The record-union., 1897-04-03

there has been some Improvement for
practical navigation purposes, the river
remains the same
In 1913 in Suisun Bay the low water
mark was 3.S5 feet above low tide. In
1878 it marked 9.35 feet above low tide,
showing filling in of 76 feet. In 1894
| the low water mark was 11.3o feet
above low tide, SO it can be seen at a
glance what strides the slickens have
| taken.
1t will be interesting to know that in
1911 the tide arose in front of Sacra-
mento City = feet. To-day it comes only
| to New Hope, below CORTLAND.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION.
The engineers employed by Commits
| sioner of Public Works Leake have con-
tended that the principal obstruction
| to navigation was Newtown Shoals, and
that II it was removed the volume of
water might be depended upon to scour
| out deep channel of its own accord.
In all other points except this the engi-
neers of the Federal Government agreed
but submitted that the Newtown Shoals
| were moyeable--that is that at high
water there was no shoal at ALL The
theory advanced by them was that high
water removed all trace of the shoal
| spring and summer
THE MATTER TESTED.
Engineer Price has put the matter to
| the test, and the engineers of the Fed
eral Government were at fault. Sound
ings We're made all over the shoals early
| in February and again during the latter
part OF March of the present year, and
| the bed of the shoal does not vary six
lnches from it's elevation in low water.
When these observations are laid before
the engineers of the General Govern
ment, as they will be, there will no lon
ger exist one single difference of opinion,
and the probability is that both the
State and the United tSates will work
together to common end-the removal
| OF Newtown Shoals, and the ultimate
reclamation of the river.
EARLY NAVIGATION.
A orlef account of the navigation of
California's greatest river, in this con-
| nection, will prove interesting, and
while to the pioneer it will be a twice
| told tale, to the rising generation it is
| matter of history
Just when the first craft followed the
river from mouth to source, is not
| known, though it was probably about
the year 1910. The Russians, who oc-
cupied Sitka Island, were engaged in
trade in furs, hide and tallow about
| that time, and are known to have Wis
lted the interior in conducting their
operations. They had several tracts
or land-trading stations, along the
coast, but owing to the hostility of the
Spanish, in 1871 sold their lands to
Captain Sutter, and with the lands.
went their forty-ton schooner, used in
the trade.
THE FIRST TRIP.
In August of 1S41, Captain Sutter
made his first trip in the little schoon-
er, and until 1S4S it was the only pack
ct which could be relied on, traversing
the river The little vessel did impor-
tant duty during the war with Mexico,
and in 1S4S carried the first news of
the discovery of gold to San Francisco,
wence it was scattered over the con-
fines of the earth
MINING AND NAVIGATION.
But with the discovery of gold, craft
appeared upon the river by the score.
1t was as though great magician had
waved his wand and what had been a
launches swarmed with life. Fleets of
launches sprang into existence in a
day, to carry countless thousands of
adventurous spirits to the New Ell Do
rado, in the north. New Helvetia (Sut-
ter's ForD was the point all aimed for,
and SO long as the boat they rode on
would float, they cared for little else.
AGE OF PROGRESS.
But the age of progress, for which
the fair land of California had waited
ever since Father Adam and Mother
Eve We're driven from it's borders, had
arrived. and the tramp schooner,
Providence arrived at San Francis
co Bay early in 1S49. Her master,
Hinckley, had been engaged in trading
between Tahiti and the Sandwich ISL
ands, and saw at once that q fortune
awited the man who carried supplies to
the men delving in the earth along the
Cosur1nes, American, Feather, Yuba,
and other rivers in the north. The
schooner was a trim craft of 100 tons
burthen, and had no difficulty in wind
ing her way to safe harbor at En-
barcadero." as the Spaniards at that
time called Sacramento, where she dis
charged her cargo in April
SHIPS THAT PASSED.
Samuel Brannan had also conceived
the idea of supplying the mines, and
shortly after the success achieved by
Hincl<ley, bought the Chilean brig, Eli
odora, and safely landed the second
cargo
IN 70 ct
ing in the esteem Of mariners as a safe
stream to traverse, and before mid
summer of 1S49 the Joven Guipuzcoa-
ma, a Peruvian ship of the first class,
came up the river without finding a
single bar to impede her progress.
though her draft was nine feet, which
meant fifteen, when under way. Other
stately sailing vessels of large tonnag ge
followed the Peruvian with the unpro-
nouneeabe name, and it was due to
the success of these heavy ones that
the plans for the first steam naviga-
ton companies Were laid.
THE WHITON'S RUN.
Up to this time there had been no diff
flculty in ascending and descending the
river, the two shoals between Sacra-
mento and the bay being easily passed,
but sailing craft held empire. In May,
1919, the bark Wilton, Gelston, master,
made the run from San Francisco to
Sacramento in seventy-two hours, beat
ing the record. The Wilton, howe vei'
was a speedy craft and made the trip
from New York around the Horn to
Sacramento. in 40 days. She came
up with her royal yards crossed, with
out meeting with single detention.
though she was a vessel of 241 tons
burthen and drew 90 feet of wafer