Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 7, Number 52, 20 April 1878 — CITY INTELLIGENCE. [ARTICLE]

CITY INTELLIGENCE.

LEVEE COMMISSIONERS. Fkidat, April 19th. . Friday, April 19th. The Board met at 10 A. M. ; all the mem- ' hers present. ' i LEVEE ENGINEER— HIS INSTRUCTIONS. The matter of the appointment of a Levee I Engineer was declared to be in order, and on i ' motion George B. Johnson was chosen. His i , salary was fixed at .$175 per month, and he was directed to employ such assistants as were necessary. -". J Commissioner Knox presented the follow- ] „.*;• instructions, which were, on motion, , adopted as a guide for the Engineer in levee , work and drainage. lie is to make the necessary surveys and '• computations ; also, estimate the probable : cost in detail of the following work for the . protection and drainage of the city. , FIRST SYSTEM. First — To enlarge the levee from It street to Freeport, so that when complete! it will ' not 1..- less than three feet above the highest ' water of the past winter, DOT less than twelve , feet wide on top. '. Second — To enlarge the old railroad em- ! bankment running out northeasterly from Freeport, so that when completed it will not : 1.. less than two feet above the highest back- ' water known at that point. Third To riprap the north levee with rock ' wherever, in the judgment of the Engineer, : it may he in danger from currents or wind. ' Fourth — To widen an.l deepen the drainage ' canal from V street to Snodgrass slough, in- ] eluding the necessary road and farm crossings; also, a suitable barbed wire fence on ' both sides thereof. ' SECOND SYSTEM. | Fifth — To fill in V street from the levee on : the Sacramento river to Cemetery Hill, and ; Tenth street from said hill to li street, so as to correspond in hight with the river levees, forty fee t wide on top. ; Sixth— fill in Twenty-third street, or ] some street east of that, from the north levee, . to P street, and P street to Poverty ridge, ' Corresponding in hight to the north levee, thirty-six feet on top— slope not less than * four to one on the east side,. with necessary J road crossings, etc. i Seventh — A brick or iron-stone pipe sewer , from Rto V street, on the line of the drain- ; age canal, with necessary cesspools, man- 1 holes, etc. i Eighth To excavate a canal of suitable I capacity to convey the drainage and seepage i of Burns' slough to the eastward of Poverty < hill, and thence to a proper junction with the . drainage canal. : ORDER PASSED. ; It was ordered that the City Attorney be ; and is hereby requested to examine the records of the City Levee Commissioners and the Board of Supervisor--, and to report to , this Board to what extent the right of way j for the levee from Brighton to Freeport, and , of the drainage canal from the city to Snodgrass slough, was or was not vested m said Boards. . The salaries of the men employed at the Sumps on II street were allowed and the ! loara adjourned. TO BE VOTED ON. After the above surveys have been completed and estimates made, they will be grouped in different plans, and will then be i submitted to a vote of the people, in accord- : Slice with the law which provides that no plan costing over 820,000 shall be adopted . * without a vote of the people. The people ] ] also vote as to how the payments for said < work shall be made, whether by the issuance < of bonds, certificate of indebtedness or by 1 direct taxation. i The above work will be done this fall, as I soon as a plan has been agreed upon and in- • dor i .1 by the people. l POLICE Court. — In the Police Court yes- i terday John Thies, for disturbing the peace, wan fined 812 50. The case of Michael Hennessy, for battery, was dismissed on payment i of costs. Dennis Haley,' a boy arrested for ' violating a city ordinance by standing in I front of the theater, was discharged with a reprimand. Henry Raymond, charged with having been drunk, forfeited his deposit. The cases of Ah June, Ah Tim and Ah Yot, , accused of rambling, were continued until the „1. William 'Adams, alias Six-toed Pete, was tried for petit larceny in stealing blankets. but the evidence showed clearly that he was innocent, and he was discharged. Railroad Accidekt.