Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-27
RIVER LEvEEs.
An Engineer Expresses His Views on This
Timely Tonic.

An Engineer Expresses His Views on This
Timely Topic.
"There's no danger, in my judgment, of
the Sacramento river bsing permanently
diverted at the break" said prominent
engineer to a Bulletin reporter on yesterday.
II was up that way last week on private
business, and passed the break three times.
There's big cut in the leVee there, be-
tween 600 and 800 feet long, and the river
goes over into the slough with considerable
velocity. You cannot tell whether the
bank IS cut down much, but | doubt if the
water is yet down to clay and hard PAN
It's the law, in diversion like that, for the
river to cut deep at the breaking point, but
to pile up sand and detritas beyond, out
side, in sort of semi circle; so doubtless,
when the river goes down the engineers
will find a vas; amount of material made
into nd Of outside wall in the slough
neiI tle bre. king point. This can be used
in repairing Work 10 some extent.
Il do not consider the bar there amounts
to much. There has always been small
bsr right at that turn. The quiet current
will soon scour that down. lis tie law of
rivers to deposit sediment when rising and
to clear the channel when the stream falls
and quiets. There have been many breaks
before this in this sectiol., but in late years
no great change of course has resulted.
People who are alarmed about this matter
now forget that the river banks at this
point are not like those Of sandy sediment
formation above Colusa. There the cur
rent can be readily changed.
The time has certainly come when there
should be systematic levee plan adopted
for the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.
II would be well if the Government could
take the matter up. but Government
Commission, l believe, could construct
levees only for purposes of navigation.
The Mississippi River Commission has
power to construct and improve only those
levees that are necessary for the navigation
of the river. There should be one organ
lied levee plan for the whole river, ar
ranged by competent engineers. Each
property owner might possibly be allowed
TO 90 ahead and protect or reclaim his
land, but he would have to do it with re-
gard 10 the entire system and respect for
the continuing work of his neighbor.
There has been too much damage done al
ready by lack of system in leyee work.
There's an illustration of it in the San Joa-
Quin delta, near Lathrop where for years
two wealthy landowners (both of whom
are now dead were at war over their
boundary line The result was that each
built costly levees, but instead of joining
and keeping the river out ther built two
extra cross-levees, each some distance from
their joint boundary line, and now the
river flowing between these cross-levees
forms constant menace to property in
that locality.
THE way things have been going on in
levee work shows results the sameas would
follow if from the well-organized mechan-
ism OF modern newspaper Office you
should take away the managing head, and
then say TO the compositors: Set all the
type you can no matter what it is, or how
much; just go ahead and set type >"