The record-union., 1898-11-27

down the river was pronounced anu
unqualified success in every partlc-
ular, and was hugely enjoyed and ap-
preciated by the hundred-odd persons
who were so lucky as to be included
in the number who made the trip.
In view of the Importance of the i'm
provements to the river which have
been undertaken and accomplished by
Commissioner of Public Works, Ed. E.
Leake and his active engineers, Nj. a
Nurse and George N. Randle, a brief
resume of the work will be interesting
and apropos.
THE IMPROVEMENTS
To the Legislature of 1897 Comnnis-
sioner of Public Works Ed. f. Leake,
acting on the recommendation or MS
engineers, John r. Price and Nj. A
Nurse, presented report to the Leg
islature for reclaiming the river, which
appeared to be practical as weu as
feasible.
Briefly the Commissioner recon-
mended the purchase and operation or
an hydraulic dredge to be used IN the
removal of the great shoal above Ito
Vista, known since the days of the
Argonauts as the "Newtown Shoal.'
Prior to his report various Commis-
sioners had presented plans looking 10
the expenditure of millions of dollars
without definite knowledge of what
would be accomplished. One of .he
plans presented recommended the cut
ting of a channel through the Mon
tezuma Hills, thereby diverting the
course of the entire river. Another
plan embodied the construction of an
elaborate system of levees to reach
IL C1rAf mt q a
means of confining the water within its
natural limits.
Every Commissioner of Public Works
the State ever had realized the neces-
sity Of removing or cutting around the
shoals at Newtown Each ard every
one of them realized that the chief
impediment to navigation was the
Newtown Shoal, and that if it was re-
moved and the influx of debris from the
mines shut off the river would. fol-
lowing the laws of gravitation, seek
and find its natural level in other
words, in course of time, the channel
would be as deep as in 1S50-56, when
ocean steamers tied up to the wharf at
Sacramento.
The legislators of 1897 were con-
vinced of the practicability of the plans
presented by the Commissioner of Pub
lie Works and his efficient engineers,
and while the improvement of the Sac
ramento River properly belonged-and
still belongs-to the Federal Govern
ment the State determined to take the
initiative, and meet the General Gov
ernment half, and to show it's faith in
the report, passed a bill appropriating
$3O0,O0O for the purchase and opera
tion of a dredger and for the improve
ment of the Sacramento and San Joa-
quin Rivers and their navigable tribu-
taries.
The bill also provided for the ap-
pointment by the Governor of an Au-
diting Board to the Commissioner of
Public Works, the duty of which should
be to audit all claims presented and
to advise on all plans submitted by the
Commissioner of Public Works As
such commission Governor Budd ap-
pointed Hon. Hugh j. Corcoran of
Stockton (Chairman), Hon. John Mark
ley of Sacramento Secretary, Hon
Gillis Doty of Sacramento County,
George H. Patterson of Stockton and
Captain II. B. Hall of Sacramento.
CHANGE OF PLANS.
The Commissioner Of Public Works
and his engineers had numerous con-
sultations with Major W. H Heuer,
United States Engineer for the Pacific
Coast, which resulted in an under
standing being arrived at between the
State and Federal Government The
State Engineers, NJ, A. Nurse and
George n. Randle, after the organiza-
ton of the Auditing Board, May II,
1897, proceeded to make an accurate
and thorough examination of the New
town Shoal Numerous cross-sec-
tional borings were made, and the an
cient and proverbial theory that the
shoal was a continuation of the hard
pan projecting from the Montezuma
Hills was exploded. The borings
showed the shoal to be composed of
sand, with a very little silt mixed in.
but nothing in the nature of hardpan
was to be found, and it was agreed
by the engineers that the force of the
water of the stream, if gathered to-
gether into limited space, would do
all and more than was expected of a
dredger.
The Auditing Board took a similar
view of the matter, and it was de-
cided to construct a system of jetties
at the Newtown Shoal, which would
confine the waters of the stream to a
comparatively
west or right bank of the stream, and
plans and specifications for the work,
meeting the approval of the Auditing
Board and of the United States War
Department, represented by Major
Heuer. contracts were awarded and
the work commenced.
But on the river above Sacramento
were a number of breaks which would
n n11o MI Of
from the channel into the Yolo Basin,
and by that means lessen the securing
force of the water at the shoal below
The State engineers formulated q
plan for closing the break. and at the
largest. known as the Hershey Break,
near Elkhorn ranch it was proposed
to construct an easement 5000 feet in
length, which, in ordinary times would
confine all Of the water to the chan
mel. and in times of flood allow a flow
into the Yolo Basin only after the
waters had reached the twenty four
foot mark at the official gauge at the
foot of K street in this city.
But the levees below the proposed
easement were in a bad condition. and
to construct an easement and allow
the levees to break below and thus
divert the water. of the stream would
have been waste of funds.
The Auditing Board to the Commits
sioHer accordingly consulted with the
landowners on the Yolo side OF the
river and with the Sacramento Cham
Der of Commerce. and the last-named
body undertook the responsibility of
having the levees raised to a point
indicated by the engineers, provided