The record-union., 1897-04-15
The RIVERS DANGER POINT.
Weather FOreCaSter Harmon Makes an
Explanation.
An Official Expression That Has NOT
Been Understood by the
Public.

Last winter, when the river had risen
to some twenty-five or tWenty-thfee
feet the daily weather forecasts sent
out from Chief Forecaster Harmon
office in San Francisco referred TO the
Sacramento Rivers approach to tine
danger point" coupled with dispatches
from this city or vicinity. The people
understood this to mean that the
Weather Bureau in San Francisco re-
garded the situation at Sacramento as
critical, and the San Francisco papers
were nightly telegraphing their corre-
spondents here to keep them informed
on the condition of the flood about Sac
Tamento.
The Record Union regarded these
bulletins of the San Francisco Wealth
er Bureau as misleading and based on
false information regarding the condi-
tion of the river and what really en-
stituted the danger point in this vi
Cinity, and took occasion couple of
times to criticise the forecast officials
somewhat sharply. The river could
rise to twenty eight or thirty feet at
this point without endangering any
thing hereabouts except the tule basins.
1t seems, however, that the forecast
officials had entirely different ideas
from those credited to them. They
intended to convey the information that
twenty-five feet of water at Sacramen-
to meant a much higher stage in the
lower reaches of the river, about the
reclamation districts, and also at some
points north of here where the west
ern banks of the river are lower than
on this side.
NJ
Sacramento on an official trip up the
river, and said he would on his return
to San Francisco favor the Record
Unions readers with a full explana-
tion of the bureaus understanding of
the danger point" This he has done
in the following letter, which will be
found of considerable interest:
WHAT MR.. HAMMON SAYS.
Eds. Record Union" Referring
to our recent conversation while 1 was
visiting your city, 1 take pleasure in
presenting to you herewith a few state
ments regarding the Sacramento River,
especially with reference to points like
ly to be overflowed and the stages on
the Sacramento gauge at which such
would occur.
AS you are well aware, the present
condition of the levees along the Sacra-
mento River is such that they are un-
able to contain the water Of even mod
crate flood stages. In fact, during the
present season by far the larger por-
tion of the water passed through Yolo
Basin, leaving the river below knights
Landing and entering again at Cache
Slough at the foot of Ryer Island. Less
than half the water passed Sacramento.
In fact, at present water begins to
leave the Sacramento River and dis
charge into Yolo Basin when stages of
twenty and twenty-five feet on the
Sacramento gauge are reached. I'm
der usual conditions the overflow into
! olo Basin does no particular damage
unless very unusual depth of water
results. However, this year the basin
filled to such a hight as to allow no
drainage from the lower portion of Up
per Grand Island and 1 understand So
600 or 10000 acres of land were flooded
by water that fell on the island and
that overfiowed the back levees and
was not permitted to flow out into the
basin.
The delta islands between Rio Vista
and Suisun Bay are leveed along the
Sacramento River to Withstand stages
of twenty-eight feet or more on the
Sacramento gauge. Those bordering
on Yolo Basin are also leveed to ap-
proXimately the same hight on the side
facing the basin. The Egbert Recla-
nation District, which borders on Mon
teZuma Hills on the west, Yolo Basin
TO the northeast and Cache Slough to
the southeast, is not so well protected.
This year stages of less than twenty
five feet, but with unusually high
stages in Yolo Basin, resulted in the
overflow of this district which COM
prises 15.0c0 or 10000 acres of land.
With the present discharge into YoIo
Basin danger to the river islands is
confined to those bordering on Yolo Ba-
SIN, namely: Lower end of Upper
Grand Island, Merritts Island, Sutter
Island, Ryer Island and the Egbert
District. The stage at which danger
may occur is greatly influenced by the
force of the wind. With a severe north
er prevailing, which will wash the
levees, the districts bordering on Yolo
Basin to the south are in danger when
the water in the basin is four or five
feet below the tops of the levees.
This season Egbert District over