The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-04-06
MORE ON THE CANAL.
By Judge SncW.
SALT LAKE CRY, April 5, 1880
Editors Herald:


lished in the HERALD of the ID
said I intended to go to the polls a
vote yes, but this is not because
think the water question Is or b
been exhausted In my judgment
Is not. | added a postscript: Aft
the election Intend to spend pc
ton of my time in trying to solve Il
insolvable puzzles.
This water question truly does coz
tain some puzzles to the uninformeC
myself among the number. Trur
can see, so can Others SET
q natural reservoir of watl
IN Utah Lake, supplied c
filled by no less than nine streams o
water flowing from the mountain
into that lake, with only one Ou,l5
flowing direct 10 Salt Lake County
This is no puzz.e. ne can see It
We have all the light On this paIt o
the subject which Is needed. w,
can see that this is a natural law
and may be depended upon, but how
to store more water there and draw
of the water in time OF need, is
where 1 am puzzled. The uninformed
tell me build a dam, with gates.
That don't puzzle me, yet it does not
relieve nae from my puzzles. l want
to know, as well as engineers, sur
veyors, etc., can tell me, how it
effects the inhabitants of Utah County;
whether they will be Injured or not
by the dam, if it be bull; if injured
how much ? This to me is of pri--
mary importance. 1t is the axis
around which the hub, the spokes
and the telloes revolve. Again
suppose all Is right at this axis, ell
goes we'll there. The water will store
and flow. Then at what point below
must the water be taken cut to come
east, and be separated from the mass
flowing further down the river. Here
again is work for the engineers. 1t
puzzles me. We want, perhaps l
should say, l want that water, if it
comes here, to go as far east and as
far north as it Can consistently with
safe engineering, be made to 90.
Here comes again my other puzzle.
l sea the City Council have said drops
we're to be made. / do not know
the point of elevation where the
water is to be taken from the Jordan,
consequently l do not know how
much fall, if any, is 'ost, but for the
drops. Now, concerning water It is
said continued drops will wear a
stone. DR.. Franklin used to say little
leaks sink great ships. My tuitional
powers, if have any, might approve
Of them, but my intuitional powers
absolutely rebels against them.
Again l do not ike two canals
eide by side. They may be
best but they look to me
like disunion instead Of union.
The selectmeu of the county, by an
act passed last session, were made
ex oficio water commissioners, and
were authorized to see to the distri
button of water. Can it be material
where the task is placed? The same
power that put them into office and
defined their powers put the City
Council into Office and defined their
power. Union is strength. Union is
wanted.
Now, Mr.. Editor, am going to
build an air castle. have built
many. They look we'll on paper. To
do this, l am going to Utah Lake for
my starting point, The City Council
say that Utah Lake covers a surface
of above 1877 square miles, and the
amount of land that can be irrigated
from the River Jordan, on both sides,
will not exceed eighty square miles,
stating further that the water in
Utah Lake, if it can be made avail
able, will irrigate all the arabic land
in Salt lake County. Now l do not
know whether this statement Is made
from data or, like myself, from intu'
itional powers. My intuitional powers
tend ID the same result. If this be
correct, then Utah Lake holds IN
store millions of dollars-mllllons OF
pounds of bread. No wonder | have
water On the brain.
But to the air castle. Eighty square
miles contains 81, 200 acres of land,
which at $40 per acre is $512. GOO
coin dollars, Mr. Editor, which with
labor and skill combined can De made
worth at least $I5 per acre more.
This will make the value Of the real
estate 81, $4,000. Add to this about
one half to represent the per;enal
property of the owners OF the real
estate and it makes 81, 912. 600; again
you divide 81. 200 acres of land into
farms forty acres each and 1t makes
$50 farms, furnishing employment
for many poor man.
I respectfully submit. Mr.. Editor,
that though this air castle is only on
paper it is not an overdraEn picture.
A goodly little item to be drawn on!
of the water. Pharaoh's daughter
drew a little babe out of the water
and to make his name significant
named him Mosha-Moses, which
signifies to draw out OF the water.
This babe has given science, law and
religion to more men than you and l
ever saw.
But suppose the water 10 the lake
could be stored and used when needed,
and suppose further the engineering
department is sufficient for the emer
gency and the csral IS built ali right.
| The wafer so adjusted that Salt Lake
City gets her fair supply, how much
OF that water does she nov need or
will she need if re we're 80, GOO IN
number? DJn't forget, Mr.. Editor,
don't forget. II We bring It east, say
as far Sc the buff, and north IS far as
South Templ- street. and we irrigete
with !. all south AID Uest Of these
points, how much land is there With-
| in these limits. excluding s.iestsl
| inst think. I will call it for ihil
nurro3e two and a halt square miles
eoual to a little more than 1,6Ol
acres; something more than one
thirtiesh part of the lin69his vii
eontsin-only about oneNirtiett
part of the water-one drop IN Thirty
drops, that is al.
To complete my air castle l mus
understanding more than sugges
that if the inlet into the city at to
northeast corner be only taree les
SQUARE. and the water iuai only
the rate of one foot per second, letth
engineers tell us the safe velocity,
will Iour into this city in 100 days, r u
ming night and day, over ~ w. W
Of cubic feet of water. ms W
caysr each sonsrs foot OF 1,6UO acre