The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-10-16
LEvEE AT CHICORY RANCH.
BIDS FOR PROTECTING TT
OPENED YESTERDAY.
f. Lowery of This City Was the
Lucky Man and Will Do
@ the Work.

1OIllllSSiOHtI VI 1uDIlC w OfkS IL. Il.
Leake and L. b. Hall, a member of
the Auditing Board to the Commission
er, yesterday opened bids for the pro-
posed work of strengthening the bank
OF the river, near the Chicory ranch, be-
low this city, and awarded the contract
to F.lLowery of this city on the follow
ing bids: 600 sandbags at 20 cents
each, $50 stakes at 20 cents each, 200
pounds of wire at 5 cents per pound,
500 cubic yards Of brush at So per yard,
], 700 cubic yards of mattress founda-
ton at 10 cents per yard and 200
yards of repairs to levee at 10 cents
per cubic yard-a total of 81, 74O
Contractor Sam Montgomery of
Woodland also put in a bid for the work
aggregating ST ,S29. Work will be COM
menced within five days
The proposed work is located on the
right bank Of the Sacramento River,
about five miles below the city, near the
place known as the Chicory or Dixon
ranch.
The object Of the proposed work is
to hurriedly introduce some expedient
of protection that may save the bank
from further erosion and avert a great
less some measure of safety against
protracted washing by the winter flood
can be made available before the be-
ginning of the coming flood season.
The work consists in grading the
present bluff bank for a distance of
about 300 feet to a slope of two feet
horizontal to one foot vertical, begin
ming at an elevation equal to that of
the present, or low water surface, and
continuing on said slope to an elevation
CD three feet above the high water
plane of the river at flood stage, thus
preparing the outside slope of the levee
required to be moved and surface on
which will be placed a brush mattress
Of live, straight willows, none of which
shall be less than fifteen feet in length,
with a diameter not to exceed two
inches at the butt.
Previous to laying the brush, the
slope prepared must be staked off in
rows five feet apart parallel to the river
current, with live straight willow stakes
two to three inches in diameter, five
feet apart in the rows, and to be Of
sufficient length when in place to ex-
tend through the mattress and be
driven perpendicularly to a penetration
that will insure firmness Or to a depth
satisfactory to the inspector or engineer
in charge.
When the ground has been staked
off. the brush will be carefully placed
around the stakes and at right angleN
to the river current to a depth of about
two feet, and SO arranged that the butt
ends of the first course next to the, wa
ter edge shall be overlapped five or six
feet by the brush ends of the second
course and so on up to the top of the
slope, or at least to the elevation of the
high water plane.
When the brush has been arranged as
specified, the tops of the stakes will
be connected in the parallel rows by
one continuous wire drawn tightly over
the top of the brush mattress anGs
wrapped twice around each stake This
being done, the stakes will be driven
still further in the ground to a salts
factory depth with a heavy wooden
mallet, thereby increasing the tension
in the wires and aiding to fasten the
mattrass to the ground
Well filled sand sacks (tied) distribute
ed in accordance with the depth of the
water at flood stage, will be used in
weighing the mattrass to position.
On the completion of the work the
tops Of the stakes will be sawed off
with a view to adding to the appear
ance and promoting the probability Of
their taking root and growing.
Contractor Lowery will be required
to repair the levee for a distance of
about Boot adjacent the brush work
revetment, and it is proposed that the
two to one slope prepared for the brush
mattrass foundation shall be utilized
as the outside slope. The crown shall
be twelve feet wide and the inside slope
two feet horizontal to one foot verti-
cal. It is thought that at least one
half of the material required for the
new levee can be procured from the old
levee and the surplus from the mattrass
foundation.
The Public Works Department, to-
gether with the local Chamber of Com
merce, has completed arrangements
whereby the levee fronting on the land
of S. Hauser, up the river will be built
at the earliest possible moment Hau-
ser, according to agreement, advanced
5000 toward the work, the Chamber of
Commerce advanced, through subscrip-
tons and otherwise, 800 and the Board
of Supervisors of Yolo County adj
vanced $50. which sums will, it is es-
timated, raise the levee to the hight
indicated by the engineers of the de-
partment. Work will be commenced
tomorrow and a large force will be
employed. The levee will be finished
in two weeks.
There is also a gap in the levee near
Knights Landing, which the engineers
claim will let some water into the Yolo
Basin at flood time, but the persons re-
siding in that vicinity have raised ST.
800 for doing the necessary work. and
Commissioner Leake feels certain that
the required amount-S2. 5OO-wiu be
secured. The Board of Supervisors of
Yolo County have promised to make a.
liberal appropriation for the work AS
soon as property owners in line of the
break shall have contributed to help
themselves
x The big easement Of tho I,,J~t,o