Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-30
PRACTICALLY IMPRACTICAL.
SURVEYOR BoYD's FIGURES ON THE
DRAINAGE CANAL.
Only 81 Get Fall in Twenty-one Miles
at Water-Attorney john
son's New Opinion.
The drainage canal scheme is apparently

in its death throes.
At one of the conferences between the
Supervisors and City Trustees, County Sur
Veyor Boyd was instructed to make thor
ough examination of the country through
which the canal runs, and make report TO
the Board regarding the fall between Sac
ramento city and Snodgrass slough, where
the canal terminates.
While Mr. Boyd was thus engaged, the
Supervisors became involved in wrangle
with various persons opposed to the canal
scheme. as to their legal powers in the
premises. They employed Grove L john
son as special counsel TO assist District At
tornev Bruner in elucidaling the law to
them. These attorneys agreed that the
Board had the power 10 appropriate money
from the general road fund with which to
reiuyenate the old canal, provided, how
ever, it was made to appear that the money
was being expended for the protection of
roads only. S. Scion Holl, as attorney for the
opposition, admitted that this was the only
way the Board could &c! around it.
The Supervisors met again yesterday and
with reluctance brought up the canal SUBJ
ject again. They did it reluctantly, be-
cause Just before the meeting was called to
order, attorney Johnson beckoned them
into License Collector Dolan's Office, and
read to them q new opinion which he had
written, to the effect that the Supervisors
had no right to touch the canel-that it be-
longed to the city; also, that if the general
road fund was exhausted it could not be
replenished from the general fund Of the
county.
But this was not the blow that altogether
disposed of the drainage canal scheme.
1t was after the Board had adjourned its
star-chamber meeting and met in regular
session. County Surveyor Boyd, who had
been occupying cosy seat near the book
case, arose Immediately after roll-call and
presented his report on the survey Of the
canal. This report showed virtually that
the canal project is impractical, and also
showed that if the Board had taken the
RECORD UNIONS advice and had this ques-
ton OF practicabilitv settled before plung-
ing into the legal depths of the case, a
great deal of time, money and trouble
would have been saved.
Mr.. Boyd's report was as follows;
SACRAMENTO, September 90, 1890.
To the Honorable Board OF Supervisors Of Sdcrd-
nertO CouRty-GENTLEMEN Having completed
a survey of the Drainage Canal leading from
Sacramento City to SnodgTass slough, made
with view of determining the difference in
elevation between the terminal points OF said
canal, and also between the terminal points and
such intermediate points as were accessible,
beg leave to submit the following as the result
of that survey:
From the bottom of the brick sewer at its out
let at Sixth and streets, to the following
named points, the difference in elevation is as
follows:
l. To a point 300 feet south of the sewer outlet
there is a rise in the bed of the canal of % feet
2 To the bed of the canal where it crosses the
Riverside road, there is fall of lS feet, or fall
from the bed of the canal 500 feet south of the
sewer outlet to the crossing at the Riverside
road of Sc feet
g. To the surface of the water in Munger's
Lake, a rise of 0.6 feet.
4. To the bed of the canal where It crosses the
Pocket road, fall OF Z feet.
5. To the bed of the canal where it crosses the
Freeport road, a fall of S.3 feet.
6. To the bed of the canal east OF Freeport,
7. To the bed of the canal where it crosses the
Georgetown and Richland road, a fall OF SIS
feet.
S. To the bed of the canal north of the food
gate in the Anderson levee, a fall of feet.
O. To mean low tide at the Pierson District
pump-house, q fall of ST feet.
10. To high-water mark OF 1SS9-91 az the
PIerson District pump house, rise OF So feet.
Owing TO the fact that no record is kept OF
tides for the entire year at or near the outlet of
the canal, the fall from the bottom of the sewer
to mean low tide may be subject to change.
The fall as noted above, of 5 7 feet, being Tor
mean low tide of september, 1890.
Respectfully submitted,
]. c. BoYD, c. E., County Surveyor.
"Well," said Supervisor Bales, breaking
the silence that followed the reading of the
report, what are We going to do about it?'
"Humphl guess I'm pretty well salts
fed as TO what to do, said Mr.. Tebbets.
We've heard the law and now we know
the fall between here aud the slough"
Mr.. Greer thought there had been mis-
understanding on the part of the friends
and enemies of the scheme, as to what time
the Board intended taking the matter up
none of them being present. He therefore
moved to lay the matter over until the
afternoon, which motion was carried.
In the afternoon nobody put in an ap-
pearance to say anything either for or
against the project, and the Supervisors
were in a Quandary rs to what to do.
Mr.. Tebbets seemed to be in favor of
dropping the whole business for good. He
referred again TO Mr.. Johnson's latest
opinion on the suhje and said he supposed
it settled the case.
Then the canal scheme made another
desperate effort to live.
District Attorney Bruner, who was in
the room, jumped up at Mr.. Tebbets re-
marks and said if the Board acted exclu-
sively upon this opinion of Mr.. Johnson's
il need not in the future look TO the Dis
trict Attorneys office for legal advice. He
had examined the law as well as Mr..
johnson, and differed with the latter as 10
the powers of the Supervisors. Mr. Brnner
said he was satisfied that the Board could,
after the general road fund was exhausted,
replenish it from the general fund.
Mr.. Tebbets said he had been given to
understand that Mr. Bruner and Mr.. John
son were in harmony as to the legal propo-
sitions involved.
Mr.. Bruner replied emphatically that this
was not the case.
But the majority of the members OF the
Board we're evidently OF the opinion that
the canal scheme was too sick for recovery,
and they took little encouragement from
Mr.. Burners remarks
After some dilatory discussion the matter
was laid over again until next week-lust
to GET rid of it for the time.