The record-union., 1892-10-20
A LEVEE PROPOSITION.
The Southern Pacific Company Makes
An Offer
That VIII Prove q Great Saving and
Secure TO the City Ample
Levee Protection.

As has been announced already the
Trustees and the Southern Pacific author
tiles have had number of conferences
regarding the levee Improvement to be
ordered by the Trustees.
Both the city and the company, which
has large property interests dependent
upon levee protection, wanted the levee
improvement made. The city asked the
railroad company if it would do the nee
essary work along the river front. The
company replied through its General
Manager, Mr.. Towne, that it would do
everything required of it by the law and
the charter Of the city.
After that there were several consulta-
tions. but it does not seem to have been
determined what portion OF the work the
law imposed upon the company by rea-
son Of its tracks and property being
located along Front street. But that had
to be settled before the Trustees could
order work done.
As announced yesterday, President
Huntington of the Southern Pacific Com
pany came to the city. ana had another
conference with the Trustees on
Tuesday relative to the levee
work. The result of it was not
given to the press at once. Last evening,
however, Trustee Conklin gave to a
RECORD UNION reporter, in response to
inquiries. such details as makes clear
what the conference achieved.
The city, as IS known, is now raising
the leVee from \ to Il street along the
river to a maximum of !Our feet above
high water-nark, and making the top of
the levee thirty feet in width. In addition
there is being completed the riprapping
A,r.~r i
extended as far as the city was financially
able.
Tuesday Mir. Huntington proposed to
the Trustees that the Southern Pacific
Company would meet their work. at
Front and K street, and continue it up
stream, raising the levee to the maximum
hight, and making it as wide as is
deemed necessary. At the tooC of n
street and at commercial landings, how
ever, it might be n foot lower tlan the
maximum. The levee building would
be continued on up TO JibboOm street, and
along that street to the city limit, on the
line of the old bed of the American river,
and thence to Seventh street, on the city
boundary line.
Waving all questions as to what part Of
the worksthe law imposes upon the COM
pany, Mr. Huntington said to the Trus-
tees that his company would do the work
and for the city'S share would ask it to
pay to the company 923,U00 of the levee
improvement bonds.
The levee thus built would embrace the
valuable railroad property, and which
pays taxes to the city heavily, which the
legal levee lines exclude; that is, Mr..
Conklin explains, from l street up to
Sixth and out Sixth to b. Only older
residents are aware probably of the fact
that l and Sixth streets are the city's
lovee lines and that they do not extend
along Jibboom street or back of and
around the railroad shops.
For the work contemplated on the city
limit line the engineers estimate that it
wilLrequire l55.000 cubic yards of earth,
and the cost of such body Of material,
moved and put in place, compared with
the amount Of bonds asked of the city for
the work and considered with the cost of
other work involved in the levee max
ing, will give some idea of the proportion
Of cost the Southern Pacific Company is
willing to assume. 1t is the holief Of the
Trustees that the same work done by the
city could not be accomplished for less
than $4,000.
If the proposition of Mr.. Huntington is
accepted the | and Sixth-street lines
will have no work done upon them, Of
course. The city limit work will, in the
opinion Of the railroad engineers, make
the city impregnable to any assault from
the American River, and give the neces-
sary protection along the Sacramento
River
The Trustees, it is understood, are very
faVOrabl yampressed with the proposition
made, and are likely to accept it and
take the necessary preliminary steps to
do so. 1t will be an immense saving to
the city, will render it unnecessary to
issue the whole amount of the lately voted
levee bonds, at least for very long time,
and will take all property outside of |
and Seventh streets within the levee sys-
tenn, as should be done. Everyone to
whom the proposition was stated last
evening deemed it an excellent and
economic one and advised its acceptance.