The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
Congressman Hilborn to Intro
duce a Bill for Its EStab.
liShment.
TO IMPROVE WATER CHANNELS.
The Government Will Be Requested
to Make Some Liberal Ap.
preparations.

It is evident that Congressman Samuel
G. Hilborn, who left for Washington on
the evening of the 1st inst. in order to be
present at the fifty-fourth session of Con-
gress which convenes in December, has
armed himself with a fund of information
sufficient TO enable him to deal intelli-
gently with measures which concern his
constituents.
In a recent conversation Congressman
Hilborn reviewed many important Ques-
tions, involving not only the interests Of
the Pacific Coast to which he is naturally
partial, but questions which concern and
demand the attention of the entire Nation.
THE recent examination as to the con-
dition of the navigable waters tributary to
the bay of San Francisco by the Congress
sional delegation OF California must event.
ually be productive of good results" said
Congressman Hilborn, land in no event
will there be a disagreement among the
members of the delegation as to VIII at
should best be done for their Improvement.
"In any event good water channels
through the rich and fertile San Joaquin
and Sacramento valleys could not fail to
regulate the rates of transportation, and
the Congressional delegation will certainly
receive my earnest support in Its endeayor
to secure an Appropriation for their i'm
provement.
at goes without saying that the pro-
posed Improvement of Oakland Harbor
should be speedily completed, as the mer-
chants of that city have already expert
enced a decided increase of business
owing to the meager Improvements which
have lately been completed by the Govern
ment.
Ill ,-ocro1r 49, - 49, ,,-o.oz. 4;-.o -
able to reach the harbor of Oakland, and
consequently the merchants doing busi-
ness near the water front have great ad-
vantage over those who are compelled to
rely on the railroads for their supplies,
and the result is that the merchants who
are so handicapped will no longer tolerate
an unreasonable delay in the completion
of this important work.
with water channel wide and deep
enough to permit foreign ocean-going ves-
sells TO dock, Oakland will soon be able to
demonstrate that she is on the right side
of the bay.
The tidal canal draining the waters of
San Leandro Bay into the Bay of San
Francisco through the channel is also an
immediate necessity, and it is part of the
Governments engineering scheme at the
present time to dredge such q canal and
keep it clear after it is completed.
The completion of this proposed tidal
canal is absolutely essential as SANITARY
measure, as in its present condition the
stagnant waters of the sloughs, which
would be drained if this channel were in
existence, are a menace to the health of
two cities.
Sacramento has lately obtained power
for manufacturing purposes from the Fol-
som Falls, which is conducted over a series
of electric wires. This gives Sacramento a
wonderful advantage. but surely Oakland
enterprise will find some reservoir of power
either in the Sierra Nevadas or the Coast
Range, which, taken in connection with
its superior climate and location, will
surely tempt manufacturers to locate in
that city.
"Our Congressional party visited Alviso
Channel and also examined the Stockton
Slough, and I think that the unanimous
opinion of that party was that both of
those waterways should be improved.
stockton illustrates the advantages that
city possesses by reason Of having an in
dependent water communication. We
found busy, prosperous city and the sec
ond manufacturing city in the State.
"Three new lines of railroad are now in
course Of construction, all terminating at
Stockton; and does any one for moment