Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-14

two-thirds of the water of the Sacramento
river is now diverted into and through the
the Yolo bzsin.
After howing few hundred feet the
water spreads out rapidly, like Chinese
ian, although a strong, deep current can
be readily traced off toward the southwest,
while another smaller one passes nearly
due west.
1t is the opinion of Mr.. Beaumont that
If the break is not promptly closed and the
present large volume of water utilized to
scour out the river channel below the
break, navigation of the river from Sacra-
mento to Rio Vista will be thing of the
past when the river reaches its low-water
stage. Will our Board of Trade and the
people generally, who are interested in the
preservation of our river, stand idly by
and see the priceless boon pass from them,
or will they demand from the powers in
authority such immediate action as will
avert dire calamity?
w. F. Knox, the we'll known contractor,
holds that the break can and should be
| closed at once, or that the navigation of
| the river will be seriously imperilled. He
| has plan for repairing the levee, based
| on the same principle that has been en-
past, and differing materially from that on
which bids were. recently asked by the
| Government engineers who have the su-
| pervision of the Sacramento river.
Mr.. Knox was seen last evening and
asked to fully explain the method he
thinks should be employed to close the
break, but he was just preparing to start
on journey, to be absent several days,
and had not time in which to do so. On
his return, however, his views will be
given through the RECORD UNION.
| 1t is to be regretted that when the sound
| ings described above were made the gentle
men did not take measurements showing
the extent of the bar that has formed be-
low the break. 1t may be comparatively
narrow, and it may extend far down the
| river. In either case, it would seem that
the Government engineers might use to
good advantage portion of the S110,00 at
their disposal by dredging out channel
across the bar and thus divert a larger body
| of water away from the break. Whether
| the latter be closed or not in the near future
| the securing capacity of the river below it
| can doubtless be increased by removing a
| portion of the accumulated sand and slick
ems that have been deposited at that point.
The volume of water going through the
break, and its force, are of course in
creased by the obstruction of the
| river channel, but if this obstruction
were removed now, and the channel kept
open, there would be less erosion of the
river bank, on the line of the break, than
has been caused by the tremendous force
of the water that has been thrown against
it during the winter.
There is less sediment now being carried
down the river than during the earlier
stages of the high water, when the bar was
formed below the break, and if the channel
were now deepened at that point there
would not be much danger of a new de-
post being made there, while the old one
would be gradually cut away.
Ii this theory be correct-and it seems to
be reasonable one-the Government
should remove that bar, whatever it NAV
or may not do regarding the closing of the
break at this time.