The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-18
PECULIAR ENDORSEMENT
Colonel Suter Holds the Compile
tion of the Tidal Canal to
Be Unnecessary.
The Sewage Problem eau Easily Be
Solved by Oakland ard Alameda
demonstrating Sewers.

ALAMEDA, CAL, Aug. 1.-THE City
Clerk received letter this afternoon from
A. Mackenzie, acting chief engineer OF
the United States, in answer to one sent
by the direction of the Board OF Trustees
to President Cleveland, urging the COM
pletion of the Tidal Canal with as little
delay as possible.
The city's letter was sent to Colonel
Suter for his opinion on the matter, and
Mr.. Mackenzie has sent copy of Colonel
Suter's Endorsement in his reply.
The following is copy of the same:
SAN Francisco, CAL, July II, 1896.
The nuisance herein complained OF is caused
by the discharge into the harbor of Oakland,
CAL, of the public and private sewers of the
adjacent towns. The harbcr in question is
dredged out at its inner end to form tidal
basin OF cons siderable area, but small depth.
Beyond this canal designed to connect the
harbor with San Leandro Bay has been partly
excavated at both ends, leaving an uncom-
plefed portion in the middle. The end nearest
Oakland was dredged through to the tidal
tation of the town of Alameda, which made
complaint against the stagnant water in the
excavation. The result of this has been that
the foul matter from the sewers is driven by
the tides and the prevailing westerly winds
not only to the upper end OF the harbor but
into the unfinis he'd canal and remains there.
All trouble would be obviated if the inhabi-
tants of these towns would SO modify their
sewer systems as not to discharg e into Oakland
harbor. The remedy which they propose is to
have the United States complete the canal to
San Leandro Bay and divert the tidal flow
from that bay out through Oakland harbor.
This part of the original project for the i'm
provement of Oakland harbor, made in 1874,
was based on imperfect information and is
now thought to be unnecessary. The esti-
mated cost of its completion is $512 900, and
the only benefit likely to result is the possible
flushing OF the cesspool which has been made
appropriated to complete the work OF improve
ment is all needed for work on the harbor
proper, and the carrying out of the canal
project would absorb nearly the whole sum
and leave the really important work, for which
the appropriation is supposed to have been
made, in half-fnished condition.
CHARLES r. SUTER,
Colonel OF Engineers. U. S. A.
B.F. Lamborn, in speaking of Colonel
Suter's opinion, said: 81 wonder if the
colonel has any idea that Colonel Men
dell in his term of office never left any
memorandum behind him that the origi-
nal plan of 1874 was considered unneces-
sary. The trail of the octopus is between
the lines. Colonel Suter owns that the
canal and harbor is a cesspool, and seeing
that the sewer system of this city and
pa rt of Oakland was formulated and car
ried out on the distinct belief that the
Federal authorities were going to carry
out the work on the lines laid down, it is
nothing less than unmitigated gall to ask
these cities to now go to work and recon-
struct their sewer systems. Colonel Suite I
will find before he is through with it that
his conclusions are based on imperfect in
formation"