The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-16
ABOUT THE LEVEES.
The Citizens Committee Presents Its
Report to the Trustees.
Some Directors to the Proposed I'm
provement Appear-warm Discus
sions-The Matter Laid over.

sions-The Matter Laid over.
The committee which was recently APP
pointed at the Citizens mass-meeting to
prepare report on the subject of our
IeVees appeared before the City Trustees
and presented the report.
Besides the committee there was large
number of interested citizens and prop
erty-owners present.
Senator f. Z. Dray acted as spokes-
man. In addition 10 the main report
there was supplemental report, he said,
which suggested the building of a levee
along Thirty-frst street, thus effectually
walling in the city.
The Senator offered to read the reports,
but as they had been published in full
several days ago and had been read thor
oughly by the Trustees the latter waived
the reading of them. The Senator then
handed the long petition which had been
signed by scores OF property-owners who
want the Improvement made. He said
he hoped the board would not delay mat
tiers. The people realized that the pro-
posed work was very necessary and
should be started as soon as possible
AN DIRECTOR.
Captain J. II. Roberts then took the
floor and made a speech against the rails
ing of Front street. He did not care, he
said, how high the north and east levees
were raised, but did not want any work
done on the west side. To raise Front
street, he said, would greatly inconveni-
ence the business houses there, particu
larry the lumber-dealers. Hauling over
the levee by horse power was difficult
mo- la1afi &c nTYInN IN
business men viii have TO have engines
TO get their trucks over the leyee. Front
street was all right any how, he thought.
In case of an emergency sand bags could
De used. A thousand citizens with bags
could raise the levee faster than the
water could raise. The Captain spoke at
some length, but these We're the main Oh
Jections he had to offer.
FOR THE CITY.
V. S. McClatchy, in reply to the Cap
tain, said the committee in preparing the
report did not consider the inconvenience
that the improvement might occasion
any individual, but of the city as a whole.
de did not think they would have any
right to consider such Inconvenience.
lie would like TO know how much Cap
tain Roberts interests in Sacramento
would be worth if sand-bagging had TO
be INDUCED in on Front street every
winter. The Captains business, as well
as that of every merchant, depended
largely upon the city's reputation for Sc
curity.
Captain Roberts reply was that even if
Front street was raised five feet it would
only be q matter Of four or five years
when it would have TO be raised again.
THE SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT.
H. M. LaRue spoke against the propo-
sition contained in the supplementary re-
port to levee along Thirty first street. He
said it would be lallacious to abandon the
present east levee. lie did not think a
levee could be built high enough to keep
out the American River if it ever passed
the present barrier east Of the city.
BESIDES, such leVee as proposed would
make an island of the city, and would
shut out its trade with the country He
told about high water back in the sixties,
and declared that Sacramento's only dan
ger would be from the American River.
There was no need of providing against
the Sacramento river. 1t ooked bad, too,
to be walling up the front of tho city.
j. o. Coleman spoke in favor of prompt
action by the board. The Thirty-tirst
street proposition was not intended TO be
pushed by the committee. It was simply
suggestion and was submitted TO the
board for its consideration. All the board
mad to do in the matter was to permit the
people To vote on the question of whether
or not they should pay for the raising of
the matter and the board should not de-
lay the matter. The work could be done
much cheaper now than it could six or
eight weeks from now, and every day of
delay meant just SO much more expense.
CoNKLIN's QUESTIONS.
Trustee Conklin wanted to know what
he committees engineers based their
standard on in estimating the hight of
lhe American River.
hat flo
basis of twenty-seven feet and two inches,
that being the higbwater mark in 1892.
Mr.. Conklin said he could not see how
they could base the figures on the Ameri-
can River, on the high-water mark OF the
Sacramento River.
1t was explained that this was matter
the engineers would have to elucidate.
h. Comstock was not among those who
favored making the city secure. He adj
dressed the board on the matter, saying
that it would be nonsense to raise the
front levee five feet "All you've got to
higher than the y olo levee. Then you
viii be all right. 1t would be waste Of
money to put it up higher"
Mr.. Comstock was asked if he knew
that the Yolo levee was now forty inches
higher than Sacramento's levee He re-
piled that he had heard something like
that.
Mr.. Dray said the committee did not
care to debate the matter. It had pre-
pared report which set forth their views
fully. They desired to submit the mat
ter to the board.
Mr.. Conklin said he had question to
ask, and that was whether or not the
board would be doing right to bond the
city for 100000, and eXpend that money
on the levee, if the levee was not raised
all the way round.
Mr.. Dray replied that what the citizens
feet above hlgh-Wat6r mark. Ia MANY
places only two feet would have to be
added, because the levee now is three feet
above the required mark. He was salts
fed, however, that the citizens would be
willing to leave the matter ia the hands
Of the board, TO exercise its discretion.
There were business interests along the
waterfront which would suffer by a
tiye-foot raise, and he felt certain that in
eases OF this kind the boards judgment
as TO how high the levee should be raised
ut those particular points would be ac-
cepted. Beside, he added, if the board
would order the special election desired
the committee would see that clerks were
provided, and other expenses attended to
Tree Of charge to the city.
FOR 4 CONSULTATION.
Mr.. Coleman suggested that the board
take no action until tomorrow afternoon.
An adjourned meeting could be held
then, and the railroad company's en-
gineers would be there TO consult with
the board.
John Rider did not want the subject
dropped until after he had had his say.
He denounced the Thirty frst-street
leyee proposition, and pooh-poohed the
idea that the north leyee needed strength
ening. The latter would stand firm
against any, body of water, he declared.
"Do you know how wide the Ieyee is
near the beet-sugar fantn,.,2,5 nsl,nd Mr