The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-03-31
CANAL QUESTIONS.

eIon OF pubic opinion III IIs oOluLAihs
ON the canal and city bond propo-
sition to be voted upon next Monday.
If anybody could present any reason
able objections TO the proposed loan
aud the irrigating canal, We wanted
to hear them. 1t was also desirable
that the matter be freely ventilated
that the people might vote intelli-
gently and understsndingly. 1t will
be a Few thing for a Utah city to in.
dulge in the practice of borrowing a
large SUM of money, and as the de-
parture from the old policy will be
important, all who are interested
ought to understand just what it il
proposed to do, what will be the results
the benefits and disadvantages. Il
will have been observed that several
OF the many communications on the
subject that have appeared in these
columns have limited st opposition by
the writers to the canal; while others
have confined themselves to pro-
pounding queries, pertinent and
otherwise. Among the latter WAS the
gentleman signing himself "Over the
Way" in Tuesdays HERALD. He
cannot have read closely the address
to the voters recently Issued by the
City Council, or be would have found
therein answers to many of his ques'
tons. Some of his other queries are
seemingly without meaning, being
asked merely for the sake of asking.
However, they can all be answered
in a very few words, and as be has
covered pretty nearly all the points
sought to be touched upon by others
who are evidently afraid of the canal
or of the loan, rather, it may be al
well 10 reply to his conundrums.
First, be understands there are
enough partly-dug canals to take cut
all the water" from Jordan; to which
We will say his understanding is in
error. Bat even were it the case,
the city could not be affected By the
partly dug canals. provided it fist
appropriated a supply Of Jordan
water sufficient for its needs. Passing
over what must sppear to our cores
pondent himself as useless questions,
concerning the "doops" in the old
Church Canal, We will say, in answer
to his query, "Wby get into eaid
canal ?" because it is the cheapest,
the best, and about the only feasible
route for a canal into this city. To
construct and keep in repair canal
on the benches, east of the present
ditch, wonld cost more than Salt
Lake City could afford to pay, even
tor the luxury OF a full supply of
water. Any engineer who is acquain-
ted with the country, has seen its
deep gullies, and understands the
character Of the formation, will con-
firm this. Whether the church is
going to "give" the canal to the city,
who owns the land through which
it runs, whether it will be necessary
to buy the canal of one party and the
land of others, are matters We know
little about, and care less. The City
Council. states that it has adopted the
most feasible route, and that reason
ably close estimates Of the cost of
excavation. fuming, bridging, and the
right of way, place the sum at
about $4,000. Further, the Council
says it is and will continue expanding
the money wisely, and with due re-
gard for economy. The natural, and
in fact only reasonable inference is
that it is cheaper and better to adopt
the old canal than to construct new
one. "Why did the water never run
through the canals already dug? Was
it because they were not correctly
engineered? If so, has the Council
awaited themselves of any better tx Ii
than that employed on the other
canals? If not what guarantee have
the people for the success of the pre-
sent undertaking." asks our cores
pendent. That the Church Canal
was never used was due to no fault
OF the engineer. The engineering
was correct, but several things con-
splred to prevent the use of the canal. |
the chief of which was the lack Of |
water. The surveyor of the Church
Canal. Jesse W. Fox, is the engineer of !
the Jordan and Salt Lake City Canal. |
and this fact ought to be enough to |
aslsfT the community that the enein.
'erlng part Of the work will be cor
ectly performed. Mr.. Fox has sur
eyed about all the irrigsting bitches
d any importance, and all the canals
in the territory, and if there have
been any failures they certainly re.
Iulted from no fault of his. nor
rom any lack of engineering sbiity
IN his part. There is no more ,
careful surveyor in the country than
e, and no man in the profession who
'etter understands the engineering of
annals OF the kind now being con-
tructed. 7
The final question propounded BY
Over the Way" and one upon
hich he lays stress, is this: Would
10 men in the City Council build this ;
NAL with their own money, in the =
az they how contemplate doing :
ith the peoples money, providing =
10 people will guarantee to refund =
g money when they find themselves
pplied with water ?" We cannot
eak io- the City Council, but if We "
uld, We think the answer to the O.
owe would be an emphatic no, -
ca a proposition ought not to be 1
essnted to the Council. AS we'll o
pht the nnnmberz he aslra5 n lis