The San Francisco call., 1896-04-25
Ingeniously Worded Amendments
That May Defeat Their
Aims.
THE DE GUEGUERRE POINT DAM
Julian Sonntag Says Further Litiga.
tion May Be Resorted To by
the Miners.

The California Miners Association is
now watching with the deepest concern it's
favorite Congressional bill on hydraulic
mining, which is at present gyrating
through the halls and corridors of the
National Legislature at Washington. The
bill itself, as originally introduced, carries
with it so much of Importance to the
miner that each new amendment append
ed to it is considered with the greatest in
terest and caution.
Prominent miners hint darkly regarding
interests that are trying to make the meas
ure antagonistic to the miner. They fear
that in the event of the passage of the
river and harbor bill, recently in the hands
of the Senate Committee on Commerce,
there may be such ingeniously worded
amendments as will practically deprive the
bill of its advantage to hydraulic mining.
The miners are anxious for the con-
struction of restraining dams, not bar
riers. They wish dams built so substan-
TALLY that not only the detritus now
gathered in the canyons of the Sierra Ne
vadas shall be restrained from washing
down into the rivers, but that provision
be made also for the restraining of detritus
made by mining. This they have fully
demonstrated can be done easily and with
little further outlay.
In a dispatch from Washington dated
April % the Senate Committee on Com
merce was quoted as using the following
language in connection with this matter:
For the construction OF restraining barriers
for the protection of the Sacramento and
Feather rivers. in California, $25O,0OO, such
restraining barriers to be constructed under
the direction of the Secretary of Wer in ac-
cordance with the resolutions of the California
Debris Commission as contained in executive
document No. 16 (H. R.), Fifty Congress
second session, pursuant to the provisions of
and for the purposes set forth in section 25 Of
the act of Congress of the United States en-
titled can act to create the California Debris
Commission and regulate hydraulic mining in
the State of California" approved March /,
1893; provided that the Treasurer of the
United States be and he is hereby authorized
to receive from the State of California, through
the Debris Commissioner of said State, or any
other officer thereunto authorized, any and all
sums of money that have been or may hereby
be appropriated by said State for the purposes
herein set forth, and that said sums when so
received are hereby appropriated for the pur-
poses above named, to be expended in the
manner above provided.
Regarding this Julian Sonntag, secretary
of the Miners Association, said yesterday
sin reference to the bill now reported by
the Senate committee / am somewhat in
doubt, from miners stand point, whether
this bill will fully cover the requirements
of the miners of this State. This morning
/ carefully studied the report of the United
States engineer, or rather the report OF
the Debris Commission, and 1 more par
ticularly dwelt upon executive document
No. 16, II. R., Fifty-third Congress, second
session.
"My particular attention was called to
the matter contained on page s, commenc.
ing at line 10, of this document, in which
the report of the committee particularly
sets forth the erection OF a dam at Dc
Gueguerre Point. Now this point is 8
| mile wide, and will without any doubt
| whatever take more money than is ap.
propriated by Congress and the State O
California to build and maintain the dam.
| contemplated.
'If the statement contained in daily
| paper of an interview with Robert Devlin
| the attorney of the Anti-Debris Associ
alton, be correct, that the purpose of tn,
| present amended bill is as he states-tt
the effect that barriers be erected and tn,
| detritus be held in check by these bar
riers, and that no hydraulic mining b.
permitted-it will, say, compel furthe
legislation on the part of the miners.
1.-THE miners, however and the officer
of the Miners Association repose full con
| fidence in their ability of our representa-
tive in Washington, the Hon. TREY L
Ford. I telegraphed him to-day for fur
| ther information on this subject"