NATURAL WATEEWAYS IN" THE UNITED STATES HARTS. 571 



washed down from the extensive placer-mining regions of the upper 

 Feather, Yuba, and Bear Eivers, and a commission of Army en- 

 gineers was organized in 1891 to protect the stream. Debris con- 

 ditions are now materially improved in the placer-mining regions, 

 owing to the restrictions imposed. This commission, in the per- 

 formance of its functions, has recently proposed a plan for com- 

 bining the control of floods, the impounding of mining debris, and 

 the betterment of the navigation channels in a single project, which 

 has been adopted recently by Congi-ess and by the State of Cali- 

 fornia, both sharing the expenses equally. This is a very unusual 

 example of an excellent coordination of the various features of river 

 work, and may be held up as an example to be followed on other 

 streams. The estimated cost of the project is about $11,000,000, of 

 which the State of California is to pay one-half and furnish the 

 land necessary for levees and other works. The management of the 

 construction work is to be under the direction of the Army en- 

 gineers of the Government, and on completion the whole is to be 

 turned over to the State for maintenance. Flood control, on the one 

 hand, involving the reclamation of thousands of acres of valuable 

 agricultural land from spring inundations, and channel development, 

 on the other, are so related, and the additional need of restricting 

 mining debris are all so intimately connected, that it made it es- 

 sential to put one organization in charge of all the related activi- 

 ties in order to secure economy in operation. This new project, ap- 

 proved in 1910, includes the excavation of river channels by dredging, 

 the construction of levels, using the excavated material in order to 

 control high-water stages, and, furtlier, involves the proper gauging 

 of the river widths to prevent choking in the lower reaches. The 

 river mouth is also to be widened and straightened. Mining debris is 

 to be impounded, as far as possible, at the site of the mines. Already 

 two large 20-inch suction dredges are at work on this project, which 

 promises unusual results and widespread benefit. Commerce on the 

 Sacramento amounted to 249,105 tons in 1890, 419,647 tons in 1895, 

 484,806 tons in 1900, 353,164 tons in 1905, 425,000 tons in 1910, and 

 477,292 tons in 1913. 



ATLANTIC COAST RIVERS. 



None of the rivers on the east coast of New England present any 

 specially interesting or novel features in point of channel develop- 

 ment or amount of commerce carried, except that there are a number 

 of rivers entering bays, like the Mystic in Boston Harbor, which for 

 a few miles partake of the character of tidal estuaries or harbors for 

 important cities, and are the means of handlmg large quantities of 

 freight, mainly coal. In general, this commerce is increasing, but 

 this kind of stream is in a separate class; in fact, it is the only class 



