Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-25
TULES AID SLICKEES.
DIR. SHIELDS THEORY AS TO THE FAT.
TENING PROCESS.
He Thinks the Public Too Indifferent
About River Improvements and
Land Reclamation.

would echo to the river; that the bay would
resound the joy to the mountains; that
cities would wave their dampened locks
from possible submergence and shout a
happy deliverance.
But, to my surprise, the thing is still
born. Yet, l believe 1 should not have
been surprised. Engineers have traversed
the stream with level and plum. and have
heaved the lead, with mark twain I"
"seven feet" five and a-halfl" and so on,
according to the measured depth. Senators
and Representatives have assembled the
stream, reporting muddy, shallow depths,
ending in clear stream and twenty feet, and
| all with no ripple of excitement following
But we know that deep down in the hearts
| of the mountain and plain, river and bay,
and fer off communities there beats pulse
of intense interest in this question.
| have never seen from any of these truly
| distinguished officers any other than a
proposition of dredging, which, so far as l
have seen, always ended in the propo-
| sition. Not one inch beyond this did the
| light shine that gave existence to it. 1t
probably always meant to stir the debris
| and send it down stream to the bays and
| if possible, to the ocean.
| Il is true that when Sacramento first
| awoke to the fact that our river front was
| being Swallowed, a distinguished citizen
said it could be remedied by dredging, but
| would cost five million dollars, at fifty
cents per cubic yard to do it, But even be,
so far as | know, never found place to de-
post the removed debris.
1t is further true that an inventor during
the civil war owned a river pillow on the
lower Mississippi river which was DESTROYED
or lost; and that it has been proposed to
make another for use here, which would
cut channel forty feet wide, four or six
feet deep, and run six miles an hour. de-
posting the debris on the sides of the
streams, not removing it from it.
If any other way of disposing of this OBJ
struction has been suggested / have not
seen it in print. There has been PROPOSE.
tions to cut canals, raise and strengthen
levees. straighten bends of the streams,
build second outer levees to carry the over.
flowed waters and to enlarge the mouth of
the streams. Doubtless some of these will
be adopted and subserve the great purposes
of reclamation, defense against overflow,
and largely in clearing the river channel,
but not the bay channels.
But l have proposed to make an arti-
fetal outlet for the debris, and simultane-
| ously stir the bottom with numerous
dredgers, river plows, hydraulic monitor
that shall send these accumulations, thick
as mud into the tules, lakes and unre-
claimable places where their presence is
| needed.
The. idea is not wholly new. I have
spoken to many citizens for twenty years
in favor of the constant use of small boat
| between our city and the mouth of the
Feather river, that would stir up the mud
y, or 90
good depth for that distance and on our
river front.
This much only is wholly new-to open
the levee and bank by the best mechanical
skill, with special view to its quick and
successful closure; and then, by machines,
possibly not yet invented attached to the
PROV of steamers, stir the debris, and restir
it, industriously, till the channel was the
proper depth.
If all parties interested would write out
their sanctions ard objections, some data
would accumulate upon which an opinion
| for or against the proposition could be in
| telligently formed
| Some of these notions sought are not con-
| fined to engineering and officials, and in
their absence must be anticipated. The
very first that has suggested itself to my
mind is this: Is this debris desirable
| ingredient to add to tule or overlooked
land? If it is known to be injurious, or if
its effect is doubtful, the owners of the land
would effectually object To raise the land
is very desirable. but if the land is rich
enough without added material, and if it
can be reclaimed in its present situation,
there may be objections to any change or
! additions.
These matters must be passed upon by
those who own the land and in the light of
the knowledge they have and can have.
| They must consider whether the carrying
capacity of the river, increased by dredging,
and therefore contributing to safety from
overflow, will work so far to the benefit of
the land as at once to gain their sanction
TO the operation.
The adobe lands wherever found ale
benefited, SO far as have inquired, by the
admixture of debris. There are such lots
in our city, and they are doubled in their
producing power by debris additions. On
lands in our suburbs that have been over
flowed and received these deposits the testi-
mony is universal and emphatic in favor of
this deposit. An owner of land Just out
side the Paine break asserts that his land
has been benefited by The debris deposit.
Much of the land about Nelson, Biggs
and vicinity is adobe, and is difficult to
work and at one time was considered
worthless, but by culture when in season
(moist) it has proven to be of the very best.
There is no doubt that this land is of the
same character as other lands made by de-
posits and would be workable at all sea.
sons if mixed: with other soils Some
of the land of our reclaimed islands is so
very loose that debris would make it much
more cultivatable But there are many
lakes sloughs, pockets and low tules that
will always be free from objections if there
should be some found, to more elevated
lands.
l have thought of one reason why this
method may have created no greater inter-
est The people of California are not suf-
ficiently acquainted with asphalturh to
weigh its merits. We know of it in street
Improvements and pavements about trade
centers in large cities, better than in any
form of use.
So far as l have seen, no one has adver-
tised this material as facing for levees but
the Ventura Asphalt Company. This COM
pany has not given, or at least advertised
the success OF il in this field. But seeing
with clear eyes its adaptability, they know
what its success will be, and proceed to its
manufacture, and count the cost, and even
, ask for opportunities of work.
, When the material shall be needed for
, so important purpose an opportunity OF
proving its adaptability will be given and
its strength and impenetrability by water
shown and its indestructibility proven.
I This statement is made on my own re-
sponsibility and not in consultation with
this company-except that l have learned
D from it that they are prepared for manu-
D featuring the blocks of asphalt = for
e cepenting these together and that they
, can place them on levee fronts for cents
q per square foot. They have proposed to
t face the levees of this city with this ma.
ter;al at that price. and even to make q
new levee with such facing for less than
our own levee cost US.
o The success of artificial crevasses will,
t hope, and confidently believe, so deeper
: the channel of the Sacramento and Ameri
can rivers as even TO make the presen
!, levee useless-even as they were before the
Gacra anti, shallnued and tho dapras