The record-union., 1891-03-06
THE RIVER FALLING.
Breaks on the Yolo Side Relieve the
Enormous Strain.
The Water Washed Over the Levee at
SutterviIIe Before the Breaks,
But Without Damage.

len stream of muddy water rush by.
The current appeared to be swifter than
1t was on the preceding day, and those
competent to Judge estimate that it was
flowing at the rate of about five miles an
hour. The fact that the river was rising
was matter of surprise to everyone and
there were all sorts of speculations, as to
how such a short storm could cause SO
much water. 1t was thought that when
the levee broke on the Yolo side the
stream would Immediately recede, but
instead of doing so it commenced to rise
and Sacramentans could hardly account
for it. The general feeling was that the
people of this city owed their safe con-
dition from flood to the weakness of the
levee on the opposite side of the river,
and had the break been prevented it is
possible that the stream would have risen
high enough to run across Front street
into n. 1t is probable, however, that the
levee directly in front of Washington
would have been swept away before any
damage could have come to property in
this city by reason of the water washing
over Front street.
BELOW Y STREET.
Yesterday morning the river registered
26 feet 8 inches, and by o'clock in the
afternoon it had risen two inches. A
RECoRD-UN reporter made the trip
along the levee on the Sacramento
side yesterday afternoon from this
city to Oak Hall-about three miles
down-and was enabled to judge Of the
condition of the levees. At the foot of S
street gang of men were at work tear
ing up the platform in front of the Clunie
warehouse and placing large blocks of
granite on the outer slope of the levee. 1t
was beginning to wash badly at this point,
but the riprapping prevented further cav
ing of the embankment. The tracks in
the switch-yards were covered with
water to a depth of six or eight inches,
and the office of the Sacramento Trans
portation Company at the foot of n street
had to be abandoned. The water was
several inches deep on the floor.
The fault to be found with the entire
levee along the river, south of street, is
its, steep slope. Valuable ranches which
would warrant the owner in building
levee that would be impregnable are
protected in many places by the frailest
of levees. The ranchers realize the fact
only when the high water comes, and
causes scare among them. Instead OF
building embankments with a
FIRM BASE AND SLOPE,
Which should be at least in the ratio of
three feet in breadth to every foot in
hight, the majority of the levees are
about as near perpendicular as they could
have been built, and not by any means
safe structures, in case of very high
water.
Men were patroling the levee watching
for gopher holes during the entire day
yesterday, and also last night, and doz-
ems of holes were discovered and plugged
with sand-bags. In front of Merkley's
ranch the water was within about two
and half feet of the top of the levee and
break was not feared. Further down
says in the bank were filled with bags of
dirt, and there was one particularly bad
piece Of levee at the point where the Riv-
erside road joins the levee. The soft
earth on the outside slope had cracked
and was falling into the water. A few
sand-bags, however, prevented further
washing.
In front of Edwards ranch, about a
quarter of a mile below Sutterville, the
water commenced running over the
levee about o'clock in the afternoon,
and men were put to work filling grain
sacks with clay and depositing them on
the top of the levee. Trustee Wolf and
Jerry Lenhart, Street Commissioner Me-
Laughlln's assistant, superintendent the
work and had several hundred sacks
brought down from the city.
AT sUTTERvILLE.
Several small cottages outside the levee
the high water.
Near Sutterville the water was within
few inches of the top of the levee. and it
was fortunate that stiff north or south
wind was not blowing. A break in the
levee at this point would be much more
disastrous than on the Yolo side, as there
are almost continuous orchards for thirty
miles down the river on the Sacramento
side, while there are comparatively few
on the 4olo margin of the river, the land
being given up to the raising OF yeCe-
tables, hay, stock, etc.
There is no danger to the Sacramento
levees. The north and east embank-
ments are in splendid condition. Front
street, in the vicinity of n, should be
raised two or three feet, but there is no
danger of the levee breaking there, for if
the water should flow over it, a few
planks and sacks could keep it out This
leyee is too wide and strong to be
in any danger of giving way. The Y
street levee is perhaps too low, but
it must, be remembered that if the
levee should break near Sutterville
the natural flow of the water would be
away from the city and it would not back
up so as to be as high as it is at the foot of
Il street. There is not the slightest dan
ger of the city levees giving way, but be-
fore another season it would probably be
just as well, for appearance sake if moth
L
water would not remain on it, and also
the I-street levee, as it does not look
well for strangers to see water along the
street, and the situation is very apt to be
exaggerated.
ANOTHER YOLo BREAK.
At O'Clock yesterday afternoon, a piece
of the levee about 300 feet south of the
new embankment where the Paine break
occurred last year, was washed out and
the river commenced to rush through
the aperture, widening it at every min
ute. AT last accounts late last evening,
the break was 100 feet wide and the levee
was being washed away continually.
The break on the Snider ranch, north of
the Paine levee has widened to about 200
feet, and the new piece OF levee built
across the Paine crevasse stands as an
island. The entire thing will probably
be obliterated in short time
Reports received from Sutterville last
night were to the effect that the Sacra-
mento levee was still holding out and the
water was falling. The danger was con-
sidered almost over.
THE RIVER FALLING.
The new break on the Yolo side caused
the river to commence falling in half an
hour after the levee gave way. Telephone
messages were received at the RECORD
UNION office from Freeport and Suffer-
vile stating that the river had fallen
several inches there, and asking the
cause. Similar reports were received
from other points on the river below the
city.
At 1 o'clock this morning the river
marked 26 feet inches, fall of nine
inches since the break occurred.