— The lightning express train for Virginia City net freight train No. 8 at Pino Thursday night, as is usual, , but the freight had not fairly got upon the side track when the lightning arrived, in con- ' sequence of which three freight ears were 1 struck and considerably damaged, and the ' locomotive drawing the express train was disabled. No one hurt. The track was block- 1 aiedt'or several hours. Sale op Tows LOTS. — There will lie sold , al auction next Monday, at 12 M., at the . salesrooms of Maurice More "v Co., 410 Pine ! street, San Francisco, on liberal credit, a ' number of town lots and small tracts, ranging I from five to twenty acres each, in the town of ' Newark, Alameda county, which is by rail ' about/ one hour's ride from San Francisco. ' There is said to be an abundance of good > water, the land is fertile and the climate un- ' surpassed. Merchandise Report. — The following ; freight for Sacramento passed Ogden April 17th : For Hall. I.uhrs k Co., S packages ' tobacco ; Baker k Hamilton, 8 bundles rakes, ' 18 bundles forks, 15 bundles handles; Adams, McNeill .t ('.... 20 boxes, 3 half barrels and , 20 kits fish ; Capital Gas Company, 6 clay gas retorts, 30 boxes tiles. - \ Settled with the State.— The following j County Treasurers settled with the State 1 yesterday : C. Hubert, of San Francisco, in the sum of $70.00.-) 47 ; R. B. Hathaway, ! Contra * Costa, Sr>,3_ ; C. E. Palmer, Ala- ' meda, $26,299 51. ' The Women's Party.— At Firemen's Hall thus evening at 7:30 o'clock a meeting will be , held to permanently organize the Women's Constitutional Convention Party. Laura De ( force Gordon and others will speak. ( Notary Public— Governor Irwin yester- ] day commissioned Eugene H. : Tharp as a i Notary Public for San Francisco, vice him- ] sea, term expired. 1 -

;«" Board * of ; Supervisors. — The ■ Board i of ! Supervisors : met yesterday.*'; Present, a full Board. The minutes 'i of ; the preceding session were ' amended,' relative to the road ; for which , damages were awarded to Wm. Sparrow, so as to strike out as follows :f, "And the said road ordered to be opened and established as a public road, as viewed and laid j out in the report of the viewers aforesaid, running through the lands of Win. Sparrow." The petition of B. W. Wilder and others for road in Districts ; Nos. ? 34, »-'" 35 and 40 was - received and ordered on file, and viewers were ' appointed as follows : George T. Carr, D. R. Cantrell. Thomas McConnell. The bond of B. W. Wilder and others, for the above road case, . was received and approved. The claims of j L. R. Harris, 322 ; A. G. Winn, 834, and j S. Chance, **30, were allowed. : A resolution i was adopted calling an election in Reclamation District No. 205, in pursuance of an Act of the late Legislature creating that district. I The election was fixed for the first Monday | in May. The Clerk was instructed to adver- : tise for proposals to furnish the County Hospital 100 cords of upland white oak wood ; , the same to be dry, body wood, free from limbs. Bids to be left with the County Clerk, and the same to be opened Tuesday, May 7, 1878. The polling places for the election in Reclamation District No. 205, and the Inspectors, were named as follows : Courtland precinct. Winters' Hotel ; Inspector, J. V. Sims : Judges, W. Hazen, J. R. Olsten. The Board then adjourned for the term. . Incorporations.— There were filed yesterday in the office of the Secretary of State articles of incorporation of the Schutzen Land and Building Union, No. 2, of San Francisco; capital, 820,000, in shares of $100 each. . Directors— Alexander Gerdes, John Mengel, Martin Mangels, Fr. Martens, A. Browning, C. Hartmann and John Herat- I mann . . . . Also, articles of incorporation of I the St. George Gold ' Mining Company— to 1 operate in the Red Warrior District, Alturas ! county, Idaho; capital, ''2,000,000, in shares i of $100 each. Directors A. W. Rose, Jr. ; S. Heydenfeldt, Charles E. Scott, George S. Dodge and Warren Hussey. The principal place of business will be in San Francisco ' . Also, articles of incorporation of the Oriental Mining Company, to operate in the Turkey Creek District, Yavapai county, Arizona. Capital, : 82,500.000, in shares of 825 each. Directors— j August. V. Kantz, Thomas Wilheltn, F. A. Whitney, A. D. Sharon, Win. L. Newlands, James Newlands and John V. Pennie. The principal place of business will be in San F rancisco . . . . Also, articles of incorporation of the Bear Butte Consolidated Mining Company, to operate in Dakota Territory. Capital, 810,000,000, in shares of 8100 each. Directors — Alexander Hildebrand, John H. O'Brien, H. H. Barling, H. E. Mcßride and John Van Orden. The principal place of business will be in San Francisco . . .Also, a certificate of increase of capital stock of the People's Ditch Company of King's river to 8100,000. Auction Sales. — D. J. Simmons k Co. will sell at auction at 11 A. M. to-day, on the premises, on account of the departure of the owner from the city, the residence of Judge M. S. Horan, P street, between Sixteenth | and Seventeenth. The lot is 40 by 100 