The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-08-07
The OLD RIVER ROAD CONTROVERSY.
Residents Below Freeport Want Two
Things.
a Good Levee and Roadway on Top
The Supervisors Not Build
ing Levees.

natured countenance of Phil Rlehl, the
Mayor" OF Freeport, thanked by couple
Of other residents of his locality, who had
brought along their well-known "kick"
about the bad condition of the road down
along the river bank.
After awhile they were reinforced by
ex-senator William Johnston, who has
delivered a great many orations before
the board on this same subject, SO he had
it all down pat.
a desultory debate followed between
the river delegation. Chairman Morrison
and Supervisor Jenkins, the latter repre-
aenting the district which embraces the
locality referred to. There was no def
mite proposition before the board, other
than an inquiry by Mr.. Riehl as to what
relief the Supervisors thought they would
be able to render the people down along
the river who have to travel that road,
hence no action was taken, but the whole
subject was gone over quite thoroughly.
The situation down along the river
south of Freeport is a peculiar one, and,
so far as It involves the relations between
the residents and the county, is different
from that of any section. It Is a very
easy matter to define the respective
duties of the supervisors and the land
owners IN any other part of the county,
so far as road building and repairing is
concerned, but there appears to be a sort
of irrepressible conflict between the
board and the river mon on this subject.
The high land on the east side OF the
river is confined to very narrow strip,
even in summer when the water is low
in tho chain OfsIoughs that extend parallel
with the river from FreeDort down, and
in winter 1t Is narrower still, the water
often rising in the sloughs or HAT, until
-. /
OF the river bank. on the other hand
there is constant erosion of the river
bank going on, and in some places the
old line Of the road has been entirely OBJ
Hterated-gone down TO mlngle with the
mining debris that has ohoked the chan
mel and caused the river to rise 10 an abb
normal hight during the wet season.
For these reasons the landowners are
10th TO giving any more of their precious
strip OF fertile real estate for road pur-
poses than they can possibly help. So
they keep their fence lines up as close to
the river as the law allows, and III some
cases possibly q little closer than the law
ought to allow. But land is land down
there, and there is none 10 spare for road
side landscapes that do not produce cher
ries, or pears or some other kind of fruit.
The people need a road, however, but
they need a levee more to protect their
precious homes from being flooded when
levee has to do double duty-keep out the
river in winter and serve as roadway at
all seasons.
While it has thus far been fairly sue
cessful in the former respect, it has al
ways been failure as public highway,
because II is only a narrow embankment,
in many places only just wide enough for
one vehicle. Thus there is constant Ru-
noyance to persons travelling the road,
and naturally q great many accidents oc-
cur during the year.
If there was roadway enough the Su-
pervisors would, they say, endeavor to
keep the highway in the best repair pos
sble. But a good road way, under the
present condition OF things, means the
building and maintenance OF high Ievee,
the members OF the board say they can
not do it-that the county does not build
leyees for the protection OF private prop
erty.
Chairman Morrison yesterday said
quite tersely to the visitors: The trouble
is, gentlemen, that it is d GOOD levse you
river folks want the county to build, ana
not so much q road, but in getting
the leyee you would have the road,
and in getting the kind of road you want
you would get & leVee TO protect your
lands"
This MIR. Johnston quite heatedIy de-
MED. He said they wanted q good road,
one broad enough tor vehicles to pass
without one or both being ditched. He
cited instances wherein landowners had
constructed good levees in front Of their
properties, and some of them had sup
piled the county with good bits of road
free Of cost.
Messrs. Morrison and Jenkins acknowl-
edge this fact, but they called attention 10
the other fact that some landowners
would not even construct good levees
along their valuable orchards, and were
~. to =
them.
Mr. Johnston did not think it right, in
such cases, that the county should permit
those who had done their duty to be en-
dangered by the negligence of the few
who did not.
MIR. Jenkins said that year or so ago
the board, realizing the peculiar situation
OF things down the river. had caused the
County Surveyor TO investigate and re-
port upon the probable cost of widening
the levee along the river bank, and rails
ing It little, by means OF dredger,
taxing its material from the river bed
and depositing il on the bank. The esti-
mate, he said, was something over So, 600,
and the Supervisors had proposed to
have the county stand one-half the ex-
peuse il the people down there would
stand the other half The latter, how
ever, had not manifested any willingness
to accept the terms.
the estimate Of expense too high, and
that the county-in order to give the peo-
pie down the river a good road-shouId
have the work done at the public ex-
pense.
And so the discussion went on for some
time. and was dropped only when each
side had exhausted its stock of argu-
ments.
To an outsider ii looks very much as if
the failure TO agree on some definite plan
that would be equitable to the county
and the river bank landowners is due to
lack OF unanimIty among the latter.
There arc large number of enterprising
men among them, but there are also just
enough OF the silurian caliber 10 prevent
a harmonizing OF interests and concerted
action.
The remedy would seem to be a little
determined missionary work among the
mossbacks, and an earnest effort TO get
AL the landowners on the river bank to
agree on what should be done for the
peneht OF all. If they would do this, no
doubt the Supervisors would meet them
al least halfway III an endeavor to give
thst 1ocailty both protection from floods
ana good highway to the city.
TEE STRTKn TNTNTHTNEr MTG