Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-09
WORK OF THE sNAG BOAT.
Strong Criticism about the Work, with
Full Particulars Given.

Strong Criticism about the Work, with
Full PARTICULARS Given.
EDS. REGoRb- UNION Ihave III tfeturned
from a trip up the Sacramento river as far
as Chico on the Dover, Captain Page, to
whom l am somewhat indebted for some |
of the information l have obtained. Ihave
so often seen articles relating to river i'm
proyements that l have taken notice along
the route to see if l could discover any, and
as I wish all the people of the valley to be
posted as well as myself, l know OF no bet
ter way than to ask for space in the RECORD
UNION to make the facts known. 1t will be
devoted to the snag boat Seizer-some of
the places she snags and how she disposes
of them.
We will commence at Dayton and note
| as far down as Colusa. Just below Dayton
| four large snags are left on the bar. Be-
low Pixies five with same disposition. Be-
| low Big, or Gilbert's cutoff, twenty are
left-some of them seventy-hve feet long.
| Above Calls is one eighty feet long. AT
Calls bend ten have been left in the bend,
and will be in the way in high water. At
the old Bullock bend ten whole trees-and
very large ones at that-are left on the bar.
[NoTE.-When / say left on the bars | do
not mean that they are out of the river by
any means. They take them as near as
possible, until they ground, and then leave
them. The roots and part of the trunks
are left in the water-sometlmes one hun
bred feet from shore.
All around Beehive and Last Chance the
river is full of s~nags-just room enough to
get through. But most of these have been
left there in former seasons, so we Will pass
on. At McDonnell's whole tree, sew
enty-fye feet long, is left ON the bar. Just
above Princeton there is a shameful sight.
Here are thirteen very large snags taken
out of the bend and left on, or at, the bar
opposite, but not one OF them is out of the
river. This is at the landing where Mr.
Hart banks his wheat. AT the first bend
below, which is a very bad one, ten are left
at the point of the bar. One of these has
been blasted into four pieces. This is the
only one l ave seen that any attempt has
been made to destroy.
At Platt's are five very large snags, one
five feet in diameter, and perhaps seventy,
five feet long, which l noticed in particular
1t looks to a man up a tree as if it wa:
placed in it's present position for some par
ticular purpose. 1t is placed at right angle:
with the river, with its top on the bar anC
its trunk and roots in the river, which vii
make a better dam than some they havt
: made with effort elsewhere. Around tn,
, bend to Keer's are eight or ten more. Thi
bend joins Mr.. Boggs' land, and the banl
caved very badly last winter, and cam,
r near cutting across. 1t is likely TO succeed
E any season. 1t is only about one hundrel
Yards across, and about two miles around
The owner will wake up some fine morn
d. ing and find about five hundred acres Q
his ranch on the other side of the river.
We now come to the first bend below
Mr.. Boggs' place, where we find sevel
6 sycamores-stumpS you may call them
, standing upright as though they had grow
l there, twelve or fifteen feet high, and tire
of them are growing. If did not know
+, the crew of the Seller | should think the,
had been reading the big book where i
says: For there is hope of a tree if it b
: cut down that it will sprout again, and tina
the tender branch thereof will not cease.
But in their case it should read "Ther
e is hope of a tree if it be moved from on
6 side of the river to the other it will liv
again, :" etc; and their hopes would hay
been realized.
t There are two more opposite Mr.. Moui
toms place. Why did you allow it, Nj
Moulton ? II will endanger your ware
house and the bank there in high water
? Near the Seven-mile House five wer
moved up the river two or three hundre,
feet. We will pass several places which
. will not consider, and go to Sailor bend
p where about the same has been done as a
Boggs', but it is a worse place. The banl
has already commenced to cave, and at tn
first high water several trees are likely t
fall in. At Bear Trap is the same thin
: over again as at other places. This take
us down to Colusa. At some other time
will give you an account of the Seizer's op
: erations on the river below there.
Now lei US sum this whole business W
I When the Government first appropriate
: means to do this snagiug the Dover we
, chartered to do it by Colonel Mendell, an
one of the strongest points in the contraC
was that every snag taken out should b
destroyed. That policy was strictly car
/, ried out for a year or two, but since til
Sellers advent things have been goin
from bad to worse. This season that orde
/ has been entirely ~disregarded as far as l cal
observe, and there is no good excuse
! They have plenty of time and plenty @
= money TO do good work. Now | will ask
> few questions and answer them myself.
First-Why are those snags left in tn
} manner described? Answer-To max
| work for the Seller next season.
, Second-What harm do they do2 An
swer-They obstruct the free flow of tn,
water, narrow the river, force the curren
lltO lue OtuuSi causing tHS OauhS ~ CAV
and more trees to fall in.
What else? They are jus
where boats want to run, either up o.
down in high water. Up, to avoid thu
strong current down, because a barge vii
slide down in the bends, and pilots havt
to keep as close to the points and bars n
possible.
In conclusion, I give it as my opinion
that there are more snags in sight in the
river than there was five years ago, and the
river is not as straight as it was then.
have counted, as you see, 100 large snags in
that short distance. None have beer
blasted or broken up none will float away
because they have not had a chance to dry
Is that improving the river?
What has been done above Dayton / dc
not know, but l presume the same as be-
low. l give them credit for improving
navigation for the present season, but as
for improving the river permanently the
Seizer has been a failure. l hope we shall
have better work in the future. If not,
you will hear from me again. DRUMMER.
- ia