The record-union., 1897-06-18
THE FARMERS And MINERS.
Prospect That They May Agree on a
Course of Action.
Report Made by the Chamber of COM
merce Committee-Propos
Tariff Legislation.

The regular monthly meeting of the
Directors of the Chamber of Commerce
was held yesterday at $3.50 p. m.
Ex-Judge Hinkson, Chairman of the
special Committee on Mining, referred
at length to work of the committee and
to the cooperation and good will which
had prevailed during the visits OF the
committee to the two sections, and as
sured the directors of the earnest atten-
ton which the representative members
OF the Miners Association and OF the
Anti-Debris Association were giving the
matter with good prospects of an ad-
Justment OF the differences without
further court proceedings. He then pre-
scented the following report, which was
read by the Secretary:
To the Board of Directors Sacra-
mento Chamber of Commerce-Gentle-
men: Since your committee made its
partial report with certain recommended
tons on May Goth, copies were sent to
the State Mining Association, the Anti
Debris Association an dthe Nevada City
Board of Trade. On May Doth, the State
Miners Association appointed COM
mittee of three to confer with your COM
mittee On May Goth, Messrs. Hinksol
and Coleman attended a special meeting
of the Nevada City Board Of Trade,
when consideration was given our re-
port and recommendations. Resolutions
were adopted approving the same; reso-
lGtions were also adopted approving the
action of the State Miners Association
IN appointing committee on conference
and also other resolutions were adopted,
asking the Anti-Debris Association 10
appoint a committee on conference.
On June 1st q conference was held
in this city attended by Messrs. Nelf
and Ford of the State Miners Associa-
ton; Messrs Searles and Englebright of
the Nevada City Board of Trade and
President Steffens, Messrs. Hinkson,
Schaw and Coleman. Hon. r. T. Dev-
lin of the Anti Debris Association was
present by invitation. A free discussion
was held on the lines of the recommended
lions of your committee and all agreed
that the differences between the miners
and the property holders in the Sacra-
mento Valley could and should be
amicably settled without resOrting to
court proceedings, and each one agreed
to work to that end. On June the Sth
Hon. r. T. Devlin, went to Marysville
and on the morning of the 9th, in COM
pany with w. T. Phipps, Manager of the
Anti-Debris Association, Mayor Ellis of
MarysvilIe and other citizens of Yuba
and Suffer Counties, made a partial in
spection of the 1evee system and the con-
dition of the Yuba and Feather Rivers
in the vicinity of Marysville and Yuba
City
The expensive and well kept system
of levees along the Yuba and Feather
Rivers are a credit to the persevering
and patient property holders of that
section, who from necessity have been
compelled to eXpend large sums of
money and at sundry times have re-
sorted to heroic efforts topro tect their
property from destruction. That these
immense and expensive levees are ne
cessary will be clear to all when told
that the river-beds are filled in, princi-
pally with debris from the hydraulic
mines, until they are now from four to
eight feet above the common level of adj
jacent lands. The people of this section
have been united in their work of home
protection and all agree that the rivers
cannot be controlled by levees if debris
from hyQfdul1C OF aggravated SIOu1lu
sluice mines is allowed to enter them.
They are equally earnest in saying that
they have no fear about damage from
quartz or drift mining or from ordinary
sluice mining, believing that the water S
can safely carry the material from such
mines.
During the afternoon of the 9th in
slant your committee visited Wheatland
and inspected the Bear River where
similar conditions prevailed as on the
Yuba and Feather Rivers, except in a
more aggravated form. The levees are
not as substantial and from the char
acter of new deposits in the bed of
this river and from the condition of the
water, it was evident that mines other
than quartz or drift had been in active
operation and discharged into this
stream A portion of our first report
may well be repeated: THE subject
when thus considered is a serious one
and is entitled to the most patient and
conscientious thought of the conserva-
tive elements of both sections
Your committee having examined the
conditions, beg to submit its conclu-
sions, namely: That mining is more or
less detrimental to the streams and
water courses into which they dis