The morning call., 1895-02-04
WATERWAYS IN CALIFORNIA.
Suggestions for Cheaper Transportation and Preven-
ton of the Annual Overflows

from Ou1SuH DAY W MlQule creek, ABOVE
Redding, $50 miles above Rio Vista, which
is practically the head of Suisun Bay, and
is acknowledged to be navigable to Tehama
Rapids for vessels drawing two feet of
water, all the year, and most of the year
to Red Bluff.
The alluvial land in the Sacramento
Valley is fully 5000 square miles, with an
area of the drainage basin of this river of
more than 10000 square miles, from which
the rains and melting SHOWS supply
ample water for all light-draught vessels
during the entire year, in case proper dams,
locks, weirs and channels are provided.
The Sacramento River, from Suisun Bay
to the mouth of the American River, at
Sacramento, should be not less than ten
feet in depth at low tide, and with this
depth the ocean tide would reach Sacra-
mento by river, and by canal to the mouth
of the Feather River, especially if the
channels are corrected and the levees sys-
tematically and scientifically located and
constructed.
This river, from the mouth of the Ameri-
can River to the mouth of the Feather
River, should be not less than eight feet in
depth at low water, and especially through
the American basin increased in width for
flood capacity. This improvement will
help reclaim large tracts of good fertile
lands.
From the junction of the Feather River
to Colusa and Butte Slough, and possibly
to Tehama, the river should be straight
ened in many places, the bends cut down
or cutoffs made, and widened where prac-
ticable, and made to depth of six feet
From Tehama to Red Bluff depth of
four feet could be maintained, and from
Red Bluff to Redding or Middle Creek, by
of dom D&o1 H. IL
States Government on the Mississippi
River at Keokuk, Iowa, and such weirs as
the United States has placed in the
Ohio River, three feet depth of water
can be maintained.
Now comes one of the most important of
suggestions to the legislators of California.
It is we'll known to each legislator at Sac
ramento that one flood does more damage
than many times the remedy. The best
remedy for carrying off the flood waters of
the Sacramento Valley below the junction
of the Feather and Sacramento rivers. is
to have a State canal built from the mouth
of Cashe Greek, near Rio Visto to the
junction OF Feather River, (which is only
Is feet above low tide, 40 miles in length,
with an average cut of s feet), which can be
made tidal canal, with one-tenth of foot
fall per mile, with only locks at either end.
so that this canal can be used for TRANSPORT
at all times, and in case of floods its gates
can be thrown open, and the Sacramento
Valley be saved from injury below the
mouth of the Feather River; and in the
future, if it could be accomplished, the
canal could be extended to Colusa, or far
Their north.
The State of California can build and
own the California canal Just as well as the
State of New York can own the Erie canal.
which exists and does an immense traffic,
notwithstanding that there are two or
1Tya llaf 10 hot
of which has four tracks.
Another important thing for the Legis-
lature to do is to build weir on the Ameri-
can River and cause an overflow canal
from Brighton, on the American River, to
Riverside (below Sacramento) on the Sac
ramento River. This will prevent the
floods from the American River from be-
ing thrown almost at an right angle against
the Yolo side of the Sacramento River,
where the levees are frequently broken,
resulting in great injury to the citizens of
Yolo County, and also prevent the waters
of the Sacramento River from backing up
several miles into the Yolo-Solano basin.
This canal and the one from Rio Vista to
the junction of the Sacramento and the
Feather rivers would always secure the
capital city from future foundations, and
cost the State less than would floods and
broken levees.
The Commissioner of Public Works, A.
II. Rose is doing good work. The efforts
of our Congressman to obtain appropria-
tons for the improvement of our two great
rivers should be supplemented by strong
resolutions of both branches of our Legis-
lature. Oregon secured 81, 900 in a sin
gle appropriation for the Columbia. Let
81 900, 900 year be secured for California
rivers until they are practically navigable,
and never be content with only snagboats
to keep our rivers clear.
The deepening and charging of our
river channels not only aid commerce and
TRANSPORTATION but also will in no small
degree help solve the great overflow ques-
ton that confronts the State almost every
year. This question promptly settled will
colonize the two great valleys, until more
population will be located in each of them
than there is in the State to-day.
The San Joaquin Valley which contains
II 500 square miles of excellent agricultu-
raj and horticultural lands, has $1,000
square miles of drainage area, with about
1000 square miles subject to inundation,
with an unlimited supply of water from it's
adjacent mountains. 1t also needs the
help OF the United States Government. in
the improvement of the San Joaquin
River, at least as far as HIPS Ferry, at the
mouth of the MERGED River, 1877 miles by
river from New York Landing.
The United States engineers have re-
peatedly recommended this improvement
From HITS feTTy TO lulaTe Lake, winch
is IT'S miles in an air line from the mouth
of the San Joaquin River (the lake being
200 feet above tidewater) is the natural
receptacle of Kern, Tule, Kings and Ka-
weah rivers. The State of California can
we'll afford to build canal, and eventually
continue it to Jersey Landing on the San
Joaquin River, opposite of Rio Vista,
which now connects with the Sacramento
River by Three-mile Slough
From Jersey Landing the San Joaquin
River should be improved, so that chan
mel of at least ten feet in depth at low
water is secured to Stockton.
A direct tidal canal from Jersey Landing,
on the San Joaquin River, to the railway
crossing, near Bantas, of only thirty miles, |
will save sixty miles by the present river |
channel, and have but six feet of rise in |
these thirty miles. This canal will reclaim |
thousands of acres of the richest lands in
the State, and facilitate the traffic on the |
river up to Hills Ferry, as well as provide
another channel for the overflow of the
San Joaquin River.
The waters from Tulare Lake have in |
past years often overhowed into the San |
joaquin River The Tule River now has
600 cubic feet per second turned upon
tributary lands. The Kaweah has about