The San Francisco call., 1897-02-09
MUCH INTEREST
IN THE DREDGER
Public Works Commissioner
Leake Speaks of the
Big Appropriation.
The Monster Bates Dredger
Needed to Keep Navigable
State Streams Open.
With the Machine a Channel Twenty
F ct Wide and Forty Deep Can
Be Cut Four Feet Minute.

Leake, Commissioner of Public Works, is
! very much interested in the bill appro-
priating $500, 900 for the construction of
monster dredger after the pattern of the
Bates machine. In his official capacity
be has made thorough study of the sub
| Ject and is convinced that the restraining
dams now to be provided to keep the
heavy detritus stored in the canyons from
coming down into the rivers and the
adoption of the modern dredging ma
chine will not only keep the rivers navi-
gable-this being the primary object of
the bill-but will also reclaim many thou
sands of acres of the m ost valuable land.
Mr.. Leake said to CALL reporter this
m morning:
"In the Butte, Sutter, Colusa, American
and Yolo basins there are $50, 900 acres of
swamp and overhowed lands that are in
undated by an average rainfall. Lands
partially reclaimed in the Sacramento Val
ley aggregate 115, ,633 acres, and are equally
subject to the dangers of ordinary foods
In the San Joaquin Valley there are 1886, 240
acres of swamp and overfiowed lands, OF
which not more than one-tenth part is
partially reclaimed.
''Iu 1861 there was returned in Sacra-
mento Valley SOP 600 acres of swamp land.
The area has since been largely increased
by reason of the sitting and filling up of
the rivers. The higher that Ievees are
constructed the more danger there is 10
land that naturally would not be subject
to overflow. Under the present unsys-
tematIc method OF reclamation this area
is constantly increasing, while the value
of the land is constantly decreasing.
''On the assum ption that this land can
be reclaim ed it is a reasonable estimate to
place its value at from $50 10 $50 an acre.
If this land was seeded to wheat and
would produce fifteen sacks to the acre, if
sold at l cent per pound the annual income
| on the swamp land alone would be
| $l7, COS, 292. 1t would require barge of
capacity of 10000 sacks 1858 days to move
this crop, taking 10000 sacks each day.
At an average of 81 per ton the annual
cost of transportation would be $3.50, l64 so.
Engineer Hall estim ated that on ac-
count of high levee building ana other
conditions about 500 900 acres nol included
in the above estimate are SUBJECT to per-
iodical overflow. The perfection of
drainage system would increase the in
come of the valleys $27 sos, ,292.
"Recla amstion districts involving about
$780, 600 acres of land have been organized
in Butte, Colusa, Sutter, American and
Yolo basins. A compu tation made in
1894 showed that on the rivers and the
lands in these districts the Government
had expended 81, 600, 900 and the State and
individuals $1,000 600. and that for the
most of this there had been no adequate
| return.
| he nf pl
probably swelled the total to $40, 900, 900.
There is one reclamation district In Yolo
County on which the sum already ex-
pended, and without satisfactory results.
is sufficient to construct a hydraulic
dredger and operate it for ten years.
THE new dredger and all the machin-
cry connected with it can be constructed
in this State. 1t is one of the most won
derfuI inventions of the century. The
official test made by the Government re-
Gently showed that the maximum capac-
ity of the machine was 1898 cubic yards
per hour. while the average OF ten con.
secutive tests is 1921 cubic yards per hour.
The average per cent of sand in the water
discharged was 1902 (twenty-three and
two one-hundredths). Such machine in
operation at the Newtown Shoals would
| III IIOui ltIly ~ MY udyS com pletely OBJ
! literate that obstruction. The effect of
this would give to the entire length of
that stream a relief never before received.
1t would so increase the velocity of the
water by augmenting the flow of the tide
that the major portion of the shoals would
be cut out by the natural flow of the
stream"
Mr.. Leake was asked as to the claim
made by another inventor that the Bates
dredger was an infringement on his
patent. In reply Mr.. Leake said that the
State should be amply secured against
any possible litigation in the matter.
Assembfyman Cutter of Yuba said that
the beds of the Yuba and Feather rivers
in many places were higher than the sur
rounding country, which was not swamp
LAND either. This fact necessitated the
raising of the levees correspondingly, but
in spite of ali the care that could be taken
the seepage through the levees continued
to do great damage. Miners and farmers
were united or the restraining dam and
the dredger bill he added, and there
would be no objection to their passage
Think of it," added Mr. Cutter. ga
machine that cuts a channel twenty feet
deep and forty feet wide at the rate of
four feet a minute will work wonders in
the way of increasing the naviga bility of
our rivers and keeping them navigable."