The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-07-05
The cIty's DeSenses.


EDS. RECORD UNION: The action
taken last week by number of our
business men looking to the strengthen
ing, of our levees is indeed timely, and if
this good work is. carried out this sum-
mer it will give the people a sense of Sc
curity which will forever establish conf
dence in capital from all parts of this
country. The outcome of it will be the
bulldlng up OF many manufactures here,
something, that with our vast resources,
we had ought to have had long ago, and
II we all join together in this matter it
VIII be the best investment this city ever
made.
Let us begin at the City Cemetery and
raise the street cross-levee from this
point three to four feet higher than it
now is, and make it sixty feet wide on
top clear down to Front and Y streets
and from here up to Front and r raise
this Front street leyee four feet higher
than 1t now is and make it eighty feet
wide on top, and let the filling be from
the inside. Then rip-rap with Folsom
granite and let the rock be far down into
the river.
From Front and R to the bridge let
Front street be raised at least three feet
not the railroad bed, but the whole
width of the street-and from the bridge
let Jibboom street be raised three feet
higher than the highest water-mark and
continue it around till 1t meets the rail-
road filling back of the shops, and rip-rap
this portion with Folsom granite the
same as Front street.
From here out to Twelfth street the
railroad company is filling it. Beginning
at Twelfth street, raise this levee two feet
higher than at present, and make it
eighty feet on top out to the Tivoli or
Brighton cross-leYee, and riDrap it the
Front StraQt The laypa
from here out to Brighton is high enough.
This done we would have levee that
would make this city absolutely safe from
the highest water for all stime to come.
This work would give employment to
hundreds of men, and every dollar spent
in doing it will be left in this city, as all
material will be furnished here.
But this is not all; when this levee is
completed as above it will make one of
the finest drive-ways on the coast. The
press of the State will make note of this
grand improvement, and Sacramento
will be advertised as she never was be-
fore. Then would be the dawn of a new
era in our history, as population would
pour in upon US, for capitalists are not
slow in seeing good place to invest,
especially SO when they can see the grand
future in store for this city when this
work is done.
While it will take quite little sum to
complete this undertaking, would like
to ask our people one question: We will
suppose that at some future time we
should have very wet season, and the
river should rise even higher than here
tofore and water should break into this
city-which might be possible. AS our
levees now are, is there one among US
who would doubt that the damage from
this break would depreciate property in
this city to very great extent? 1t would
nave tendency to set us back for many
years.
Now, / would ask in the light of these
facts, would it not be big paying in
Vestment to go to work now and build
this levee around our city, as I have
stated above, even if it costs a consider
able sum, than to take any more chances?
do not like to be considered an alarm
lst, but for one l am heartily sick and
tired of hearing every winter and spring
that WORKOUT old chestnut, "How is the
river? Is there any danger?'
l am also tired of seeing the city pay
ing out from ten to twenty thousand dol
lars at a time to lot of contractors for
patching our levees here and there, and
nothing come from it. Let us start right
in to commence this grand improvement.
Let every man or woman who owns
home take it in hand and see that spe-
cial tax IS levied to meet this expense,
and will venture to say there is not a
dozen propertY-owners in this whole CITY
but would rather pay down ten or even
twenty dollars, which could be raised by
this means, to build a nice driveway
around this city and at the same time
erect fine levee that would be abso-
lutely secure even from the highest water
that may hereafter come.
Now, let us be up and doing; let us be
ready, when the river is low, to put
hundreds of men on this work, that it
may be in fine shape by next spring.
Once this work iscompleted, Sacramento,
with the great water power at Folsom in
operation, and the big canal which is to
irrigate the whole eastern portion of this
county completed, we may look for 80, 900
population in this city inside of five
years. j. Ct. MARITIME.