The record-union., 1896-01-31

above mean low tide in Suisun Bay, OF
a tall Of 3.215 feet in about g miles, or
about 2-5 inches per mile. No sound
lngs We're taken here, but from a recent
examination made by myself I can state
that the river has not filed here.
From this point we moved on down
stream to point two and three-quar-
ters miles below Elk Horn and at the
farm home of Mr.. Merkley, and again
tested the velocity with a strong north
wind blowing. This point is located at
what is known as the lower end Of Ten
Mile shoals, and according to Major
Heuer's survey, about eight miles above
the city of Sacramento. The greatest
average surface velocity we could OBJ
tain here was one and two-thirds feet
per second, and the floats were stream
floats, and not turned loose near the
banks.
The surface of the water registered
an elevation of 81 $40 feet above low
tide, or a fall from Elk Horn to this
point of 0.2S5 feet, or about ] 1-6 inches
per mile, the velocity of the water being
about / 1-6 miles per hour.
From a rough set of soundings at
this point we find a decrease of over
1900 square feet in the cross sectional
area since Major Heuer's soundings
were taken in 1894 The location Of
the strongest current is now against
the right bank and it has eroded the
bottom of the river bed to some extent
but the bed Of the river shows a very
decided filling on the left side Of the
stream, reducing the cross section as
above stated
Were the river IN the condition it
was found to maintain in 1894, with the
velocity that we were able to assign to
the water, it could not pass to exceed
10000 cubic feet per second.
The velocity and cross section at the
first point of observation indicates the
passing at that point of at least 121, :
GOO cubic feet per second, or nearly four
times as much as could possibly pass
the river at the lower station It should
be noted, by way of parenthesis, that
a small portion of this great flood wave
was at this time passing out into the
American basin on the east side of the
Sacramento River, but certainly only a
very small part of it. We must, there
fore, conclude that two-thirds, at least,
of the water presented at the confluence
of the Feather and Sacramento Riv-
ers was escaping through the crevasses
on the right bank, or into the Yolo
basin
1t must be borne in mind that some
Of these crevasses had been permitted
to remain open for at least one season
previous to the work of Major Heuer
in 1894, and therefore we can possibly
see a reason for there being no change
to speak of in the cross section of the
upper station.
I believe these facts should be suf-
fieient evidence to all the State that
my statements heretofore made regard
ing the effects of the Paine break are
being repeated on the river between
Sacramento City and the Feather. That
they are alarming is to put the PROPOSE
ton in its mildest form.
The National Government must give
US aid or the destruction of the naviga-
bility Of the Sacramento River is only
question Of few years. The damage
now existing viii take years to repair,
but if permitted to continue not only
viii it destroy navigation, but it will
depopulate the wealthiest portion of
the Sacramento River Vallay-a king
dom in itself, a prineipality given to
the energy of the nineteenth century,
but without assistance destined to dis
appear in tule swamps and frog ponds
before the dawn Of the twentieth CEN
f111.v