The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-20
FOR RIVER IMPROVEMENTS
Strong Effort to Be Made to
Secure Government APP
preparations.
SENATOR PERKINS VIEWS.
CALIFORNIA; Senators and Congress-
men to Inspect the Rivers
and Harbors.

The movement toward securing due
recognition for the rivers and harbors of
California Is now well under way, and the
effort to secure Government aid seems
more certain of success than at any pre-
vious period in the history of the State.
In order to properly present the facts
and figures to Congress in the best pos
sible light it has been determined by the
entire California delegation to Congress, as
| we'll as by the State authorities, that a
careful and complete investigation be
made of the Sacramento and San Joaquin
rivers aswell as Oakland Creek and harbor.
With this end in view about the 1st of Oc-
tober the entire Congressional delegation
from this State, accompanied by State
Senator J. M. Gleaves, chairman of the
State Committee on the Improvem ent OF
the Rivers, Harbors and Coast Defenses,
Will make an extended tour of inspection.
at is the intention of the California
delegation" said senator Gleaves yester-
| day, "to make strong effort to secure
such aid from the Government as they
| feel that the State is entitled to. The peo-
pie are to be congratulated on the fact that
| upon this proposition there will be a
| united delegation. Our two Senators and
each of our Congressman will join as one
| man in the appeal for Government aid,
and that too for such an amount as will
be of material service in placing our rivers
in such condition as to speedily carry all
traffic.
LAS secretary of the California River
improvement Convention it has been my
duty, during the past few years, to famil-
| iarize myself with the situation, and | am
free to say that the improvement of our
rivers may be much more easily accom-
plished, that is to say, accom- lished at a
far LEGS expenditure of.money, than would
seem possible to one unacqualnted with
the nature of the river beds as high as
navigation is now contemplated.
THE official survey by the Government
engineers has just been completed between
Redding and Red Bluff, and the result is
highly satisfactory to the people not only
of Redding but of the several counties ly-
ing to the north and east OF that point. to
the Oregon and Nevada line. The i'm
provement of the Sacramento is to the
people of that section of the State their
only hope of commercial activity.
I'm another announcement made by the
Government officials having charge of the
river survey, the people of that part Of the
State find an especial cause for rejoicing.
refer particularly to the fact that, accord
ing TO the report of Major Heuer and Lieu
would largely depend on the showing
which could be made as to the amount of
freight to be handled by the river route
when all improvements shall have been
completed.
1.-The idea seems to be that if enough in
dustries could be stimulated to the point
of securing an amount of freight OF a ma
ture especially calculated for transporta-
ton by the river route this fact would
go far in emphasizing the necessity and
importance of Immediate work on the part
of the General Government
1.-THE great iron industry which has just
been established above Redding in and of
itself will more than satisfy the demands
of the Government as to amount OF traffic
necessary to be insured in order to justify
the immediate opening up OF the Sacra-
mento River to that point.
The Mountain Mining Company's
SHELTER, which is now under process of
construction, will cost in the neighborhood
of half million dollars, and is to have a
capacity OF thousands of tons of ore'a day,
is the best answer that could be given to
to the necessity of at once improving the
river.
1.-THE great house of the Rothschilds d
Fieldings of England, together with Judge
Cleary of New York, are the principal
owners of this great enterprise, and this
fact, as will at once be seen, determines
the success of the enterprise.
1.-The smelter is located about five miles
above ReddiDg, about half a mile from
the railroad north of Spring Creek. From
a new station called Kisswick, at this point,
the smelling company have already started
to build branch narrow-gauge railroad
to Iron Mountain, a distance of thirteen
miles. Over 600 men are now at work and
the company are still wanting more la
borers in order to push the work of con-
struction to completion as speedily as pos
sible.
THE ores from the Iron Mountain mine
are exceedingly rich in copper; some assays
recently made show % per cent copper
with very noticeable not to say valuable
percentage of silver. A small force is at work
in the mine, and the reports of the experts
on the ores in sight and other ample and
thorough investigation are the causes lead
ing to the building of the branch railroad
line and the erection of the mammoth
swelter, as above mentioned.
ut will follow that in order to handle
the ores at the smelter thousands of tons
of silecious ores will be required for fluxing
purposes. Taking into consideration the
fact that in shipments up the river vast
quantities of coke and general supplies will
be required for this one industry, the in
creased tonnage for river traffic will
amount to many times the amount here
tofore carried by rail-
Senator George G. Perkins said: "It has
been determined by the entire California
delegation that we will go on tour of in
vestigation, giving attention to all of the
interests in the State.
II have just received letter from Sena-
tor White in which he mentions the fact
that about the last of this month or the
first of next month will suit him for I'M
dertaking the work of inspection. The
trip will be made by the seven Congress
men-elect, as we'll as Senator White and
myself, with such other representatives of
the State and General Government as are
interested directly in the subject-matter
under consideration.
I'VE are going for the sole purpose of for
tify1ng ourselves with facts and figures, so
that we may be able to join as one man in
our request for good and sufficient ap-
preparation from the General Government
to accomplish the opening of our rivers
and improving our harbors. We shall not
be modest in our demands for Govern
ment aid, but shall ask literally. Weshall
pay our own expenses and the public may
rest assured that we are going for the ex-
press purpose of accomplishing something
which will prove OF benefit to the State.
1.-The entire matter is under the super