feet, | and has upon it a fine frame dwelling. There \ will also be some of the household furniture J sold at the same time. . . Sherburn k Smith will sell at auction at their salesroom. No. 87 i X street, near the Post-office, at 10:30 A. 11. j of Tuesday next, and also at 7:30 p. M., a large and valuable collection of stuffed birds, preserved by the well known taxidermist, C. ' S. Galbraith, of New York. The collection j includes many of the most beautiful birds of J New England and the Western States, besides a variety of birds of brilliant plumage from the West Indies and' South America.... Bell & Dennery will sell at 10 A. M. of Tues- I day next, at their salesroom, No. 51 Fourth j street, between J and K. a large invoice of j furniture and household goods of all descrip- : tions, including 3 rep parlor sets, 1 walnut ' marble-top set. 3 fine cottage sets, high-top bedsteads, with clipper-edge spring beds ;1 1 eight-stop Esty organ, 1 secretary and book- I case combined, rep lounges, Brussels and ingrain carpets, feather pillows, bolsters, blankets, sheets, cook stove and fixtures, parlor stoves, crockery, glassware, 75 boxes raisins, 5 barrels lamp chimneys, etc. S" Street Improvement. — A meeting of prop-erty-owners on J street, from Eleventh to Fourteenth streets, was held last evening at ■ the Telegraph House, Dr. Jacobs presiding. ! The first question was as to what kind of ! pavement should be adopted, and Trustee , Knox was asked if slag could be had. and he replied that three blocks had chosen slag, and ! only slag enough could be had for a block and a half. If cobble is to be used, it can as well ; be put down next fall; if gravel is to be i used, it ought to be put down early, j to pack. Dr. Jacobs said he thought j a majority preferred cobble, if slag cannot be had. The matter was dis- ; cussed quite fully, it being understood that ] no remonstrance will be presented against the | improvement of the street. A proposition to narrow the roadway from Twelfth to Fourteenth street was considered, it being desired i to set the curbs out to 20 feet, leaving the roadway 40 feet. It was the general personal desire to cobble from Eleventh to Twelfth, but the front feet vote was so evenly divided between cobble and gravel that a few unrep- j resented front feet will decide the matter, j From Twelfth to Fourteenth the majority of j front feet favored narrowing the street and paving with gravel. From Eleventh to j Twelfth it was decided not to narrow the street. Business Changes and Improvements. — i The Mechanics' Store proprietors are now j making arrangements to enlarge their prem- ! ises and establish a jobbing department by ■ using the upper story of their building, j Rothfeld Bros., having refitted their store, . destroyed by fire some time since, have re- I occupied it. Samuel Nathan & Co.. for the ' last 24 years at 131 J, have taken the double i store at 147 and 147]. J street and newly refitted it. Lipman & Co., corner of Fifth and J, are to enlarge and occupy the store formerly occupied by Samuel Nathan it Co. .lames Parsons has just completed improvements at hi- store by putting in an entire new plate glass front. Ackerman k Co., of the Dollar Store, are preparing to enlarge for their increasing trade. They will occupy the store now being built on Seventh street in connection with the present one. i Staten Island Assessment.— At a meeting yesterday of the State Board of Equalization the following order was. made: "An order having been heretofore made — April 10, 1878 — directing the Assessor of Pan Joaquin county to assess Staten Island, said order having been made under a misapprehension, the Board assuming that the Act of the Legislature changing the boundaries of the counties of Sacramento and San Joaquin took effect from its passage, to-wit : April 1, 1878. Upon an examination of said Act it appears that it dees not take effect until the Ist day of June. Therefore the order heretofore made on said 10th day of April is hereby revoked : and it is further ordered that said Staten Island, if assessed before the Ist day of June, 1878, shall be assessed by the Assessor of Sacramento county." -v. - Personal. General E. J. Lewis came down to the city from Red Bluff yesterday. A. K. Grim, for many . years a resident of Sacramento, but latterly living in San Francisco, passed , through the city yesterday, going to Marysville. Rev. Mr. Rice of this city left for Marysville yesterday, to attend the sessions of the Sacramento Presbytery, which commenced last evening. Fred. Werner, an old Sacramentan. but now in business at Sutter Creek, is paying the city a visit. M. V. B. Gardiner, General Agent