The San Francisco call., 1904-03-02
FORTUNES LOST
in THE FLOOD
High Waters Gradually Re-
cede, but Banks Continue
to Crumble Under Pressure
CROSS LEEEES YIELD
Bfack and Sargent Tracts
Are. Submerged and BOul-
din Is in Grave Danger
Special Dispatch to The Call.

STOCKTON, March 1.-The San Joa-
quin River at the county bridge regis
tered eleven feet eight inches tonight,
a nine-fnch fall in twenty-four hours.
The channels in this city. are falling
slowly, relieving all fears of a flood,
despite the waters that were turned
into them by the .Mokelumne
and Calaveras rivers. This is due
to the fact that there has been prac-
tically no rainfall at the -headwaters of.
the San Joaquin. but the other streams
have caught floods similar to those
coming down the Sacramento. and the
result has been the most disastrous in
undation of the tributary country be-
low here in twenty years. 1t was
thought that the crest Of the flood had
passed when it raced over the New
Hope country, but to-day it took an
other surge forward. covering about
10000 more acres, contained principally
in Staten Island and the great Brack
and Sargent tracts. 49,
The peculiar feature. of the. food is
that the tracts inundated to-day were
attacked, not from the river, but from
the higher lands to the east of them:
The immense volume of water that
poured out of the Sacramento River
yesterday morning near Walnut Grove
and swept across the country to- the
southwark crossed the. Mokelumne
River, sweeping the New Hope district
and rushing westward to the San Joa=
quin River, breaking every levee in its
path. i
CROSS LEVEES YIELD.
1t should be understood that while
all the reclamation districts have high
ievees along the banks of all bordering
rivers and sioughs, they also have big
embankments thrown up across them
to prevent all of the tract being flooded
in case the outside levee should break
in any place. Consequently when the
water from: the Sacramento crossed the
MokeIumne River and broke into the
New Hope district it found itself op
posed on the westward by these for
inidable cross-Ievees. The latter held
the flood until late last night. and it
was believed that they would withstand
the pressure. Z.
The water began to pile up deeper
and deeper in the New Hope district
last night and began TO seep through
into the Brack tract. of about 5000
acres. Shortly after midnight the,
cross Ievee gave way and the lake
quickly covered the Brack tract, which
is to- the westward of sthe New Hope
district and lower than the latter.
The water grew deeper. on the west
side Of this tract and soon opened
the levee, rushed ACROSS the south fork
4 -.
Ievee of Staten Island. This .morhing
Staten Island, with it's nearly 10000
fertile acres, was all under water.
From the Brack tract the water
poured southwark, burst in the levees
on the Sargent tract and flooded about
1000 acres there. The Sargent tract
was. still filling at late hour this
afternoon The Brack and Sargent
tracts can probably be drained within
"a. few months and planted to- potatoes,
beans and o9faGs.
DANGER AT BOULQIN. ISLAND:
1t was" reported at noon to-day that
BouIdin Island had gone under, but
at a late hour tonight the levees had
resisted the flood and there was a good
margin TO spare at the. worst points.
Grave concern is felt, however, and
the danger will come tonight when
the tide come in. Considerable water
is running out of Staten Island and
adding it's. s.pressure against the Boufdin
embanknepts.
Many horses and cattle were drown
ed on the submerged tracts. The
steamer Mcdonald and two barges
were sent to the Sargent tract last
might to remove. the stock, and 'othet
boats are performing similar service
for: the other flooded tracts. The fact
that both. staten and BOuIdin islands
are. lower than the river during the
spring and early summer means that
when water once. get in IL must be
pumped out and. much of the work. of
reclamation. must be. done over. If
Bouldin Island successfully passes to-