The record-union., 1896-01-31
4 STARTLING DISCOVERY.
What Engineer Prices Measurements
Showed Him.
The Sacramento Rivers Current Almost
at Standstill in Places-How
the River Bed is Filling.

]. r. Price, Chief Engineer to the
Commissioner of Public Works, made
another trip up the river on Tuesday
night to obtain data which he was un-
able to secure on his trip last Sunday,
on account Of the stormy weather that
prevailed on that day. He returned
On Wednesday night, and when seen
by "Record-Union" representative
yesterday gave the following account of
his trip and of the astounding informa-
tion gained on it. The results were not
astounding to him, however, for it was
only a verification of the calculations
he had before made concerning the
probable condition Of the river, but as
founding to those who have not given
the subject due attention or who have
considered as alarmists those who have
pointed out the inevitable results that
must follow the present state of af-
fairs unless the Government assumes
actual control, as well as theoretical
control of the river, and proceeds to
systematically remove the distractions
and deepen it's channel. There is no
wisdom in shutting our eyes longer to
the plain facts, and the inhabitants of
the valley win do well to realize the
actual situation and seek a remedy.
Mr. Price says:
Mr.. Lealze, the Commissioner of Pub
lie Works, together with several other
gentlemen and myself, made a trip up
the Sacramento River last Sunday
with the view to seeing the condition Of
the water and to examine the river as
to the amount of water escaping into
Yolo Basin. The weather was so
stormy that it was impossible to make
any reliable observations at that time
and I therefore took the first clear day,
which was yesterday, for my observa-
ti0ns.
In order that you may understand
the proposition, it is necessary to know
where the trouble is and what its ma
ture is. In the issue of the 22d of Janu-
ary Of the Record Union" you will find
a communication from me relating to
the effects of the Paine break on the
Sacramento River, and from its effect I
argued that the breaks now open above
the Elkhorn Ranch, on the river, must
produce a like effect.
From the Elkhorn Ranch. which is on
the Yolo side of the river, and about
twelve miles above Sacramento City, to
a point six miles above there now exist
three. very large crevasses, known as
the Buseher and Hirshey breaks. From
these crevasses a very large amount of
the waters of the Sacramento River are
discharging into the Yolo Basin.
In the article referred to I made the
statement that from the nature Of
things a very large percentage of the
sediment must be carried down the
river to points below the breaks and
there unloaded as it assumed ''gen-
tier velocity. To determine the truth
fulness Of this proposition the examina-
tion was made yesterday.
Now as to the results: BY the use of
data established by the United States
army survey I found the elevation of
the surface of the water in the river at
the Cave Dairy. a point seventeen and
a half miles above Sacramento City, to
be 35.4 feet above ordinary Iow-tide in
Suisun Bay, and the average surface
velocity of the stream to be S.S5 feet
per second.
This point is entirely above the
breaks and below the confluence of the
Feather and Sacramento. This. you.
will observe, is equal to a velocity of six
miles per hour. The surface velocity OF.
the strongest portion of the current
even reached a velocity of 10 feet per
second.
We then took soundings and found
the bed of the river had not changed
materially in cross-section from its
condition when Major Heuer completed
his survey of this portion of the river in
1894.
From this point we moved on down
the river. passing all the breaks and
landed at Elkhorn Ranch. The last
break in the levee on the Yolo side is
about one-half mile above this point,
the larger breaks being still further
above, but it was presumed from the To-
cation that we would develop some of
the features presumed to be operating
upon the river from this station. BY
means OF surface floats we tested the
velocity of the water-on q course OF over
500 feet in length and found the aver
age velocity to be 3 feet per second. You
will recollect the velocity at the first
station was S.S5 feet per second, or 2.95
times greater than the velocity devel-
oped at this station-in fact, nearly
3 times as great.
The surface of the water at this point
registered an elevation of 32.1S5 feet
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