The San Francisco call., 1896-02-04

fiscal year is $500, 900. If this money can
be obtained several of the separate works
can be carried on simultaneously; other
wise operations will have to be confined to
one or two of the branches.
The improvement plans prepared by the
Government engineers include two mud
tide training-walls of stone from the shore
westward into San Francisco Bay about
two miles, a connection by a canal one
and a half miles in length with the estu-
ary of San Leandro, a dam at the mouth
of this estuary, and the dredging of basins
and channels to give depth of twenty
feet at low tide, which at high tide will ac-
commodate vessels Of the largest class.
Changes from the original plans call for
the increase of the tidal canals width
from 800 feet to 400 feet and for greater
height of the jetties.
The contract under which the work of the
present year is being done calls for low
water depth of twenty feet for distance
of 1900 feet in front of Oakland. This is a
mean increase of about five feet in oepth,
nearly one-half of which work has been
done, the remainder to follow in the next
few months, after which it is expected to
extend the depth of twenty feet to San
Francisco Bay.
An immense amount of dredging has al
ready been done, but one draw back is that
the channel fills up again on account of
the lack of tides that should keep it clear.
During the past year alone there has been
shoaling at the eastern portion of the
harbor by which depth of eight feet has
been reduced to seven and one-half feet.
md ~ 6ooloro hof ho
process will extend all over the harbor un-
til the tidal canal, intended to remedy
that trouble, is completed.
Captain Won Schmidt, who has done a
large portion of the dredging at Oakland,
declares that the channel will keep on fill
ing until the canal affords current that
will carry the mud away. The dredging
that is now being done at great expense
to the Government will have to be done
all over again, and the only remedy is in
the canals.
DR.. J. T. Mclean of Alameda, who has
been for many years eminent in the State
Board of Health work, has gone to
Washington to urge the appropriation of
money needed for this harbor work, as
announced in THE CALL last week, his
special mission being to work for the COM
pletlon of the canal as sanitary measure
The arguments that DR.. Mclean will
use are well understood. Oakland and
Alameda are among the best cities in the
world as far as sanitary conditions are
concerned, on account of the natural ad
vantages of loca ton. There is not, how
ever, the current that is needed to keep
the water of Oakland harbor as it ought to
be, and in the Lake Merritt vicinity there
is almost actual stagnation.
The mouth of the creek, which is the
Oakland harbor outlet, is toward the west,
and the wind blowing so much of the
time from the westward prevents the out
ward flow of the surface water. The fresh
water, being lighter than the salt water, is
at the surface, and that, with its impuri-
ties, is what is prevented by the wind
from freely lowing out into the bay.
Ii the tidal canal were completed, there
would be continual, cleansing current,
and the sanitary conditions would be inn
proved by the same agency that would
keep the harbor- bed secured out and free
from mud.
Some of the business men want the