The record-union., 1891-02-20
Weather Forecast
ENGINEERS REPORT UPON THE
NAVIGABLE RIVERS.

Board of United States Engineers to
consider the Sacramento and Feather
Rivers, with a view to their future i'm
provement. The report differs so materi-
ally from the brief synopsis first tele-
graphed, that the latter should be cast
wholly out of mind, and full and deliber-
ate reading given to the official report
which we this morning print, as fur
nished by the representative of the Rec
oRD-UNIoN at Washington.
The engineers examined the Sacra-
mento River from its mouth to the pres
ent head of navigation, McIntosh's Land
ing. They examined the Feather River
from its mouth to Marysville, and the
Yuba from its mouth to Daguerre Point
They also considered all testimony laid
before the board, and heard the statement
of practical navigators and others famil-
lar with the rivers and their needs.
The engineers find that the Sacra-
mento's full navigable capacity will be
developed only when its flood waters in
whole, or in great part, are made to pass
between its banks, but to bring about that
result will involve period of years. The
board finds that the business transacted
upon the river and prospectively to be
done upon it justifies the reclamation of
the stream from its present state. Low
water navigation of the Sacramento River
should therefore have all practical atten-
ton and encouragement. 1t is in the low
water season, from July to December, the
period of grain movement, that the great
est difficulties in the way of navigation
are encountered. But these can be re-
moved or ameliorated by proper atten-
ton
The people are to be congratulated upon
this finding by the board. By reason of
1t the Government is, for the first time,
1nformedsthat navigation is impeded, that
treatment is practicable, and that it is
necessary and should be promptly APP
piled. 1t Will be remembered that when
the River Convention Committee went on
to Washington last winter upon the bust
ness of river improvement they were met
by the statement that the Government
had not yet been officially informed that
there was anything wrong with the river,
except as to snags in the channels; that
before Congress could be advised by the
War Department that branch of govern
ment must be itself advised by the army
engineers. The result was that the dele
CATION secured an order for preliminary
examination of the rivers, and it is the
report of the result Of that examination
that is now before us.
1t will be seen that three important
steps have been successfully taken, and
three important ends attained: First, Sc
curing an order for an examination of the
rivers; second, the report of the Govern
ment engineers informing the War De-
partment that the navigable streams
named are in sore need of treatment, that
they can be practically treated for i'm
provement of their navigation, and that
tiAC VI iAc
warrants the Government in undertaking
such improvement tasks; third, the trans
mission of the report to Congress, with
the recommendations of the engineers ad-
vising specific appropriations.
This is really greater and more rapid
progress than we had anticipated. Within
single year, by the output Of little To-
cal energy and manifestation of lively
determination to be heard, the people
most Immediately interested in the riy-
ers have got the whole subject of river
improvement before Congress with the
official recommendation of the War De-
partment for specific outlays in the work
of recovering the streams from the threat
of destruction. If the matter is followed
up with similar energy we shall have the
Government forces at work upon the
rivers, surely by the opening of the year
1892. 1t is not probable that the most ar
dent and enthusiastic friends of river inn
provement have anticipated such rapid
progress as this.
What do the engineers report in detail
and advise should be done in the begin
ming? In brief the reply may be thus
made: l. To regard Mcintosh as the
head of navigation-a point forty miles
below Red Bluff, or $50 miles from the
mouth of the Sacramento River. 2. OBJ
structions in the Sacramento River for
sixty miles below this city are mainly at
six points; at all other points there is
water depth sufficient for the class of
boats which now ply upon the river, and
which draw, when fully loaded, six feet.
By proper system OF channel improve
ment, applied at the six points of OBJ
struction, seven feet of water at low
stages may be secured, and that is suffi-
cient for the present requirements of
navigation, and for the work S275, 900
should be the appropriation. 3. Between
Sacramento and Colusa, barges drawing
from 81 to 4 feet of water are used, and
save in exceptional years it is practicable
to maintain depth sufficient for four feet
draft barges. To insure this result
Jacobs Slough, on the east bank above
Sacramento, should be closed, and the
cost is estimated at $4,000. 4. Nearing
Colusa the slope of the river steepens,
and the current flows rapidly over
gravelly bars in channels of diminished
depths, so that four-foot barges cannot be
used in low stages of the river. In this