Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-24
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\ Bland Argument Answered.

The Nevada City Herald tries to parry the
force of the facts exhibited in the present
condition of the Sacramento river and by
the interruption of navigation, as follows
1t is not slickens, but black sand that
| is doing the mischief, which shows that
the trouble is not the result of mining done
| this year The sand has been in the river
| bed above the head of navigation for years,
and is now being rolled slowly down and
piled up in large bars at points where the
current is very sluggish. There is very
little water in any Of the rivers of the State
| this summer. The snow in the mountains
has disappeared, thus shutting Off a source
of supply that usually feeds the rivers to q
greater or less extent. The stoppage OF
hydraulic mines has cut off the largest
source of supply to the rivers during the
summer months, and to this one fact alone,
more than any other, is due the present low
and sandy state of the Sacramento river.
All the large mining reservoirs and lakes
in the upper part of the county are filled
with water although the season has been
remarkably dry one. We venture the
assertion that if five or six of the big ny
draulic mines would start up tomorrow,
the navigation problem would be solved
within a weeks time. There is water
enough stored in these lakes to run the
Sacramento river for quite awhile, and we
suggest it would be good plan for those
most interested to make arrangements to
buy water from the miners for that pur-
pose until the wet season sets in.
The San Francisco Bulletin of Saturday
pointedly responds to the Herald i'll the
following manner: These statements
may be accepted, and yet the argument
against hydraulic mining would in no way
be weakened. The Herald is making the
argument for the valley in its remarks re-
garding black sand 1t may be true that
its presence is not due to this season.
mining, but that ii has been deposited dur
ing many years in the upper parts of the
rivers, and is now gradually working its
way down stream, and piling up in bars
where the current is sluggish or obstacles
occur. How much more is there of it to
come down? As it is the deposit of years,
and as it is just beginning to make its APP
pearance at Sacramento, it is reasonable
assumption that there is enough behind to
choke up the channel of the river bank
full, and that the continuance Of hydraulic
mining will maintain the supply III the
near future. This makes obvious the
course necessary to rehabilitate the river to
its former usefulness. Stop the supply.
and in course of time the current of the
river, aided by art, will gradually clear the
channel, and the Sacramento will once
more be navigable stream. There is no
alternative presented except the destruc-
ton of the river and bays.
There also may be some truth in the
statement that the stoppage of the hy-
draulic mines is responsible in part for the
low water, but it proves nothing for the
cause of the miners, although it speaks for
another interest, to be noticed hereafter.
Because the miners have blocked up the
river-bed with bars which impede naviga-
ton, must we thank them for doing out
from their reservoirs and through their
sluices the muddy flood which makes the
bars pasSable this year. only to raise them
higher the next year? This is the argu-
ment of the highwayman who robs the
passenger of 800 and returns him 81 50 to
help him on his journey.
There is also germ of a good idea in
the ironical suggestion that those interested
make arrangements to buy water of the
miners until the wet season sets in. Their
reservoirs are full, and, pending the idle
ness of some of the great mines, they have
water to sell. The miners have begun
what might be completed as vast system
Of irrigation works, which would make the
agricultural product of the Sacramento val
ley far in excess for generations of any tenn
porary wealth that could be taken from the
gravel of the foothills 1t by no means
follows that the stoppage of hydraulic min
ing means the abandonment of the great
water-works which have been constructed.
Perhaps the miners have builded better
than they knew and the curse which is
now devastating the valley may yet be
found blessing