The record-union., 1891-03-02
BOOMING RIVERS.
The American Causes the Sacramento
10 Rise Rapidly.
The Paine Break is All Right-SerGeant
Barwicl> Offers an Explana-
ton of 1t All.

The river rose rapidly during Saturday
night and yesterday morning.
AT 8 A. NJ. it touched the 23l-foot mark.
In the afternoon at 2 o'clock it registered
"a feet inches. Large quantities of drift
wood were carried down the stream.
The booming of the American River
was the cause of the sudden rise i'll the
Sacramento. People living in the out
skirts of the city near the north levee re-
port that the American was higher yes
terday than at any time last winter. 1t
overfowed its banks and rushed through
the brush between the B-street levee and
the bed of the stream.
Hundreds of people visited the Yolo
bridge yesterday and watched the muddy
river as it flowed swiftly by.
AT THE PAINE BREAK.
Ten men were at work Saturday night
on the levee at the Paine break, and yes
erGay the farmers on that side of the
river for several miles on each side of the
break, gathered and set TO work strength
ening the embankmeIt. SandDags,
brush, straw and earth were deposited on
the inner slope of the levee to prevent the
under current from washing it away.
L HS river WIS llOI NlIHlH IOtir lect Ol lllc
top, but the levee being newly built,
sipage could not be prevented from pass
ing through it.
There is little cause to fear, however
that the new levee will give way. DR.. G..
Nj. Dixon, of this city, returned from the
break last night and stated that the levee
at the break was being constantly
strengthened by the sediment from the
river which was banking up against the
newly SUnken piles and brush, and
solidlfying it. In his opinion, the place
where the break occurred last winter
would soon be the strongest part of the
leVee.
The Twelfth-street road leading across
the American River bridge to the Haggin
grant was covered with water in places
yesterday afternoon, on account of the
high stage of the river.
Trustees Mclaughlin and Wolf went
out to the east levee yesterday afternoon
feared from that point. Mr.. Wolf said
he thought the water was two feet lower
there than last winter.
Last night Mt III o'clock the river was
"a feet 10 inches. 4 couple OF men who
came over from the Yolo side reported
that piece of levee on the Conrad ranch,
north of the Paine Break, was in danger
OF being washed away.
ON THE HILL"
It was raining hard last night west of
Blue Canyon, on the line of the Central
Pacific Road, and heavy fall of snow
was reported at Emigrant Gap and east.
The rotary Snow-plow will probably be
put To work to-day on some of the sidings
in the higher attitudes on the "hill.''
The south-bound Oregon express was
reported six hours behind time last night,
on account of a detention north of Ash
land. The weSt-bound overland will ar
rive on time this morning at Sis O'Clock.
n special train, consisting of fifteen car
loads of oranges and vegetables from the
south, Will pass through this city this
morning, on the way East
THE BAROMETER RISING.
The Signal Service reports show the
rainfall from 5 o'clock Saturday evening
TO p. n. yesterday amounted to SO of an
inch, making for this season L. a inches
as against 21.6I inches to an equal date
last year.
The barometrical readings at 5 A. NJ.
and P. NJ. yesterday were 29S9 and %. .95
inches, respectively. showing a slowly
rising barometer. which may be a good
sign ofapproaching settled weather taken
III conjunction with the wind changing
to the southwest. The showers yesterday
may be those from the clearing or closing
side of the southwest quadrant of the
passing center OF disturbance or low
barometer.
The highest and lowest temperature
yesterday was 6i0 and 5fo as against 56o
and 43o on the same date last year.
The highest and lowest one year ago
to-day was 5So and 400 with a trace Of
rain. The mean or average temperature
and the total precipitation for the month
of February just passed was as follows
Tor the signal stations named: OLYMPIA,
30 and 4.S0 inches; Fort Candy, 3go and
inches; Portland, 37o and $50 inches:
Roseburg, 40o and 1I.5o inches; Red
Bluff, AZ and 1910 inches; Sacramento.
4S' and 6.60 inches.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
The above brief data show very plainly
tuat during the month of February the
storm centers came from off the ocean
nearer California than usual. thereby
giving Southern Oregon and Northern
California more rain than Northern
Oregon and Washington; those two
States most always foot up Il greater total
at the end of each winter month than our
state. 1t Will be seen that the greatest
rainfall was at RoSeburg, Oregon. and
Red Bluff in this State, and the conse-
Quence must be that the region of the
Siskiyou range Of mountains, including
old Shasta, must have had more than its
average share of rainfall in February.
ABOVE THE AVERAGE.
The average rainfall for February in
this city during the past forty-two wears
b.Nl
inches in excess of the average or normal
precipitation.
The average at Red Bluff for thirteen
years past is 3.42 inches; the past month
was 1.2S inches greater than the normal.
The greatest precipitation at Red Bluff in
February Tor fourteen years past exceeded
February, 1891, but once, and that was in
1878, when the Bluff city had the large
amount OF 1866 inches, and for the season
OF ISIS, 5S.l7. That year, 1873, gives
Sacramento S.04 inches in February.
showing that Red Bluff had two inches for
each one that WAS measured in this city.
That was the year OF the Fern break in
the levee on the Sacramento side OF the
river.
The barometer at ) p. NJ yesterday was
nearly at n standstill in Red Bluff; there
was but sprinkle of rain in the twenty
four hours ending ut p. NJ, and during
the same time Sacramento had SO of an
inch. There must be, then. more rainfall
on the headwaters of the American in
the past twenty-four hours than on the
Sacramento, consequently the sudden
rise IN the river yesterday will be fol-
lowed by as sudden a fall. for the
American gets rid of its extra water very
rapidly.
Back to the Asylum.
John Ragsdale, who resides Just across