The morning call., 1892-01-16
RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
A Memorial TO Be Presented TO Congress
Urging Immediate Action.

SACRAMENTO, Jan. 15.-The River I'm
provement Convention held its third annual
session here to-day. =. L. Plat, President
of the Sacramento Board Of Trade, presided
and {. Z. Grunsky acted as Secretary
The counties represented were Sacra-
mento, Yuba, Suffer, Colusa, So
ano, Tehama. Yolo, San j aquin,
Glenn, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, Placer,
SonOma, Butte and San Francisco. There
were about one hundred delegates present,
composed of the leading citizens of the
counties named. Chairman Plat in
his address said that the General
Government was entirely responsible
for the present condition of the rivers, aud
must be looked TO for necessary relief. He
then gave an extended review of the work
of previous conventions, and the results OBJ
tanned through Congress.
The following memorial will be presented
to Congress;
TO the Honorable Senate and House Of ReDrs-
seHtdtiUeS: Your memOriallsts, representing tie
people OF the great Sacramento aud san joaquin
valleys aud the adjacent counties aud
the city Of SIN Francisco, California
in their, third annual session assembled
respectfully represent that in compliance
with tlIe provisions OF Section II Of the River
aud Harb0r Act. approved September 10, 1890,
a SD clal Board OF Engineers WAS constituted
TO consider aud report upon the needs
of the Sacramento and Feather rivers and
their tributaries, with u view TO their future
Improvement. Sad board did make a thorough
personal examination Of said rivers and In their
report submitted 10 the House OF Representa-
lives by the secretary OF War. February
10, 1891, recommended an appropriation of
The sum of S646.OOO for the Improvement OF
said rivers, while The Government engineers
have recommended an appropriation OF The sum
OF STAG, 200 for the tmprOv- ment OF the san
Joaquin ana MOkelumne rivers aud their tTibu-
tarles, and $4,000 for the Improvement OF Peta-
The Board OF Engineers, after a thorough eN-
animation, reported that hydraulic mining tie
chief source OF injury 10 the navigabl-
itv OF the Sacramento River ana lls
tributaries, has been nterol,ted by the Fece al
courts, thus rendering II possible to gradual
and talnly restore The said rivers 10 tier
original value as navgable highways aud 10
maintain said naYigsbiiy so long as hydraulic
mining is not resumed IN any manner which
will allow further artificial erosion of the
gravel deposits 10 contribute detiitus 10 shOal
SAID river. The necessity for these appTOpria-
lions was made apparent by said report
and We indOrse IN full the statements there's n
contained. The Importance OF these rivers 10
the commerce OF California and the nation eau
not be OvereStim8ted.
Wherefore we most earnestly request you TO
make the appropriations a. recommended by the
said sp. cal aud regular Government engineers
for immediate ana necessary improvements of
rivers IN California without any reduction, and
tha the entire amount be made Immediately
available.
Among the resolutions adopted was a
recommendation that the Executive Com
mttee confer with the Executive Committee
of the Miners Convention for the purpose
of carrying out the objects of the memorial
There was considerable discussion relative
to the ACCESSIBILITY or selecting more than
three delegates to present the memorial to
Congress. and after considerable delay the
following commission was appointed by the
Executive Committee to argue the matter
before Congress; George Ohleyer Of Suffer,
alternate c. p. Berry; Grove l.. johnson
j. w. Ferris OF San joaquin, alternate II.
j. Corcoran. The convention adjourned
shortly hafnra midnight