The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-04-13
WATER.
Judge Snow Pursues the Subject
Relentlessly.
sALr - CIrY, ApriI 8, 188O.
Editors Herald:

am in my office slain, trying
so.va the uDsOlVsbie water puzzle.
NJ see the keepers of our conscienC
D! have given us encouragement to pr
coed with the water question. 1t Is
good thing for me to have some of q
Z Wiseman family keep my conscieno
as without restraint from others
might get loose from me and 10
wild. They have said the canal fro
jordan to Salt Lake City is laudab
/. object, and that they we're in favor
supporting The action OF the Legi
7 lature and OF the City Council. Ver
] we'll so am !. But | suppose the
meant if the Folly family furnishe
the requisite supply. Well, th
Folly family have voted the supply
, What morel
l refer to this for the reason ths
when this public notice was given til
vote for the supplies had not beel
taken. and for the further rea5on tina
they made it public thereby givinI
the public a right to use it. II, takel
with the vote, shows tia. the Cit,
Council, before this was done ant
before the vote was taken, we're L
some extent tied down. New they
can act with the sanction OF the
Legislature and with the sanction o
, the inhabitants, both in and outsid'
of the city Limits. If their action
benefits all, 30 much the better.
This leads me to the law and the
testimony. AS l proceed l may, in
some cases, state the law and testi-
mony in connection with each other.
To the law. The act authorizing the
vote of the people to raise money has
been acted upon. All right, then.
The act to provide for the right of
way for the canal to supply the IL
hahitants with water does not confne
the action of the Council ID the
county limitF. They may go to Utah
Lake; bat Ia going to that reservoir
they must-I repeat, they must
obey the mandates OF nature. In so
doing they will avail themselves OF
the River Jordan from the lake to the
County of Salt Lake, about nine miles.
When | say they must obey the man
dates OF nature, l intend to be under
stood that natural laws command US
all, whether we be Legislators. city
counoilmen or individuals; until now
| have not seen legislative enact
ment by which the waters in that
lake could be efficiently appropriated
10 the general good OF the in.
habitants of this county, the
inhabitants OF this city being part.
l now, as l think, do see it. L want
it done. l want the right Of way SC
cured ID that point. 1t will then
belong to the municipalities Of the
territorial government, and therefore
not easily disturbed. [ have befJre
said enough about the survey of the
lake to determine whether or not it
would iDjure the inhabitants OF Utah
County to dam up the lake, and if so,
how much. 1t certainly cannot IL
jure them to draw of the water. On
the contrary, it may benefit them.
Some say i. can be damned up with
ont injury, others say it will ipjure
them. I am not mistaken In the
energy and disposition of the Folly
family. They want to do good to
each other without regard TO resi-
dence, and not injury.
Now to the quantity OF water in the
ike. Some cay the lake is thirty
miles long By twelve bread; come say
twenty-fo four miles long by ten broad.
The City Council evidently estimated
it at about fourteen miles long by
ten broad. Taking the estimate of
the Council, 1877 square miles, and
there Is of surface feet 1919, $40, 500;
one foot drop makes that number OF
solid feet of water.
Hereafter l shall treat this number
as $500. 100000, throwing of the
balance. II we estimate the surface
OF the lake at 24x10 miles, i. will in
crease this amount by 100 equare
miles and little more, and if we
estimate it at 30x12 miles iG will make
the surface $50 square miles. In this
event there will be more than TO-
600, 000 600 surface feet of water.
After writing the above, a gentle
man came into my office, who in
formed me that surveyor and en-
gineer gave to the City Council the
estimate contained In their address,
it is therefore My reasonable to sup
pose their estimate is nearer the facts,
but this does not change the matter,
so far as my object is concerned;
my object being TO show that IN no
season Of any year, if the water in
the lake can be drawn of, will there
be a lack of water either for the in
habitsnts of the city or of the county
outside OF the city, and that these
Inhabitants of the city and Of
the county are, and OF necessity
will be mutually benefited thereby.
But union is wanted. Engineering
skill is very desirable. According to
my recollection there was an act
passed nearly twenty-five years ago,
though it is not now before me, en-
couYa2irg, not directly this measure,
but a measure relating to slack water
from the lake to or near the present
dam. This showed the sense Of the
Foresights, and the farsight of the
Folly family at that time; but then,
az now, they did not quite see the
end from the beginning. Ii some
eight or ten years ago some OF the
Foresishts and Farsights saw the
benefits OF securing this water and the
land where the dam is built, and We,
who are ALWAYS little behind the
| times, failed to appreciate it, is that
anv reason why we should now neg
Iect cur opportunities? Had we not
better step forward, not play the graf
game, but grab the water. If toe
dam is right, say so. Let it say tc
the water. thus far shalt thou come
but no farther; what the inhabit
ants nov need of you may pass, bu
the balance must wait till your turE
comes. It is fairly believed by many
that by cleaning out channel at The
lake enough water viii flow at al
times to supply the necessities of TIT
community. think the above figure
show it.
II is said By some that the dam i
some fifty or more feet higher thai
the place where the city canal leave
! the Jordan; if SO, can there be an
good reason why this fifty feet shoult
; be lost? Do We nos need it to conve,
the water east and north at point
!. where the water is designed to go 70
3 distribution?
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