The record-union., 1897-12-22


to restrain the output from hydraulic
mines, unless it is built like the dam
at FOLSOM of solid rock, bolted and
cemented SO that it cannot be moved;
all other dams have proved worthless,
but this dam has restrained that which
has flied it from it's base to its crest.
Give US an independent commission,
whose sole duty it shall be to prevent
the further injury to our rivers, har-
bors and agricultural lands.
If hydraulic mining is to be carried
on make the miners inpound their
debris behind substantial, permanent
barriers.
MUST BE UNITED.
James K. O'Brien of Yuba said hf
thought the proper thing to do to-day
| is to go to Congress united and max
ing a plain statement of facts, and asf
for relief 1t will do no good for the
| farmers to go alone, or the miners te
go alone He came here under ths
impression that this is what was to bs
done If we We're to abuse the mer
through whom relief is to be procured
he had been mistaken, and wished te
withdraw.
COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS.
VIII S. Green of Colusa said that the
Memorial Committee had been appoint
ed. and could take care of the Con
gressional part of the matter, but there
was other business to be done. amone
it that relating to the State approprla-
ton. He moved that a Committee or
Resolutions be appointed. to draft res
olutions relative to all business com
| ing before the convention.
The motion was carried, and the COM
mittee was appointed as follows: Jesse
Poundstone. Colusa; William Johnston
! Sacramento; D. B. Hall, Suffer- c. Nj
Weber. San Joaquin; Thomas Lovdal
Yoo; General Montgomery, Butte; w
F. Lowering, Tehama; A. c. Aitken
Shasta; F. NJ. Sway, Shasta; J. X
Meek, Yuba-
DE VRIES' TELEGRAM.
r. T. Devlin said that for some time
past it had been customary to hold &
convention every two years, previous
to the meeting of Congress, and pre-
pare a memorial and send a committee
to urge action upon it. Two years age
| Congress appointed a commission o.
army officers to examine and report or
the condition of the river. and he un
derstood that a report had been SEM
on yesterday He had a telegram from
Congressman de Nries which he read
as follows:
washington Cd. c., Dec. 81, 1897.
Hon. Robert II. Devlin, Sacramento
Cal: The present imperative initial steI
to river improvement in California Il
the report by the Sacramento River ano
Debris Commissions Of plans for i'm
proving the Sacramento and Feather
Rivers. This should be followed by q
Federal appropriation of at least hall
a million dollars for dredging and 9TH
erwise improving said rivers. The ef-
forts Of the convention, in my humble
Judgment, can best be exercised to-
wards the accomplishment of these two
objects. MARION DE VR1ES.
If we can show no practical results
from the work done and from the State
appropriation, we will have hard work
to get an appropriation from Congress
and it is necessary that good showing
be made.
COMMISSIONER LEAKE.
E f. Leake, Commissioner of Public
Works, spoke of the legislation Of the
last session, for which both he and the
Auditing Board had been subjected to
some unjust criticism from persons who
did not understand the matter. Fol-
himself, he should stick to the report
made by him to the Legislature. He
had recommended that, in order to start
matters, the State should furnish aid
in order to get the Government to aid
He had worked for the bill for an
appropriation for a dredger for the
river and other things. He had not
sought the appointment as Commits
sioner of Public Works, and it was un-
expected when it was offered to him
The Auditing Board had, at his sugges-
ton, passed a resolution to the effect
that as soon as the property owners
rebuilt their levees at the Hirshey and
Butcher breaks, the board would put in
an easement. The farmers, however
have not held a meeting yet to take
measures to build up their levees, and
it would be folly to attempt to build
easements without it.
He did not know whether or not the
Auditing Board favored a dredger OF
not, but the dredger companies seemed
to have made a combination in order
W lOcl tlic treasury, diil Tic NY O4li-
GERS told him that they had expert
enced the same trouble. 1t had also
been found necessary, after satisfying
the engineers, to procure the consent
of the Secretary of War about which
nothing had been said before.
He had a dispatch yesterday from
Congressman de Vries to the effect that
the War Department had referred the
plans and specifications to the com
mission. One of the engineers had told
him that the contractors are carrying
out their threats, and that the com
mission had received a hatful of let
ters from contractors, taking the
ground that neither the Government
nor the State had any right to inter-
fere with private enterprise and allow
the Government to loan it's dredger
as had been asked. If the levees had
been constructed last winter and ease
ments put in there would not have
been a drop Of water in the Yolo Basin
this summer. The agent of the COM
pany that claims to own all the pat
ents for the dredgers had told him
! that the company would charge the
State royalty If it wished to build a
machine, and he understood although
no definite figures had been given, the
royalty TO be about $4,000.
WILL BUILD NO DREDGER.
Chairman Corcoran of the Auditing
Board. said he had always been inter
acfa1 TN ,.f,y -, r.