The San Francisco call., 1904-03-29
Rush of Waters From Noun
tain Streams May Cause
San Joaquin to Overflow
RAIN COVERS THE STATE
Some Damage Is Reported in
the North, but DOwnpour
Is a Blessing to the South
Special Dispatch to The Call.


serious apprehension Of a flood in and
about the city since the spring freshets
set in is felt tonight. Water seems to
be headed this way from all sides. The
Calaveras River and Mormon Channel
are rising and the report comes from
their headwaters that a big volume is
coming down. The Sacramento is pour
ing a flood through the Edwards levee
break, and this is rushing across to the
San Joaquin to a point near the
Mokelumne junction.
It is from back water in the San
Joaquin that the greatest danger
comes, and even at dusk tonight the
channels in the city had little or no
current towars the river. With water
coming down and unable to find an out
let the natural results will be that the
smaller streams will leave their banks.
The water is not expected tonight and
perhaps not for twenty-four hours or
more, but it is felt that the crisis is at
hand.
A telephone message from Linden this
afternoon stated that the highest water
Of the year was expected there to-
night. 1t rained about. rs of an inch
there last night and to-day and the
storm was heavier in the foothills.
The San Joaquin River at the Rob-
eTts Island bridge was stationary at 8
o'clock this morning. At noon it was
eleven feet six inches and rising rap
idly.
A message from Carriers Station
stated that the snow had all gone from
the mountains for a distance of several
miles above Carriers. Last week the
snow extended down almost to the val
ley, east of here. and was about a foot
deep at Carriers and correspondingly
deeper above there Yesterdays warm
rain melted the snow like a July sun.
The most of the water from Tuolumne
County comes down the Stanislaus and
TuolUmne rivers and will not get down
to affect the San Joaquin River here
before tomorrow night or Wednesday,
Postmaster Nelson to-day received the
following telegram from Forecaster
Meade:
Heavy rains will cause rapid rise in river
VIII reach danger point tomorrow or Wednes-
day Warn citizens.
From $50 this morning up till l
o'clock this afternoon the rainfall was
80 of an inch, making 80, or almost
a full inch for the storm of the last
twenty-four hours. This makes 12.11
inches for the season, as against 11.S5
lnCheS IOr last season
SACRAMENTO is SAFE.
SACRAMENTO. March 2s.-The flood
situation is unchanged here to-day.
The Sacramento River stands at 23h
feet, which is five or six feet below
high water mark and about eight feet
below the danger line. No apprehen-
sion is felt here as the waters from
the recent storm will have a vast area
to spread over in the overfiows above
here and viii not raise the river at
this point more than a few inches.
Work on the closing of the Edwards
break il the levee three miles south
of Sacramento was resumed to-day
and will be pressed with vigor. It
ought to be closed in ten days If the
weather conditions do not turn out
bad. There was a slight wash in the
levee 1000 feet above the Edwards
break this forenoon, but a pile driver
was sent to the spot and the danger
was guarded against by driving some
piles where needed.
SAN RAFAEL, March 2S.-The
storm continues in various parts of
Marin County. In fact, out of the
twenty-eight days this month it has
rained twenty-seven of them and there
is no outlook of an immediate cessa-
tion Of the storm. The precipitation
during the last twenty-four hours has
been sos inches and the total thus far
for the season is Alb. It is still pour
ing and the prediction is that the So
inch mark will be reached before morn
ing. Last season there was only 36.13
inches all told. At Mill Valley the pre-
cipitation has not been so great as in
other portions of the county, but great
damage has been done. Ben Johnson,
who has resided here some thirty odd
years. saws he never saw the equal of
he D1.-,1, II
lest fall of snow that old Tamaipais
has witnessed in ten years occurred
Sunday afternoon about 4 o'clock. 1t
was three inches deep on the level at
the summit
DAMAGE AT TAHOE.
TRUCKEE, March 2S.-Great damage
is being caused 10 numerous resorts
around the shores of Lake Tahoe. The
water is so high that the waves are
breaking up wharves and buildings and
the loss to proprietors will be enor-
nous. The big wharf at Tahoe City
was demolished last week and the Ia
hoe Navigation Company expects to
lose the long wharf on which the sup
ply of fuel and other equipment are
stored. The water is up to the stringer
of the wharf now and is expected to
go at least two feet higher by July.
The TeVis boathouSe and various re-
SDIlS dl AlCINlunGgS. bTOCkWay
and Tahoe City have been damaged to
a greater or less extent during the last
few days. The water is now higher
than al any time since 1861, being with
in four inches of the top of the DAM
NAPA, March 2S.-A heavy rain fell
here Sunday and to-day. The creeks
are running full and the Napa River
has been out of its banks at China
town all day. The prospects are for
a continued storm. The rainfall for
thirty hours preceding 1 o'clock this
afternoon amounted to 1.2S inches. This
makes a total for the season to date
of 29.S1 inches against 24.17 inches for
last season to corresponding date
GRASS VALLEY, March 2S.-All rain
records for ten years have been broken
by the seasons fall to date Fifty
eight inches have fallen here up to
noon to-day and there is no sign of
cessation. IL has rained here daily for
eight weeks. AS a result many cattle
have died from exposure and lack of
food while nearly every mine in the
district is flooded more or less Some
Of the biggest mines lost several levels
and the water is still rising. desDite
- i