Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-26
KNOX VERSUS kSox.
Official Survey Of the Front Levee-Fiver
Ptllirg-Unansverable Facts

offciaI Survey of the Front Leyee-Fiver
ling-Unanswerable Facts.
Interviews with William f. Knex have
been published by our evening contemporary
during the last two or three days. as of prem
inent importance and all sufficient authority
to establish the assertion that no special tax
is necessary for raising and strengthening the
city levees. Those who have read the recent
published statements of Mr.. Knox will be
interested in the following testimony concern
ing his unpublished and real opinions. This
may throw some light upon his statement
that he will not be drawn into further contro-
versy in this matter, and also why he de-
clines to accept the challenge of City En-
gineer Bassett to test the question OF nights
Of past lood waters and levees:
Sacramento, February 25th, 1884.
about sir peeks since-on the erening Of
January 18th, 1SS4-at meeting Of citizens,
the matter of our lecees being under discussion
By the undersigned as a Committee on Drain
age, and the needs of the lerees being raised and
STRENGTHENED, William f. Knor stated TO us
plainly and emphaticauy that If the same com.
5inatioa Of circumstances erer again occurred
TO produce as much 1cater here IN the Saerd-
mento and american rigers as are had in 1862,
acith so much land since reclaimed from the
former ore1Jtoac area Of the rirer and the rtreT
bed raised so much since from filling IN Of
debris. the auater aoould .foa0 orer the top of
Front street tp0 and a half feet and acould
stand tlco feet deep in the stores along the high
graded streets. But" he remarked, there
is no use in talking about it, as 1t aciU only
trigllten the people"
JOHN II. AILLIKIN,
f. G. WATERHOUSE,
C. E. GRUNSKY,
ALEX. NELSON,
JOHN McNEILL,
Mr.. Knox thus testifying to the fact that
under certain circumstances named by him
the Front street levee would be evertopped
two and half feet, the following official report
Of measurements yesterday taken completely
and Overwhelmingly answer all the theories
concerning the non.Iecsssity for full levee i'm
provement.
ONLY SIX AND HALF INCHES ABOVE HIGH
WATER.
SACRAMENTO, February %, 1884.
EDS. RECORD UNION In compliance with
your request to furnish the exact figures
showing the elevations along Front street of
certain low points of which we have hereto
fore spoken only approximately and in a gen
IL .y,,, y.5, l. Ia g. J.
terming the same aoth precision, and find the
following facts additional to and corrobora-
tive of what we have heretofore stated.
Front street, between II and | streets, was
found to be "A inches aJoue the high acdter Of
1881;
The junction of Front and N streets to be
l foot 81 inches above high water of 1881;
The junction of Front and n streets TO be
l foot II inches above the high water of 1881
The junction of Front and o streets to be
65 inches above the high water of 1881.
It was also found that water high enough
to overtop the front ievee between Fl and 1
streets (which il, as stated before. only Il
inches a5ove high water Of 1881 would aooa
the boiler and engine rooms of the water
works, submerging the latter, ard leave the
city without its usual water supply and fire
protection. L. Z. BAssETT,
City Engineer.
j. C. PIERsoN,
County Surveyor.
THE RIVER BED RAIsED-wHAT a LEGIsLA-
TIVE REPORT SAYS.
It appears by record evidence at the State
Capitol. and in oihar official reports, that
previous to the food of 1862 the river chan
mel in front Of Sacramento had not filed SO
Sc to occasion notice or comment since the
founding Of the city. According to the
records the low-water plane Of the river in
1861 was IL feet above that for 1850, and
more than foot lower than in 1855, and a
less amount lower in 1854 and 1860, and but
little higher than in other yesrs from 1850 to
1S60-thus proving that but little filing had
occurred in the time previous to 1862.
AN OFFICIAL REPORT.
We now quote from the report of State
Engineer VIM. II. Hall to the Legislature Of
1880, Part I'LL, page 13:
In 1854 a survey was mace by the City Surveyor,
under the direction OF the City Council OF Sacra-
meuto and soundines were taken in the river chan
mel from point Just above where the mouth OF the
American river Is now. along the city front to the
lower end therenf-a distance Of about two miles.
These soundiugs We're made at extreme low water
of that year and reduced TO low tide plane There
being at that time about eighteen to twenty-five
inches OF tidal efe t noticeable and plated on map
OF scale 400 feet in inch copy of this map at
hand, Autographed in 1850 with the sounding
depths shown, and the reading of the gauge (refer
ence OF which has been kept and transferred to the
present gsuges) is known from good records, for
the lowwater tide phase OF that year The position
of the bottom at that time is therefore known.
During the low water Of 1879 this ground was
sounded over, and the work connected up with the
old survey. comparison Of results ShOlCS q
1naTimuDl filling Of 30 feet, and an acreage ILL
orer the eLole surface Of about i5.e feet.
Since that filing of 15.2 feet
THE FILLING HAS CONTINUED.
The low-water plane now is about fees
on the gauge, or s feet higher than in 1861.
The high water of 1862 was "a feet on the
gauge, or % feet above the previous low
water The high water CT 1873 was 26 feet,
or IS s feet above its previous low water.
Now we have q low-water plane at feet
on the gauge. Suppose we have hpcd 22S
feet above that low water. as was the food of
1862 above its previous low water, the result
would be gauge-reading # Is S, or 2 feet
higher than the food of 1878.
LIT IT BE REMEMBERED
That the flling has not ceased in the river
because some hydraulic mire5 have been en-
Joined. for the upper tributary canyons are
lied with millions of cubic feet Of slickens
and debri,, that come down with high water,
and in great fl 1od viii roll like wave into
the Sacramento.
CANDIDATE w. T. Knox, it is stated, is
candidate for First Trustee and Mayor.