Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-20
OUR IMPERILLED RIVERS.
a Talk with the officer in Charge
Their Navigation.
[san Francisco Call, August 10Th.

Their Navigation.
San Francisco Call, August 10Th
When Gail reporter called upon Colonel
Mendell yesterday for information regard
ing the shoaling of the Sacramento and
Feather rivers, he was referred to Captain
A. II. Payson, es that officer has under his
direct supervision the work of snagging
and dredging that is now being carried on
upon those rivers.
In answer to a request for information
Captain Payson said
THE shoaling of the Sacramento river is
the immediate result of civilization, and it
is the experience which every new country
has undergone. AS fields are broken up
and agriculture commences there is natur-
ally drift of earth and rock. which, falling
into the river, forms these shoals, of which
so much mention has been made lately
Certainly hydraulic mining has greatly
added to this result but it would be i'm
possible for any one to say how much of
this shoaling is due to agriculture and how
much to hydraulic mining.
AN OPTIMISTIC VIEW.
g Yes, there is great deal of trouble and
no doubt there is a great deal of anxiety
over this shoaling, but do not believe that
the Sacramento river will one day be COM
pletely unnavigable. That cannot be as
long as the climate of California remains
the same. By this ! mean as long as we
have rainfall and a snowfall Now, the
past season has been an exceptional one,
and there has been a smaller volume of
water in California rivers than for a long
while back. This is owing to the little
snow that fell during the winter in the
mountains, which resulted in small water
supply when the snow melted. So YOU see
there are natural causes which have greatly
nT cd nrslf n.a
The Sacramento is very low at the present
time, and, i'll fact there are three places
where measure of only four feet of water
can be obtained"
Where are these bars?"
zone of these bars is right abreast of ]
street. Sacramento city; then there is
another at the drawbridge in the same
place; and the third is a place called Ere
mont Bar, just below the mouth of Feather
river. Now there is only about four feet of
water there, and though the snagboat.
which you know was built by Colonel
Mendell in 1881 has been busy since the
commencement of July scraping away at
these bars, yet the good done is only tenn
porary. Suppose the snagboat scrapes
away passage to the depth of five feet in
two days time there has been such an ac-
emulation of drift that the river is lust as
badly shoaled as if there had been nothing
done TO it. The snagboat, YOU know. only
works during the low-water season. 1t is
! laid up when the river is high. | wish
you TO distinctly understand that whatever
work IS done is purely OF temporary
nature"
TOO SMALL APPROPRIATIONS.
Can nothing be done on a more extend
ed scale?n
Yes, it could possibly be done at an
enormous expense; but the appropriation
is small, and no sooner is it granted than il
is consumed in this temporary work. And
then, again, / do not see very well how anv
work which would prevent shoaling could
possibly be undertaken. You are aware
that this question is being agitated on the
mississippi river where a similar trouble
threatens. The Sacramento river has an
unstable bed, and ii can hardly be wise for
the Government to undertake to build per-
manent banks for such stream. The same
trouble is with the Feather river 1t is a
turbld stream, with a great volume of
water. The American river is an unnav-
iigable stream nothing has been done with
1t. Now as to the question of the perfna-
nent banks at the points where the river is
badly shosled, it is reasonable to suppose
that If such banks were made at J Street.
at the drawbridge and at Fremont Bar, the
shoals would commence elsewhere, and to
make practical and successful result we
would have to embank the entire river"
AN OBSTINATE SECRETARY.
Can you give me any idea as to the
sum that the Government has appropriated
for this work ?''
We'll, cannot give you any very exact
numbers unless l looked through the vari-
GUS reports, but | think the sum has been
between $4,000 and $4,000 year-a sum
that is very soon spent in work of this
nature. Some few years ago there was
S250,Oo0 appropriated by Congress for the
Improvement of the Sacramento and
Feather rivers, which, however, the Secre-
tary of War refused TO let us handle. ex-
cept III ordinary snagging and dredging
operations till he was assured that there
was a positive injunction placed upon
hydraulic mining. We have, of course.
from time to time taken such sums for
operating the snagboat, but no more i'm
portant work than that has, as vet been
undertaken, md from the present outlook
do not see that any very great work Will
at present be started. You know the river
and haroor bill fell through. which
naturally does not give us any very great
ground for hoping that any measures for
permanent improvement of the navigation
OF the Sacramento and Feather rivers will
at present be undertaken
William Hogge, a Young man, fell under