The record-union., 1896-11-29
A WONDERFUL MACHINE
FOR DEEPENING RIVERS.
Recommended BY Engineers for Dredging Out the
Sacramento.

we Will hope for permanent relief from
mining debris, and with determined ac-
ton we will bring our rivers to their
original water capacity
THE MONTEZUMA HILLS.
We now come, logically, to a consid-
Grafton of the long talked of question
of a cut through the Montezuma Hills.
AT the lower extremity of the 4olo
Basin and on the western margin of
the same, low range of hills or high
land separates the Yolo Basin from Sui
sun Bay. Following along the range of
these hills We find a comparatively low
pass from the head of Lindsey Slough,
in Yolo Basin, to beaverton, on Nurses
Slough, in Suisun Bay. The flood
waters in Yolo Basin, in 1S61-62, at
tanned an elevation of no less than 1886
feet above low tide in Suisun Bay, at
the head Of Lindsey Slough, the aver
age high water being for many years
since that time IA to 16 feet above the
same datum. The elevation above low
tide on the summit of the pass above
mentioned is about 33 feet. The eleva-
ton of the flood in Yolo Basin, Feb
ruary l, 1896 on Lindsey Slough, was
none less than 16 feet. 1t is but nat
ural, therefore, that a preliminary ex-
animation of these conditions would
suggest that a waterway cut through
the hills at this point would be a COM
plete relief, and render perfect the
drainage of the Yolo Basin This we
do not deny, but on the contrary are
willing to concede it to be a fact, pro-
vided the waterway be made deep
enough and wide enough. There is no
reason, in the nature of the case, why
deep waterway through these hills
will not drain the basin, and SO far as
the question of the drainage Of the Yolo
Basin is concerned, when taken by it
self, there can be no possible theory
advanced that will controvert this fact.
We must, however, in considering the
great problem of reclamation and drain
age of the Sacramento Valley, con-
clude, from the reasoning in the report
upon the Sacramento River, that no re-
lief can be expected from this source
without new river is made through
the whole length of the Yolo Basin. The
great flood surface of the Sutter, CO.
lusa and Butte basins cannot be low
cred very materially without deep
river bed in which to discharge it's
waters. The bed Of the Yolo Basin will
not lower before the force of any floods
we have had in the past, and unless as
sisted by artificial means cannot be ex-
pected to do SO in the future. The ques-
ton of relief canal, running on a grade
above the natural surface of the tule
basin, in our opinion is impracticable.
NO CANAL COULD LIVE,
No canal could maintain it's water ca
pacity on the higher lands when per-
mitted to receive the flood waters of the
various Coast Range streams that must
Of necessity enter it on it's course from
the upper basins to the Montezuma
Hills.
Let us now assume, for arguments
sake, that the only feasible outlet is
through the MonteZuma Hills, and let
it be understood that we have no preju-
dice against this proposition-we are
earnestly seeking the best and cheap
est relief for the suffering people of this
great valley.
We will presume that we shall make
an excavation through the hills with
the following dimensions: Width Of bot
tom, 800 feet; slope of banks, two hori-
zontal to one vertical That the grade
of the cut shall be at least coincident
with low tide in Suisun Bay at the en-
trance of the cut, on the Yolo Basin
side We will further presume that an
excavation or channel shall be made
from the Yolo Basin entrance at the
cut to Cache Slough, distance of four
miles northeasterly, Of the same width
as the cut, and therefore with en-
bankments sufficient in elevation to con-
fine the flood waters to the channel.
We will further assume that a channel
OF equal capacity shall be excavated to
low tide In Suisun Bay after passing the
hills. a distance of 612 miles. Under
these conditions, with the surface of
the water at the head of the canal 16
feet above low tide, we could expect to
discharge at mean tide not more than
10000 cubic feet of water per second.
If the slope of the water surface should
be one quarter of q foot per mile, the
quantity of water discharged would not
exceed 10000 cubic feet per second,
which would be about the facts in the
case in time of ordinary flood.
| What, then, would be the cost Of con-
struction of a canal upon the presump-
! tions above set forth?
| According to the surveys and facts in
this office, we are convinced the figures
would be about as follows:
| Cubic Yards.
| Required excavation in cut 49,. Il, COS, 900
| REQUIRED excavation, beaverton
Required excavation east of cut :. 2,ooo. 600
| Total cubic yards excavation. Il, ,7S5. 600
| In the report of Isaac w. Smith, Chief
| Engineer Sacramento River Drainage
| District, dated November %, 1879, page
| 10, he says: "Borings to high-tide level
through the Montezuma Hills demon
strate the fact that there is a narrow
ridge of soft sandstone toward the
southern margin"
The same authority estimates that it
viii cost not less than % cents per yard
/ for excavation of earth.
If 1T is true that sandstone ridge
should be encountered in the excavation
OF the channel then we may expect the
cost per yard to be much greater; but
assuming that it would cost but 25 cents
per yard, the construction would be as
| follows:
! Excavation of cut .......s 50 152 0e0
Excavation outside of cut ...... ,2e4. $50
| Total cost of excavation 81 44s go
COSTLY AND INEFFICIENT.
We believe the above example will
make it plain that a shallow waterway
viii not give the relief required. even
We're the funds available with which to
! construct the same. This artificial
| channel can be made deep as well as