of the lowa railroad lines for this State, returned to San Francisco yesterday after a week's visit to this city. J. D. Foster, General Passenger Agent of the Michigan Central Railroad, accompanied him. .;-.v v Freight Movements. — The • following through freight was forwarded to the East yesterday : One car load of wine, lof tobacco, 3of merchandise and 7of wool. The following full car loads of local freight were received here : One of agricultural implements, 1 of wool, 1 of merchandise, lof vegetables, 2 of coal, 6 of wood, 1 of , oil, 1 of hides, 9 of lumber, 8 of rails, 1 of cattle, 1 of potatoes, 1 of hay. 1 of wine and fruit, 1 of sewer pipe, 12 of cobbles and 2 of granite blocks. Glass Ball Shooting at East Park.— There will be three prizes to be shot for Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock. First prize, fine double-barreled shot-gun, Damascus barrels ; second prize, silver-mounted shot-pouch and powder-flask ; third prize, handsome jointed fishing pole. I Hereafter all shooting will take place at East Park instead of Agricultural Park,

X School"? Notes. — County J Superintendent Landes furnishes us the ' following notes con- '■ cerning schools which he lately visited : ' ' The ; school in Brighton j District, taught sby Miss Orpha Butler, has 30 pupils { on the roll, with an average attendance of 29. Miss : Butler closes a six months* term this week, and takes charge of ,', the ■ school in - Katesville : District the following Monday. She has taught this school successfully ( for; several years in succession and leaves with the good graces of all the pupils and parents. W. R. Grinishaw,' a pioneer teacher, continues in : charge of the school in Wilson District. - The attendance is much better than that of last year, and the advancement made by the pupils is creditable alike to pupils and teacher. ' Enrolled, 29 ; average attendance, - 20 . . . . The . school in Carson Creek District has done well notwithstanding the fact that j there had | been three changes of teachers in the past year. - A review showed the pupils to be well up in thenstudies. :-' The -■ following i were promoted to higher grades : Alida Spring , and Charles Miilgate. Number . of pupils ■on roll, 20; average attendance,"' 14. Mrs. Spring has bad charge but a short time. The house has suffered considerably from the wind storms and is sadly in , need of repairs. . The average attendance at the school in White Rock District is much improved this year, notwithstanding the unusual severity of the winter. Miss DeWolf, the teacher, lias succeeded admirably with the school, the pupils being «.-!: iiehaved ami have made substantial progress. A year ago it was thought advisable to abolish Viola District, annexing part of it to Folsom and the rest to White Rock, but as matters now stand it is not probable that such change will be made this year, if at a 1 1.. .. Miss Kate Wilbur has had charge of the school in Stone House District for . six months, and is doing well by it. The pupils recite promptly and accurately. Last year some trouble occurred in the discipline of the large boys, but owing to the prompt and judicious acts of the Trustees it was soon dissipated, and the discipline has since been good. There are 20 pupils enrolled, with an average attendance of 19... ".The school' at Michigan Bar continues to thrive under the careful management of J. N. Johnson, who has sustained the reputation he established for himself and the school last year. There is no school in the county conducted more systematically or taught more thoroughly , than this is. While the duties of the school room | are performed with a regularity and promptness akin to clock work, yet there is none of that mechanism that becomes monotonous and irksome. Number enrolled, 53 ; average attendance, 30. Sickness has materially interrupted the attendance during the winter. Diphtheria was quite prevalent for a time, and'now many of . those in attendance are afflicted with colds, the teacher also being similarly afflicted... .The school in Buckeye ' District wa fortunate in securing the services of P. D. Smith, who teaches many things useful in everyday life not prescribed and yet not prohibited. He uses no In oks or apparatus outside the prescribed list, and as the attendance is small, he finds ample time to do thoroughly all that he undertakes. Object teaching is his forte, and he leads his pupils from the known to the unknown in a manner that renders the pursuit of knowledge easy and pleasant, even to the most obtuse minds. The primary pupils would put to blti.sh many of those studying in the intermediate grades. Enrolled, 25 ; average attendance, 16 The school in Katesville, taught by Miss Mattie Barkley, has 8 pupils enrolled, with an average attendance of 5. It is claimed that if the school house was located a mile further southeast the attendance would be three or four times as great. If so, it should be moved as soon as possible, for school houses should be located in the center of population rather than the center of the territory embraced by the district boundary lines. Miss Barkley resigns this school to Miss Butler, and takes charge of the school in Prairie District, where she has previously taught." The Personal Propertt Tax.