The record-union., 1893-07-20
A CRY FOR RELIEF.
The "Fccl,ai" Land Owners Appeal
for Protection.
Supervisors and City Trustees VIII
To-day Visit the Inundated
Lands Down There.

James McNasser, President of the
Board of Trustees of Reclamation Dis
trict No. 535, has, on behalf of the land
owners in that district-which embraces
the bottom lands lying along the river
between this city and Freeport-issued
an address to the Supervisors of the
county ana the City Trustees, asking for
relief from drainage waters. In this adj
dress the District Trustees set forth:
That we represent the owners OF lands with
IN the boundaries Of Swamp Land Recama-
ton District No. $50; tuaI Dy reason OF the
lying west OF the Upper stockton road, ana OF
lana that naturally should drain into the
American River for q distance lar as W hiGe
hock, ana Incidental artificial draining OF the
various Lands lying contiguous thereto and
lne dumping OF nONlOuS sewage ana drain
waters from the City of Sacramento and the
accumulatonS OF Burns Slough waters; that
our lands are materially injured and nearly
absolutely destroyed By the flooding thereof
from the effects OF such DRAWINGS; that all Of
Ihtse waters are led through canals art1nclally
constructed to "the pocket so called; that
our lives are in danger from the nOXiOus and
ClScase-breedlng gases arising tHeretrOm; that
previous to the construction OF the said artl-
neal canals our lands, now covered with
vast lake oiaccumuiated sewage and drainage
NitlCrs-cONcr with tulc from six to ten feet
hlSh-Were formerly garden spot superior to
any IN the whole extent OF the sacramento
valley; that our lands, If reclaimed. are capa-
Bile ana would JUS iiytan assessment OF $1OO
per acre on the average, where now the same
lands are assessed at but 80 per acre; that we,
as reclamation district, purpose enecting a
complete reclamation OF these lands by the
purchase ana GO lstruct on on Cur para OF
compete system o. pumping machinery and
works incident thereto; that in order to fully
consumInate the purpose esired we. as cti-
Zens anu taxpayers, SC TX ana respectfully ask
your nearly co-OI ration IN tins enterprise.
We consider that il is but Just that the
county should provide ways aud means Tor
Inc proper disposal Of county drainage. and
/ that the city is in duty bound in Il spirit of
| harness and equity to Us, their neighbors, to
provide Tor the proper disposition OF city sew
age ana we most respectfully ak ana petit
ton yOnr honorable board to that end that
proper steps be Immediately taken to pro-
vide Tor the disposal OF these waters.
Nc ma 1t Impossible as Il district to handle
the drainage waters OF Onc-tourth the extent
OF TINS entire county, and if relief is not al
fOfded our lands are useless, the county is
annually deprived of revenue in increased
taxes which i'll justice it should acquire and
Inc city is maintaining nuisance ana in
Hictlng an injustice on the lands contiguous
10 It's boundaries, and aggfegltmg about
1000 acres Of the most valuable land in the
State.
WILL GO TO-DAY.
At o'clock this morning the members
OF the Supervisors ana City Trustees will
leave on tour Of inspection OF the dis
trlct and see for themselves the condition
IN which the land is now i'll, with a view
to aiiording such relief as may be pos
sible.
One thing is certain-that the locality in
question embraces several thousand acres
of as fertile land as there is in the world,
and if it can be protected from overflow
will yield good returns to the county
IN the way of taxes, as well as enrich
its owners.
OF course much of this land is so stu
ated that it is subject to more or less dam
age from sipage and natural drainage,
but the owners say they are perfectly
able to cope with that and can protect
themselves against all such annoyance.
All they ask is that they be protected
from the inhictiOn of draining down upon
them surplus water that should 90 else
where.