The record-union., 1892-05-24
ALONG THE RIVER.
The Water is High, But the Levees
are Intact.
Some Anxiety Along the Farming
Lands-The River Not as High
as Two Years Ago.

The supposed breaking of the Yolo
levee on Sunday night fortunately proved
to be unfounded. The levees on both
sides of the river still hold their own, but
there are places where the water overtops
them slightly.
twenty-five men were sent down from
this city to Freeport yesterday to work
on the levee there, where the citizens had
already some fifty men employed in pill
ing sand bags on top of the embankment
to keep the water from running over.
The river, which had fallen several
inches on Sunday night from some unex-
plainable cause, rose again yesterday to
26 feet 6 inches, at which point it re-
mained all the afternoon. This is half a
foot lower than it was two years ago.
About o'clock last evening Colonel
McNasser and other residents down be-
yond Oak Hall sent up to this city
for a force of men to hasten to
that locality to assist in the work
of strengthening the weaker spots
in the levee. This gave rise to a rumor
that the levee had broken at Sutterville
but it was without foundation.
1t is true, however, that there are many
places along the river where the embank
ment requires constant attention and
strengthening to keep it from giving way
under the tremendous pressure of water
against 1t.
Last evening a gentleman came up
from CORTLAND and reported everything
as being secure in that locality. He
crossed over to Washington, with the in
tention OF inspecting the leyee on the
4olo side down to Courtland.
z. q. Riehl telephoned to the RECORD
UNION last night from Freeport that the
work done on the levee there was holding
well and that it would stand six inches
more OF water without being oyer-topped.
The people there were confident that
their levee was safe.
William Lovdal came up from his
ranch near Sutterville last night, and in
formed RECoRD-UNIoN reporter that
up to that time everything was safe on
the Sacramento side of the river. He
said he had no fear of break at any
place, as the levee could stand at least
half a foot raise before any further work
would be required. He had a number of
men patroling the levee at his place, and
he said at least seventy We're watching it
at SutterVille. The only trouble they had
experienced was from passing steamers,
which washed the water over the levees
and were liable to start a break. The
steamer Captains were not as careful as
they might have been.
At Freeport the water is going over the
top of the leyee, and had been nearly all
day yesterday. Men were at work. how
ever, packing bags of sand and deposit
ing them on top Of the levee, and no par
llcular danger is anticipated at this point.
The general opinion among those re-
siding along the river bank is that con-
siderable of rise can be stood off yet. and
that if any break occurs the Yolo levees,
being the weakest, will go first
Frank Miller, who had just made a
trip along the river bank, said to
RECoRD- UNION reporter yesterday:
ION Sunday and to-day L went beyond
East Park on the north leyee and found
that the American was not within ten
feet OF the top of the bank. AS the levee
rises in grade in its course thence south
easterly to Brighton, there is no news of
any importance to be expected from high
water on that line.
II then went down the Sacramento
levees to Sutterville, and saw that the
water was three feet below the levee-top.
Within the city limits-along Front to Y
street.-The defensive work is superb.
Runnlng eastward from the Sacramento.
and At a rightangle to the latter, is the
1lne 1-street levee, making straight
line for Brighton. The question of the
hour is will that levee ever have any
water at its base by reason Of the break
ing OF Gne FARMERS llfle on the east side of
the great river? So far no breaks are
known.
1T is true that at Sutterville Messrs.
McNasser, Curtis, Flint, Cavanaugh and
other prominent ranchers are hard at
work lining the washed edge with
branches. There, also, they had uncov-
cred leaking gopher-hole for one hun
dred feet along the inner edge of the
levee, until they came to the turn it made
TO the river side. Then they cut trench
III the top of the levee, across this con-
cealed channel and its branches, and put
in bags of earth. Only by vigilance and
skill is any fort held.
The LEGISLATURE said Mr.. Miller,
'should authorize the condemnation OF
lands by any person for the purpose of
building stone-lined overflows at places
10 be designated by the State Engineers.
and at mark of say twenty-five feet.
Let these be 500 feet wide, and empty into
channel toward the basins, said chan
nels to be guarded on either side by en-
bankments. Under a good law Of this
KIND and our new charter. this city could
get an overflow above WASHINGTON and
opposite the mouth of the american
River"