The record-union., 1896-12-30

claiming the swamp and overf1owed
lands and that a feasible plan ought
to be presented to the Legislature for
such reclamation He stated that ST.
OOO, 900 had been expended during the
last twenty years in attempts to solve
the problem, and considered that every
man of Judgment should come to the
front and assist in systematic levee
building, river deepening, and general
protection.
There was a line to be drawn between
private property and the State, conhn-
ued Mr.. Price, and he considered it the
duty of the State to step forward and
repair the damage it had done, by put
ting the river in as good condition as
it was before it became filled with
slickens 1t was not unreasonable TO
expect and ask for such aid, as $780,
0O0, 900 worth of property depended up
on the perfection of the plan.
DAMAGE TO THE RIVER.
Engineer Price produced map show
ing the outline of the Sacramento River
and the changes that had occurred
through settling of silt between the
wears 1871 and 1895 In 1871 soundings
Of the river had been taken at one-half
mile intervals, and the bottom showed
deep water Tide water came UP as
far as Sacramento, and the water was
amply deep for inland navigation up
to the headwaters of the stream. The
profile of the river was the irregular
lines showing deep pools and broad
basins, while in 1895 the profile had
become regular.
It was contended by Engineer Price
that to lower the bed of a stream meant
to lower both high and low water
marks just as much as the bed was
deepened. The velocity of a stream
might be increased either by increasing
the fall or by introducing a larger vol
une of water. The plan of the De-
partment of Public Works was to
DEEPEN THE STREAM,
Thereby securing an increased fall, and
by draining the Yolo and other basins
increase the volume, thus securing
great securing power. The State
should. by all means, take UP the ques-
ton of deepening and charging the
capacity of its rivers
1t was. however, impossible to deep
funds to press the work Mr.. Price said
he would carry out the plans submitted,
and carry them out successfully. All
that was needed was a start, and ma
| ture would complete 1T.
THE BATES DREDGER.
Mr.. Price then gave d brief deScrlp-
| ton of what was to be expected from
| the Bates dredger. 1t had, during the
past season, been used by Government
| engineers in dredging the Mississippi
| River, and had proved a decided sue
| cess. The Government had proposed
| to give a bonus to the inventor of the
| dredger, provided it was found that
| more than 1,600 yards of material
| could be removed in an hour and the
| result had been that the bonus ran up
| to 80 pel. cent. above the contract price.
| Instead of removing 1000 yards per
hour. the machine easily lifted 5000
yards. and when run to its full capac-
| ity 1000 yards were removed in an
! hour.
Mr.. Price read the following letter
| from Mr.. Bates Secretary, c. P. White:
u. r. Price, Chief Engineer, Office
| of Commission of Public Works, Sacra-
rnento Cal.-Dear Sir: Your letter of
| December 10th is at hand. The first
| cost of the plant viii vary according TO
| the size Of the dredge and the details,
from SIS 900 to $15O,000
THE material is dredged from depth
| of four or five feet down to thirty or
| forty feet, and can be delivered, ac-
&C riding to what the material is, through
| a pipe line up to mile long, and ele-
walton of discharge can be twenty feet
| without inOrdinate power. The depth
at which material can be dug is simply
| question of mechanism 1t can be
| dug during high water by proper CON-
| struction
1.-The question of hight, of course you
| understand, up to a certain hight of
discharge is somewhat a question of
| coal consumption, although there are
nights which would be impracticable.
What the extreme hight would be,
should prefer TO have Mr.. Bates an
swer, but 1 am quite sure that twenty
two to twenty-four feet would be all
right, although the coal bill would be
considerably higher than if it were ten
| feet less"
WILL S. GREEN
Was next called on, and stated that he
had been the pioneer Of reclamation in
| the State. He had studied the question
since its inception, and believed that the
plan offered by the Commissioner of
| Public Works and Engineer Price had
| solved the problem. He believed it was
| just what swamp landowners had been
| looking for. Improved dredging, he
| said, was the solution of the whole sub
| ject. There was no longer a jetty in
which to dump silt, and the only thing
| to be done was to lift the silt out of the
| river, instead Of sending it down to Sui
| sun Bay, where there was no room
| for it.
| If said Mr. Green, the Bates dredger
J would do one-half or one-third what is