hubert howe bancroft - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History ...

THE DfiBRIS QUESTION. 647
upon to decide the rights of miners to jeopardize the
agricultural interests of the counties through the
danger from mining ddbris. After prolonged litigation
and much effort to control legislation by the
feet, the more rapid filling having taken place since that year. The tide,
which formerly rose two feet at Sacramento, is now unfelt above Haycock
shoals, 9 miles below the city. Shoals have been formed in fc'uisun bay, and
large deposits in the Btraita of Carquinez. In 1879 Prof. Fettee found the
bed of Bear river at the crossing between Dutch Flat and Little York 97 feet
higher than in 1870, while in the same interval Steep Hollow, between Little
York and Yon Bet, had risen 136 feet Whitney** Auriferous Gravel*, ii., 425.
In 1880 Bear river was filled to a depth of 150 feet, Steep Hollow 260, and
the Greenhorn at the crossing of the Nevada and Dutch Flat road 200 feet.
With the exception of about 11 miles, where the grade is from 80 to 140 feet
to the mile, Bear river is filled from Dutch Flat to the mouth. Experts estimate
the deposits in Bear river at 86,000,000 cubic yards above the plains;
and at 36,000,000 cubic yards below the foothills to the mouth. Naturally
the heavy bowlders or cobble stones remain higher up, while the sand and
earthy matter are carried below. A similar condition exists in the Yuba
river, where the deposits in 1879 above the foothills, were estimated by the
state engineer at 48,462,100 cubic yards, principally in a distance of 8 or 10
miles, and below this at 23,284,000, although from more recent information
this estimate appears too low. Every winter flood spreads abroad the soluble
and movable debris. The Yuba spreads out its eand and gravel over
15,000 to 16,000 acres, rising above the level of the adjoining country. On
north branch of the American the maximum depth of the detritus is 100 feet,
and is thought to measure 20,000,000 cubic 3*ards. Now to the results. Tlie
state engineer estimated from actual surveys made in 1878 that 18,000 acres
of valley land on the Yuba, once the choicest in the state, had been buried
beneath mining debris. Witnesses before the U. 6. land com. in 1879 gave
the following statements: ' Although these lands have been exposed to sunshine
and rain for years they produce not a blade of grass, nothing but willows
and semi-aquatic plants that derive their nourishment chiefly from the
strata of water percolating underneath the surface, not frcm the soil
itself. A settler of 1857, who purchased a farm on the Yuba bottom, stated
that at that time the banks of the river were 20 or 22 feet high at low water.
His farm was two miles away from Bear river, and had no water upon it before
1862, when it was under 6 feet of water, which left large banks of eand
and sediment. The amount has increased from that time until now, when
his 1,030 acres are buried 25 feet deep under sand, which reaches to the tops
of the telegraph poles. He succeeded in protecting 90 acres of his land
with levees until 1875, when the water rose over them and covered his 90
acres also with sand. His garden fence is now 5 feet under the surface. The
house where formerly he lived was completely filled with water in the winter
of 1878-9. The country which was once filled with farms is now a wilderness;
and no man can tell where was the original channel of the river.
Other witnessed testified to similar devastation from mining dtbris. The
bed of Feather river was raised 8 feet. The loss in Ynba co. was estimated
by a resident to be not less than $9,724,000, and in Sutter co. $3,152,000. The
water of the Sac. overflowed the high banks to a depth of 6 inches in 1849- £0;
12 inches in 1852-3; 2 feet in 1861-2; 34 feet in 1867-^; and 5 feet in 1877:8.
I have not space here to multiply evidences of the ruinous effects of running
mining debris into the rivers. But it should be stated that the detritus from
the gravel mines is not as injurious as the tailings from the quartz mills,
which do not decompose, and which, under the name of ' slickens,' was
fought in the courts for several years. Undoubtedly there are other causes
operating to raise the beds of the larger streams, among which is ploughing