The San Francisco call., 1899-01-02
Bars to Navigation
Removed.
SACRAMENTO STRENGTHENED
PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION
Err LEAKE'S REPORT.
Splendid Achievements of This De-
partment Receive the Praise
Of Government Engi-
neer Aeuer.
Special Dispatch to Tn. Call.

SDcClAl OlSD6tCQ 10 Inc OGu.
SACRAMENTO, Jan. Ed e.
Leake, Commissioner of Public Works,
has filed with Governor Budd a report
of the work done under the direction of
his department for a period of twenty
months, beginning March I, 1897, anG
ending November II, 1898. The reports
Of Chief Engineer Nd. A. NunSe and As
sistant Engineer G. N. Randle, as well
as the report of the auditing board, are
made part Of Commissioner Leake's
report.
The commissioner report states that
in accordance with the plans outlinedb by
his report Of November 16, 1895, the
Elkhorn easement, a concrete weir 2000
feet in length and Is feet in width, has
been completed, and Major VIII. Heuer,
the Government engineer in charge
Of the navigable rivers Of California.
indorses it as the best and cheapest
work of it's character in the United
States. The report informs the Gov
ernor that the jetty system of removing
Newtown shoals has also been complet-
ed. 1t comprises five jetties, aggregaI-
Ing about six thousand feet in length.
This work has been inspected by Major
Heuer. He pronounces it as the most
substantial and least expensive WORK
of it's character that has ever come un-
der his observation during his many
years service on the Mississippi, Mis-
souri,, Ohio and Delaware, Hudson and
Sacramento rivers. In public speech
he declared that he never knew OF
better work being done or more honesty
shown in the use of materials: that hs
had never seen anything to equal the
work either at the easement or the
jetty system; never so much and such
good work for the amount of money
expended; that the $4,000 expended
showed more substantial results than
he had ever witnessed from a similar
expenditure.
Commissioner Leake expresses the
belief that the effect of these two i'm
provements will be to deepen and cor
rect the channel of the Sacramento
river, increase its carrying capacity
and greatly facilitate the disposal of
flood waters.
The report states that the Secretary
of War has granted permission to make
five cutoffS on the San Joaquin river.
Contracts have been let for the con-
struction of all these cuts except one.
One cutoff has been completed, and an
other nearly so. Two others will be
completed by the middle of February.
The report refers to the testimony of
the oldest navigators that the work al
ready performed has vastly improved
the San Joaquin River, and their predic-
ton that when all the work now under
contract is completed the river will be
in an almost perfect condition.
The report cites H. J. Corcoran, tho
steamboat owner and chairman Of tho
auditing board, as authority for the
statement that when the work now pro>
jected is completed there will be wa
terway on the San Joaquin River al
most perfectly straight from Croziers
to deep water.
The report estimates that to complete
the work now under contract will bring
the total expenditure up to $13000o,
which will leave a balance in the appro>
priation of $4,000.
that the jurisdiction of the Commits
sioner Of Public Works and the audit
ing board should be extended so as to |
include all of the Sacramento River, al |
so the San Joaquin, Feather and Tuo-
lumne rivers, and Petaluma, Alviso and |
Napa creeks. AS the law now stands |
the money appropriated can be ex>
pended on only the San Joaquin and |
Sacramento rivers from the mouth |
of the Feather to Suisun Bay
The expenditure of a. very moderate |
amount on the Feather River and on the |
Sacramento above the mouth Of the |
Feather would vastly improve the nav
ford protection to a large area of fer
tile country. The expenditure of $780, |
900 would make q deep-water channel !
of Alviso Creek almost to San Jose !
The Importance of such an improve
ment cannot be overestimated. The |
farmers and fruit growers of Santa |
Clara Valley would save more than the |
cost in one year in the matter of trans
portation. Like improvements on other
creeks enumerated would result in |
material advantages which would not |
only affect the country traversed by |
them. but which would be shared by |
the people of the entire State If it be- |
comes the fixed policy of the State to
care for her naviga BILE strains upon the |
lines of recommendations made in his |
report says the commissioner. the Leg
islature should make an additional ap-
propriation Of 100000.
The report concludes with the state
ment that 1t is the belief of the com
missioner that his department has ac-
complished all that could reasona bly, be
expected from it. and further that an
Endorsement from a man Of such eX-
perience as Major Heuer ought to salts
fy all fair minded taxpayers that the
department has been diIigent. thorough
and economical in the discharge of its
duties
The report of Engineers Nunse and
Randall treats extensively of the work
done by them on the rivers under the
direction of the commissioners. An
argument is made sustaining the action
of the denartment in using part of the
appropriation In the construction of
needed works on the rivers rather than
expending It all on the purchase of a
dredger which could not have been 'op-
Grated except at great additional eX-.
pense
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