— is considerable complaint relative to the collection of the personal property tax, which is this year being done at the time the assessment is made. It is complained by merchants and others that it is burdensome just now, coming at the same time that city taxes, licenses, etc., are to be paid, and also at the dullest period of the year. Some of those complaining believe that it is an improper way to levy a tax, as, they say, there is no Board of Equalization to pass upon it, and reduce or increase as the case may be ; not knowing what the tax rate will be for the year, the Assessor has to go according to the previous year's basis, and in the fall, if the amount charged is not enough, the Assessor must go around again, while, if he has collected too much, the property-owner has little chance of recovering it. Nearly all who find fault with the manner of collecting the tax lay the blame of the whole matter upon Assessor Lansing, assuming that he had a bill passed by the Legislature authorizing him to collect the tax and receive a certain percentage for his trouble. Now, the facts of the case, .is we are informed concerning them, show that Mr. Lansing is not to blame in any particular, and is only carrying out the law. Nearly all the taxes that became delinquent heretofore were on personal property, and, as it has been impossible to collect by suit after the tax became delinquent, the State has every year lost fully $200,000 of this description of tax, and real estate owners have hail to make up the deficit. The State Board of Equalization last year threatened to institute proceedings against County Assessors, Mr. Lansing included, because they did not collect the personal property tax when it was assessed, but the Assessors declared that, with the amount of help they weie allowed in their offices, they would he unable to do so. At the last session of the Legislature, at the instance of the State Board of Equalization, an Act was passed (which Mr. Lansing says he knew nothing about until it had gone through one house) providing for the compensation of Assessors for collecting the tax, and this Act, which amends chapter 8 of the Political Code, I compels the Assessor to collect immediately i on all personal property when, in his opinion, : the taxes are not a lien upon real property sufficient to secure their payment. The law says : "The Assessor and Collector are governed, as to the amount of taxes to be by him collected on personal property, by the State and county rate of the previous year. When the rate is fixed for the year in which such collection is made, then, if a sum in excess of the rats has been collected, the excess must be repaid to the person from whom the collection was made, or to his assignee. If a sum less than the rate fixed has been collected, the deficiency must be collected as other taxes on personal property are collected." Mr. Lansing states that the Board of Supervisors will have power in the premises as a Board of Equalization the same as though the tax had not been collected, and can order an additional sum to be Collected, or any amount refunded. He thinks that under the law as it now stands the "next list of delinquent taxpayers will be very small compared with those that have preceded it. -■',;. • The Odd Fellows' Picnic— the arrangements have been made for the Odd Fellows' picnic, which takes place at Leet's Grove next Friday, and the Committee of Arrangements announce their programme in another column. : As it is expected that the excursionists will be more numerous than on previous occasions, two trains will be used to convey them, instead of one. > The first will leave the depot at 8 a. it., and the other ten minutes later. The grove is in splendid condition, and a day spent there should surely extend one's lease of life. A variety of sports, for the amusement of young and old, will be conducted, and prizes will be awarded the successful competitors in games. The dancing platform will be unusually large and well shaded, and Church, Jones k Beebe's baud will furnish the music.