The record-union., 1896-12-31
SPLENDID PIECE OF WORK.
The North LeVee Finished by the Railroad
Company.
Il Filled In the Long Break and Rip
Raped 1t Thoroughly With
Granite.

A Job Of great Importance to the city
has been finished In good time, the RIVER
not having risen enough to nIerIe0e
with the work.
1t Is the repair Of the break In uhe
outside north levee in the old bed OF
the American River, north of the ra1l-
road shops. which has been open since
the resistless current washed Vt away
years ago.
When the city at that time concluded
to strengthen and raise the levees,
among other things it decided to puno
this piece of levee outside OF the one
that had withstood storm and hooo 50
long without giving way or being over
topped. 1t was felt that second ie'ee'
outside of the first, would keep liie
sipage water from the old leVee tnere-
by rendering 1t stronger, and tnaA IL d.
amy time the outer levee We're proheA
there would be an inner one 10 save
the city from disaster. Such an occui
renee is not at all likely to take place,
but the current from the American anu
the current coming down the Sacra-
mento River washed out the corner ol
the new levee two years ago.
IT was built by the railroad company
for the city, according to the speclnca-
tions furnished, which did not provlde
for riprapping any portion or II. Aitei
IT WAS finished it was found when the
water had risen during the winter lid'
the removal of a sandbank above the
Pioneer Mill had caused the current 10
sheer in toward the bank on this sue,
and it began to cut away the pank VI
the river, threatening the leVee. Inns
was stopped by putting brush mat
treSseS for distance of several nun
dred feet northward from the mill, ana
no more trouble was had at that point
Farther up, however, where the leVee
turned from the bank of the river anu
goes eastward, almost at right angles
there was trouble some months later
A sudden rise In the river, in Whlch
the water spread out over the land ana
the current set down almost dlrectly
against the point in the levee Where
1t made the turn, washed out a culVert
that had been put in place there 10
enable those living above it on the river
bank to get across to their places, ana
the rush of water began to wash out
the original ground at the base OF the
leyee. AS no precaution had been taken
against this by riprapping, it not hay
ing been expected that this point would
be attacked by the current, the result
was inevitable and a breach was made.
The waters poured in with a roar that
could be heard for a considerable dis
tance, and the basin inside was filled.
More than 600 feet of the new levee
ultimately succumbed before the waters
subsidized, leaving a wide gap. Since
10 ct II had not
been repaired.
Some months ago the railroad COM
pany made proposition to the Board
Of Trustees that If It were allowed to
maintain a track upon the levee and
store some of Its empty cars thereon,
it would rebuild the levee and keep 1t
in repair during the time the track was
maintained. The Trustees agreed with
the proposition. and the company pro
ceeded to carry out the agreement
faithfully. In fact, 1t did considerably
more than 1t had promised to do.
The 700 feet of break were closed and
a substantial levee was built and well
settled. 1t is twenty-four feet across at
the top and eighty feet wide at the bot
tom. being filled in to an average depth
of seventeen feet. AT the place where
the corner of the former levee was,
where the break commenced, the
squareness of the corner has been re-
moved and has been rounded off more
as ii turns down stream, so that 1t Is
better fitted than the former one to re-
sist the enroachments of the current.
But this was not all. The levee had
been restored, but there might be