The record-union., 1896-01-27
OUR RIVER IS IN DANGER.
4 Trip Of Inspection by Commissioner
Leake.
Engineer Price Finds That the Hershey
Break May Turn It Into
the Yolo Basin.

ana secretary, JQuSO4 BTuSle, went up
the Sacramento River to the Hershey
levee break, about twenty miles above
this city, yesterday morning to make
some observations and gather data
He was accompanied by Mr.. Henry
of the Dixon Tribune" representatives
of the Record Union" and Bee and
several gentlemen who had been in
vited to go along. A lady who was go
ing up the river also went with the
party and proved herself a good sailor.
The party, twelve in all, embarked
or a little gasoline launch that just
comfortably accommodated them, and
thanked their stars that there was not
another passenger to ''hoodoo" the trip.
Indeed, had such been the case, some
of the party would probably have in
sisted on being set on shore to try their
luck on foot The wind was blowing
quite fresh when they left the foot of K
street and embarked upon the seething
waters, and the first hitch that oc
Cured was when the boat tried to pass
under the new bridge, as the swell
bobbed its top UP and down in uncom-
Portable proximity to the timbers over
head.
BY the exercise of care, however,
this obstacle was passed, and the voy-
ayers fairly launched on their perilous
journey. The wind began to rise higher
as the little boat sped ahead, bowling
her respects to the shore of the river, as
each bend brought it into view. By the
time it had arrived at Bryte's ranch,
the white-caps could be seen curling
along on the surface of the river wher-
ever the wind struck it, and the boat
began to roll and toss in an unpleasant
manner, reminding the passengers that
they had forgotten to attend to some
important business before they started,
and that they wished they could re-
turn and attend to it. This being mani
testify impossible, unless they could
walk on water, however, they put aside
the idea and fixed their thoughts on
the lovely scene painted in water-colors
which was spread out before them.
A WASTE OF WATERS.
To the right they found a wild waste
of waters. with not sign of a levee
extending back for miles from the river
and constituting what is known as "the
overflow" Here, of late years, the
water spreads out, when the river is
at its present hight, rendering thou
sands of acres useless, having covered
1t with sand and slickens, and remain
ing on it a great part of the year. on
the left-hand side was the Yolo County
levee. rising several feet above the
water, but on rising in the boat so one
could see beyond the levee, 1t could be
seen that, with the exception OF mar
row strip of land on the inside of it,
vast sea of water covered the face of the
country as far back as the eye could
reach.
It was a sad sight to see the hop fields
covered with water, the trellises stick
ing up out of it like the skeletons of the
buoyant hopes that had induced their
owners to place them there. Barns
and houses also, unless the proprietors
had taken the precaution to build them
on mounds, stood in the midst of the
wild waste. the waves gently tapping
their doorsteps as if to show that they
were in their power. Some of them,
where the water had risen above the
floor. had evidently been temporarily
deserted by their owners until the re-
cession of the flood should enable them
to resume their habitations.
Onward passed the little boat, the
waves increasing in violence and be-
coming short and choppy, while the
passengers involuntarily grasped the
gunwales when she rolled worse than
usual. The levee began to appear on
the right. a little rim of green land d1-
viding the water without from the
water within, and here and there
house on a mound or raised on stills
began to appear. The little strip Of
land still showed along the Yolo side
and soon a country schoolhouse ap-
peared, high and dry on the levee, with
a. bell in its steeple that one might
easily think had been placed there as
much to summon the neighbors when
tho levee was in danger as to call the
children to school
BROKEN LEVEES.
Still onward and upward went the
launch. and now the levee had disap-
reared and the flood could be seen pour
ing over it down upon the water in
side. which was on lower level. Breaks
began to appear on both sides Of the
river from forty or fifty feet to 100 in
length. The Jacobs break on the right
hand was passed and then on the other
side. after a number Of small breaks
had been passed, came the two Butcher
breaks on the Yolo side.
These are about 80 feet wide and
about half a mile apart. They are two
years old and are very deep. Not only
has the levee been washed away, but
the original bank of the river has been
worn away until it stands only about
two feet above the low water mark, and
a slight rise in the river sufices to send
it out over the land. Bars are forming
below this break.
As the passengers still ascend the
river they find that they have crossed
the line and that Sutter County now
lies on the right hand. Suffer is known
as a dry county, from the fact that
prohibition reigns within her borders,
and the Supervisors grant no licenses
for saloons. At present, however, she
bellies that cognomen, as nothing can
be seen inside her 1evee but a wild waste
OF waters, with here and there house
and buildings along the levee, looking
like so many terrapins upon log.
THE HERSHEY BREAK
Is next. on the Yolo side This is the
one the party has come nearly twenty
miles to make an investigation of, as
it is likely to become the point on which
hinges the prosperity of the valley. It
is at present about 700 feet long and
almost as soon as the party comes in
sight of 1t they can hear its roaring.
Over the upper portion of it, about $50
feet in length, the water is pouring,
fifteen or twenty feet in depth, and
over the remaining portion the waves
are tumbling irregulariy, but the water
is not more than half so deep. On the
upper part it is found that the original
bank has been cut away almost TO
low-water mark and the rushing waters
have cut out a hole nearly thirty feet
deep inside of the levee. big enough to