Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-19
ALARMING
THE STARTLING STATEMENTS OF
A PRACTICAL MAN.
Doomed-Its Waters to Mean
der Through the Tules.

1
der Through the Tules.
| a representative of the REcoRD-C MON
yesterday held an interview with W. F.
Knox, TO obtain his views concerning the
present and future condition of the Sacra-
| mento river. Mr.. Knox's experience and
| judgment in such matters are well known.
He has been a resident of Sacramento
thirty-six years, and is intimately ac-
quainted with all the changes the river has
undergone; was for six years a member of
the Board of City Trustees and Leyee Com
mission in charge of the levee system
Governor Irwin one of the Commissioners
of the Sacramento River Drainage District,
that had the survey made with view to
construct a relief canal from Knights
Landing to Suisun Bay. Later he was APP
pointed by Governor Perkins one of the
Commissioners under the Drainage Act,
and under these appointments, and in
these various positions, has had most ex-
tensive experience upon our rivers and the
NOilAAltlOlIS WHICH, iceu W Tie DltStlll
ruption of navigation. Mr.. Knox has also
recently had an interview with Captain J.
b. Eads, when the subject of the present
interview was discussed. The views of
Mr.. Knox are given, in response to ques-
lions, as follows:
Question-What are your views as to the
cause of the present condition of the river,
by which our steamers are now being
hauled over shoals and sand bars
Answer-The cause of the apparently
unusual shoaling of the Sacramento river
in front of the city, is the break in the
levee opposite the mouth of the American
river, on the Yolo side, above this city, half
a mile. As you remember last winter and
spring an immense quantity of water passed
through this break into the Yolo basin.
Much Of this water came down the Ameri-
can assisting i'll moving the heavy sand
that now lies in the bed of the Sacramento,
and the carrying capacity being thus wasted
its power was lost for helping to move it
further down.
Q.-Then the popular idea that the break
you refer to has been a relief to Sacramento
IN time OF flood water, is, in your opinion,
a mistake?
Ayes, a serious mistake; and this city
could well have afforded years ago to close
the break at its own expense, to preserve
the integrity of the river below Sacra-
mento.
Q.-What relation has the American
river, which enters the Sacramento lust
above this city, to the future condition of
the Sacramento river?
A.-There are now, within few miles
of the mouth of the American, great gravel
bars that have formed within year or two,
and only await a freshet in which that
river will be comparatively high, and the
low m no al ~ I.
of the latter. When it is considered that
where it now lies the American river has a
fall of say ten feet to the mile and where
It will be at the point of discharge the fall
is only six TO ten inches to the mile, YOU
will readily see what the result will be
the Sacramento cannot carry it.
Q.-From your study of the situation.
what, in your opinion, will be the condi-
ton of navigation short time hence?
AIN my opinion it is only a question
of very few years when navigation, IN
closed on the Sacramento river from, saw,
the mouth of the Feather river to a point
say SIX to ten miles below this city.
Q.-What is the present condition of the
Sacramento at the mouth of the Feather
river, which enters the Sacramento about
twenty miles above the American?
A.-The same state of affairs exist sub
stantially at the mouth of Feather river,
except that there is probably hundred
yards of material impending in the Feather
to one in the American. In my opinion
the final result of this state of affairs will
be the complete stoppage of navigation to
and from this city during the summer
months at least. The American and Feather
rivers will in short time permanently
discharge into the Yolo basin, and of
course Will carry the Sacramento with
them at other than high-water times. l
expect to live to walk dry shod across
the river in front of this city.
This basin lies opposite the mouths of the
American and Feather rivers. 1t extends
from near the mouth of the Feather to
Cache slough at its lower extremity, near
Rio Vista, where the slough empties into
the Sacramento. The basin covers an area
of forty miles in length by six to ten miles
in breadth, and contains hundreds of thou
sands of acres, now several feet lower than
the bed of the Sacramento river, and is
only distant q few hundred feet from it in
many places.
Q.-At what hight does the water in the
Sacramento commence to discharge through
the break opposite the mouth of the Ameri-
can river?
A.-Ihe water runs into this basin at the
break opposite the mouth of the American
dl Jhlttil lG6l Oll Tie gauge.
while high water on the same is twenty
six and half feet. But the bed of the
river is now SO filed, that, instead of low
water being, as it was originally on the
gauge 20, 1t is now about seven and
half feet showing thus clearly the condi-
ton of affairs, to wit that at highest water
at Sacramento from eleven to twelve feet of
water pOurs over into the Yolo basin. and
from half to three-quarters of a mile in
length.
Q.-Suppose the break was closed and
the carrying capacity of the river below it
thus increased?
and the unusual accumulation in front of
the city was forced further down by the
combined power of all the water, other
breaks exist both up and down from here,
that would arrest its movement in like
manner
Q.-What remedy is there for this state
of affairs
Al can see no practical, permanent
remedy. Of course for year or two, or
perhaps few years, the bars can be scraped
of, and wing-dams can be made to force
the current to cut out temporary channels
for small craft. 1t can only be temporary.
The same amount of high water, under the
same conditions, in a given year will rem
der the situation much worse than it would
have done the preceding year, for the rea-,
son that each succeeding season brings
down heavier and more damaging material.
Q.-But cannot you suggest some posi-
BILE remedy?
A.-There are but two remedies that nat
urally occur to the mind neither of which.
on account of the cost, deem practicable.
OF course in talking of remedies assume
that hydraulic and all other kinds of min
in g that discharge earth, sand or gravel
into the tributaries of the river to be
stopped. For example, it would be folly
to spend money to clean out a horse
trough while man stood at the other end
shoveling earth or sand into it.
Q.-Do you mean to be understood that
in your opinion it is too late to attempt to
save the river in its present course and inn
prove its navigability?
Alt is too late to endeavor to rectify
the channel of the Sacramento river by
building levees, Strengthening the channel,