Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-09-17
OCULAR EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE.

The Board Of Trade of this city yester-
day entertained several distinguished
visitors, and a number of our own citizens
and officials, upon trip up the Sacramento
river to point just above the mouth of
the Feather river. The guests included
United States Senator Leland Stanford,
and Congressman Morrow, Loutitt, Ne
Kenna and Henley, and several gentlemen
representing commercial interests in the
cities of San Francisco, Stockton and
Marysville. The purpose of the trip was
TO afford these gentlemen, and the city and
county officials and citizens accompanying.
ocular evidence of what produces the de-
positions in the Sacramento river now
causing the suspension of navigation upon
the lower reaches of the stream, and its
serious impairment in the upper reaches
The evidences of the damage to the river
were patent from the moment of depart
ure, and no person in the party was in any
doubt as to the unreasonable i'll that has
been worked to the once deep, broad and
pellucid navigable stream 1t is a drab now,
that has been sadly used; it is pitiful in
deed in its degradation Near the mouth
of the Feather river the water became
more turbid, and great patches of clinging
slickens were seen whirling in the stream,
and gradually assimilating with its waters
as they descended. Near the mouth of the
tributary this turbid condition was found
TO exist altogether along the line of one
bank of the receiving river, while upon
the other the clear waters of the Sacra-
mento preserved their virtue Thus it
was demonstrated beyond all possible cavil
that the matter being carried by the Sac
ramento river below the Feather is
discharged by the latter stream
into it, and that whatever may
come from the Sacramentos waters
above the mouth of the Feather is insig-
niticant in comparison to the unnatural de-
posts being formed by the Feather river,
descending a more acute grade, with the
Sacramento with but a few inches of fall
to the mile to give momentum to its cur
rent. AT the meeting of the waters the
slickens-ladened Feather is crowded to one
side by the clear waters of the Sacrament
to, the line of distinction between the two
being as marked as that between any two
dissinilarly colored fluids. In the turbid
waters below the Feather the bottom of
feet, while a few feet above, in the clear
waters of the Sacramento, the lead regis
tered depth of thirty feet If anything
was required to expose the fallacy of Cap
tain Payson's statement regarding the
natural wash of the agricultural lands as
being chief cause of river deterioration.
this proof was ample. 1t would be useless
to attempt to convince any person who yes
terday examined the rivers, even from the
deck of a moving boat, that the sand bars
and raised bed of the Sacramento are not
due to the deposit of hydraulic mining de-
trltus i'll the Sacramento. or that if the
process is continued it will not eventually
divert the river and destroy its nayigabili-
ty. These conclusions, ii may be safely
SAID, were reached by all. 1t
would have been far more satisfactory and
valuable to have taken the guests up the
Feather and to Marysville and some few
miles into the desolated region TO the east,
where are to be seen the vast accumula
tons that must descend the river to the
valley and the bays, unless the Federal
Government shall extend its arm and aid
the people to effectively put stop TO the
forces causing the damage After that it
must be looked to for aid in rectifying the
river channel and in staying the passage
OF the mountains of mining debris
threatening to descend upon the valley.
But such extended examination could not
be made yesterday. Our Representatives
in the Federal Legislature will go to their
next session better informed than ever ~
10 the needs of the river, and the pressing
demand for the extension of aid immedi-
ately TO restore it, so far as may be, and
preserve It's integrity That these gentle
men were impressed deeply with the need
for Federal action and interference is IN
questioned, though there may be some ex- !