The San Francisco call., 1899-03-25
SAN JOAQUIN
IS RISING AN
MCH AN HOUR
Within Three Feet of the
Top of the Levee at
Stockton.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

STOCKTON, March 24.-The Gala
veras River has gone over the banks
at Cloves place northwest of town and
the French Camp toll road southeast of
the town is under water in several
places. The channels here continue to
rise. The San Joaquin River is rising
an inch an hour, and it is within three
feet Of the top of the levee. It will
reach the danger point at daylight.
Miner channel, which is a raging tor
rent, is pouring a great volume of water
into the head of Stockton channel
through McLeods Lake. Mormon chan
nel which is running bank full, is flow
ing into Stockton channel a mile farther
down.
The low places to the south Of the
Tesla coal bunkers are under water and
water is flooding the streets in the
neighborhood of the ship yards on the
north bank of Stockton channel. Gel
lars and Easements all over town are
beginning to fill and merchants are
moving their stocks to higher floors.
A special message to the Mail this
morning said that water was beginning
to come into Linden, which is east of
Stockton, and fears were expressed that
the large volume of water coming down
from the mountains would flood con-
siderable Of the country In that vicin-
ity. The chief source Of danger is from
the volume of water coming from the
mountains by reason of melting SHOWS
and heavy rains.
A special telephone message to the
Mail from Mr.. Hender of Sonora says
the TuOlumne and Stanislaus rivers are
higher now than they have been since
the heavy winter of 1S89-'90. A heavy
rain is prevailing with a southwest
wind and low barometer. The rainfall
for the past twenty-four hours, ending
at 10 o'clock this morning, was 2.23,
1853 for the storm and 2438 for the
season. The fall for the season last
year was 2041. He said the country
for twenty miles back was getting a
good Wetting. These figures indicate
that an immense body of water is COM
ing this way, and should reach this
part of the country some time tonight.
William F. Mackey, the Milton agent
for Cross & Meyers, the freighters, To-
Gated at jamestown, was in Stockton
to-day. He reported that the CalaYeras
River was rising at the rate of foot
every four hours. Six inches of rain
fell at Tuolumne yesterday, and the
snow, which had fallen in large guam
titles the past few days IN the roothllls,
was melting rapidly. The weather was
warm there. He reported high water
all the way between here and Milton,
which is tWentyfour miles east of
Stockton.
Sheriff Sibley reports the Mormon
channel levee, which extends five miles
east Of Stockton, has been tampered
with in efforts to irrigate.
A pest appeared to-day on the low
lands which is causing the owners of
the partially submerged wheat fields
much apprehension. The trouble comes
in the form Of countless thousands Of
wild geese During the day clouds of
'fhonkers" seemed to blow in from
every point of the compass and came
with e. rush and noise. They settled
on the growing grain wherever 1t was
visible, and, not content with nipping
it at the ground, took 1t out by the
roots. Farmers at many points turned
out with dogs and guns and killed right
and left, but did not seem able to ter
rify the winged army. 1t would leave
one point only to alight at another and
resume it's depredations. AS the water
stands in pools all over the loWiands
the geese had a decided advantage over
the farmers. On the Moss tract, where
there are hundreds of acres in fine
grain, the pest appeared in black clouds
and manifested appreciation of the fine
feed by an ear-splitting chorus. A few
years ago about the time the high
water was subsiding geese devastated
hundreds or acres. many VIII nave
fortunes at stake will be uneasy till
the geese seek other boarding quarters
Old-timers say the appearance Of the
geese is a sure sign of overflow and
foods.
The farmers Of the eastern and north
ern parts Of this county did no or
ganized praying for rain. but now they
have movement under way to give a
/ big blowout" in honor of the kind
dispensation Of providence in opening
the clouds during the past week. La
fayette Funk, a prominent farmer from
the vicinity of Pennington, was in this
city to-day He said the farmers would
hold big barbecue as soon as the
weather settled. The idea, proposed by
himself, had been received favorabfy
and chickens cattle and sheep are
pledged for the iollifcation.
'I tell you" said Mr.. Funk, 1--WE were
in the last trench, no mistake about
that. I never saw the grain fail so fast
as it did in the three or four days pre-
ceding the rain. If the storm had held
off a little while longer it would have
been too late