The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-17
BATHING IN SALT LAKE.
The Wonderful Buoyancy of the Water, and
the Dangers To BE Avoided.

| BATHING IN SALT LAKE,
The Wonderful BuOyancy of the Water, and
the Dangers To BE Avoided.
! Salt Lake Letter.
| The bathing is nearly all done at Point
| Garfield A large pier, running about 300
| feet into the lake, is covered with little
bathing houses and there are also some built
! upon the sands. Accommodation for moi
| fewer than 400 bathers at one time Is pro
vided. Steps lead down from the pier to the
water, but woe to the bold and unwary diver
| who ventures to take a header. He will
| think he has struck Il paving-stone and swal-
| lowed a combined sulphur and salt mine;
| for in his establishment at the conclusion he
will be pretty sure to open his mouth. The
density of the water is so great that to dive
into it is simply impossible. The greater
! the force with which one strikes it the
| greater the rebound. There is some danger,
| too, of slipping into the water face down
ward and not being able to turn over, even
where the depth is not greater than two or
! three feet; for the resistance of the water Is
| so powerful that only very strong person
can force a foot through it to the ground.
| During one of my visits | saw a lady just
| about to step into the water miss her footing
and fall face forward. She struggled violent
| ly for several seconds, but her friends, who
were unacquanted with the peculiar prop
| critics of the Salt lake water, did not sup
| pose she was in peril. An alarm was, how
/ ever raised from the pier, and she was lifted
| TO her feet. But for this timely help she
would certainly have been drowned in less
| than two feet of water. 1t seems almost i'm
possible that any liquid can be so intensely
| salt as this The swallowing of a very small
| quantity produces violent vomiting, the
| action of the salt being aggravated by sew
era other alkaliS held in solution. The pro-
portion of salt alone is over 20 per cent
somewhat greater than that of the Dead
| Sea--and, even in the rough way of making
salt common in this region, namely, flood
ing meadows and awaiting the results of
evaporation, a gallon of salt is obtained for
every five gallons OF water.
To those who cannot swim, and who have
been duly warned of the dangers to be avoid
ed, bathing in Salt lake is particularly de-
lightful As one lies upon the water a sense
of ightness seems to pervade the frame
One appears to be half floating half flying
for only a very small portion of the body
will sink into the water, and only the eXer-
else of great muscular strength can keep the
limbs upon the surface of the water. The
exhlaration produced by this novel feeling
of lightness is very remarkable IL seems to
give the limbs absolute rest as they float in
the air upheld by no conscious volition or
expenditure OF physical force. But to the
swimmer the bathing is by no means so en-
ioyable. The resistance OF the water is so
great that to force way through it requires
had gone out about one hundred yards from
| the end of the pier, Obliged to call for boat,
as he was too exhausted to make his way
back. On coming out it is necessary to
sponge the body with fresh water as the salt
forms a complete scale armor. One man of
our party, who forgot to use fresh water on
his mead, speedily had his black hair changed
to a very light gray.
Fastened alongside the pier is an old
steamer, the General Garfield, which used to
take excursion parties upon the lake. About
two years ago fire destroyed her machinery
and since then she has been turned into a
floating restaurant An excellent dinner is
served to the hungry bathers at a very mod
crate price, and during the season trade is
very brisk. For some time capitalists have
talked of erecting summer hotel at Point
Garfield, and at last the site is said to have
been selected.
Salt lake is about one hundred miles long
and its greatest width is fifty miles. The av-
erage depth is forty feet, and soundings
have nowhere reached beyond ninety feet
The bottom is a hard, white sand, with a
very gradually shelving shore, and so far as
is known no form of animal or vegetable life
exists in the water which is wonderfully
clear, the white sand being easily visible
where the depth is over twenty feet. There
are several islands in the lake, and all are
mountainous although some have some
good farming land between the peaks
The two islands nearest to the
city are Church island. so
called from its form, and Kimball Island.
named after prominent light of the Latter
Day Saints. The former is farmed but the
latter is the haunt of sea gulls, which, during
the fall, come here to breed. They make
the Journey from the Pacific coast in about
two days, the distance being fully 500 miles.
They live, while raising their young upon
worms and insects, and do not suffer from
the loss of their usual fish diet. 1t is anus
ing to see them sailing about looking sadly
at the water, which they know by bitter ex-
perience is a cruel disappointment but
never venturing to insert their bills in it.
The young birds, and even some of the older
ones, are quite tame aud come at the call of
the saloon-keeper to be fed. When the old
birds think that their offspring are strong
enough for the long fight they give the sig
nal for a start, and, after circling for mo-
ward, and are seen no more till the next
year. There is a Territorial law against the
destruction of these birds and they seem to
be thoroughly aware of their safety.
In winter the storms upon the lake are
often heavy, but there is no mercantile navi-
cation, and the yachts, of which there are
good many belonging to wealthy Salt Lakers,
are safely housed. Eventually, as the Nor
mons extend their settlements in this region,
which they are very rapidly doing, the lake
will become very valuable means of COM
munication; but since the dismantlement of
the General Garfield there has not been
single steamboat, large or small, upon its
waters.
------------------
HOP BTTTERs has restored TO sobriety and