that
part Of the debris-sand and av-Whch succeeds
in reaching the lower valleys and the mouths OF the
rivers Uf the 100000 acres Of sliuyiall land de-
sroyed by [hydraucl mining debris, 95 per cent OF
it ia covered by material which is only deposited
from suspension when the grade Of the river bed is
from eight 70 five feet per mile"
We bave il, then, from Colonel Meudeli and En-
gineer Hall, who have made special study Of this
subject of DAMS that dams cannot Of themselves
afford adeluS protection against the destructive
ness OF hydraulic debris; and from the experience
Of the last twenty years that the fIiner grades of
material, the truly suspeusory matter, ia even
more dangerous and destructive to our fertile valley
soils than is the heavy matter Every resident OF
the valley knows this and il cannot be expected
that they will submit much longer to the imposition
of sluggish liquid mud, unfit for irrigation for
domestic purposes. IN lieu Of mechanically pure
water. Nor IS 1t reasonable TO suppose that they
be forced to, when Justice is Clearly il favor
of their maintaining their inalienable right 20 the
free a. uuimpeded use OF their property.
The second method # disposirG o. the tailipEs
would be that Of washing it down direct 70 the bay
OF San Francisco by combining the rivers in narrow
and straight channels. II hydraulic mining con
tinues, this is the only safety for the valley resi-
dents, and present eyee system has for its sole
aim the accomplishment Of this end We might he
satisfied with ssch adisposal OF the hydraulic DEBRIS
but after the bay Of san Francisco fills clear up it
has alre1dy filled fully ten feeO what then
Simply the destruction tn has been STAYED of a
few years by the cubic capacity If the hrg reser-
vOir OF mud that once the famed Franciscos
bay vita It's Golden Gate opening the riches OF the
Eden of the Pacific to the old world.
1t is evident that this sc ond method affords no
permanent remedy and 10 fact even now the Fed
era officers not doing their duty In allowing the
destruction of our principal bay at the hands Of the
hydraulic miners The third method is in its effects
exactly similar to the which would follow the
4" division of the rivers into pools, etc ;" as sug-
geated by the Congressman from the First District
1t is to allow the heavily loaded waters to wander
wide river bed. This ia exactly what is going
at the present time through the workings Of eX-
listing agents, and it is not advisable TO hasten mat
tiers by the expenditure Of $4,000 in the manner
suggested by MIR. Rosecrsns.
This method is the reverse Of the last The val
leys would be sacrificed to the safety OF the bay,
but eventually they must all be totally destroyed
Herein lies the betrayal of the ley people, No
doubt It was unintentonal, but the results are the
same nevertheless and it is not strange if in place
of respect and confidence for of representa-
tVes in Congress our feeling gives way to distrust
and suspicion.
1t is practical fact that the destruction in
creases in proportion the width the river bed
in
which the beds from eight to twenty feet higher
than adjacent cutivable lands and more than three
fourths of which adjacent lards have been COM
pleteY ruined. The problem is u dispose of the
debris neither to fiji up the river channels or
the Bay, nor to foul the water to render it unfit
for agricultural purposes-we can dispense with it
for domestic purposes for a time longer, at least.
You cannot but perceive that the letter in ques
ton from Congressman ROsecTsns not written
with these facts in mind, AMI is therefore unworthy
Of any consideration at your hands. One is almost
justified in believing that il written from purely
interested motives and if so, the man is as despca
BILE as the suggestions weak and Lacking in
scientific worth We do not discl&im against the
building of dams in their relation 10 cUmprehen-
sive and scientific scheme for the protection OF the
valley and the rectihcation OF the iveIs. When the
proper time comes shall demand them from the
state and Federal Governments. But we do most
earnestly petition that you do nothing which shall
license the continuance Of the destructive practice
OF hydraulic mining. Ii is only too apparent that
the effect Of funds being arpr lrsted By the Fed
eral Government for the building Of dams for the
retention of debris to be deposited by the hydraulic
miners ONE time in the future, would be simply a
provisional aud extension Of license to hydraulic
mining and an official uphO ding and furtherance Of
industry unable to exist on its own merits, and
unlawful in all its effects aud practices
(Signed)-P. L. Hutchinson, T. Keuster, J. NJ. G.
Jasper, l. W. Hnfaker, p Bennett, A. J. Web
ster, D. P burst, S. d. Wood, L. Milton, N. II.
Shepherd, J. W. Lowell A. P. Lipp, F. W. Dsven-
port, W. H. Hiemeyer, Thomas B. AttkissoD, Sam
uel Harding, J. H. Bammon, A. C. Stagnir, T. X.
Harris Charles Schlosser W. NJ. Oyster, t. j. Nc
Parland, Dan Fraser, Goodkind Z Co. J. Gaines, j.
Levy Mrs. J. Ii. Reyes, Eugh Rndden, Thomas
Beven, J. F. Baum, Edward Bowen, W o. Armstead,
A. j. Swift R. 4. Brown. Doran Little, II. Corn
FORTH b. f. Dam, Frank Kershner, A. NJ. Hollings
head, NJ. II. burst
A SAD PIIGHT. The Placer Argus has
the following:
On the evening of July 1lsh lady with
five little children gotoff the train at Rose
vile, having come from San Francisco to
visit her father, George r. Grant, who
lives about eight miles east of Roseville.
She erpected to be met at the station by
her brother, but somehow he failed to pat
in an anDaararce She fopDd the hoteIs