The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-12-20
UP THE RIVER.
Farmer Carroll Says Its Navigation is
Really in Danger,
The Feather River Crevasses and the
Jacobs Break Should be Re-
paired at Once.

In letter to the RECORD UNION, P.
Carroll of Nicolaus, Suffer County, again
calls attention to the danger that threat
ems the navigation OF the Sacramento
River north Of this city, and the Feather,
i'll consequence of levee breaks that are
left open. Mr.. Carroll says:
have made an inspection of the break
in the leVee below the town Of Nicolaus
and | must say that our worst fears are
about to be realized. The Levee Com
missioners visited the break to see if it
was advisable to try and stop il. They
came to the conclusion that they were
not equal to the task, and that if there is
| anything done it must be by the Govern
ment.
This break is of more than local con-
Germ. 1t means the closing of navigation
! on the Feather iii low water; it means the
| damage OF a large body of valuable land:
| it means the changing of the channel OF
the river down through the American
| Basin TO an entrance into the Sacramento
at the north end of your city, and it will
! be well for the people down there TO have
| their houses III good order, especially
| those on the west side, for the next flood
must send the whole volume down that
way.
The boatmen tell US that already the
river begins to be slack below the Jacobs
break on the Sacramento, and as conse-
quence the river below is filling with
sand.
Now, the proper solution of the river
problem at Nicolaus is cutoff OH the
west side, beginning opposite the town OF
Nicolaus and bringing il out again at the
Nelson mound. This would give a
straight channel clear TO the mouth. 1t
is the straight channel that discharges the
water best. Where there is much bend
and rnSiGfanpn thpTp iE tho r,Iaaa bar. Z.
is most likely to give way, for there the
water will pile and the pressure will be
greater-something our engineers seem
not to have counted on in laying out
| leVees.
Now, if the Government is going to do
anything as it ought to be done, it must
| work for straight river. 1t will be the
cheapest i'll the end, because it will be
the safest. By all means we should have
/ a State River Commission, having power
! to condemn land when wanted, for it
/ may be the General Government possesses
10 such power within the jurisdiction OF
! the State. The coming Legislature should
not neglect Ithis. Something must lie
| done. and that right away, or we shall
/ wake up when 1T is too late.
am told there Is enough loose material
/ below the mines TO choke the entire
/ river from end to end SO the wa. er would
1 not be allowed to escape, for that is the
/ only salvation of the rivers.
There is one more thing. The waters
4 OF the upper country can never I've made
/ to pass under the bridge at Sacramento.
/ here should be an easement somewhere
! below the mouth Of the Feather. on the
/ \ olo side, TO let ont the surplus water so
that there will be no more that twenty
! four feet on the gauge at Sacramento.
/ That will take the pressure on the levees
below, and all the lands along the river
would be out OF danger. The surplus
water might be confined between levees
until it reached tide water A bill for
this purpose should be the first thought
Of the Legislature.
In the meantime the landholders and
all having an interest should meet at Sac
ramento at an early day and consider the
matter and tighten the labors for the
Legislature. Who Will make the call?
Somebody from your city should-let us
say the President of the Board of Trade,
/ Ii we go to work we can save not only the
rivers for commerce and drainage, but
! lskewise the land for people to live on.