The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-07-26
THE DRY BENCHES.
Some More.Suggestions About
Water.
A Trading Scheme Proposed.
Editors Herald:

MOI desiring TO bore either you or
your gentle reader, l will merely
assent to part of your answer to my
last communication; that the city
has no authority to buy farms; the
other part, that they have no money,
is not admirable. If that answer
can stand as q bar against water now
for part of the city, it was IS valid
against raising the money for the
canal. AS for the plans now pro
posed, nothing can or will ever give
sufficient water to the dry bench
except the canyons south Of the city,
unless you will go to tbs Weber
river, which even you, with your,
liberal notions, I don't think are yet
prepared to do, on account of the
cost. By the time we count half q
million inhabitants In Salt Lake
City, it will be time to dream about
that source. Then, the canyons
south of the city being already
claimed, the question narrows itself
down to how can the city lawfully
acquire part Of the claims and
how utilize them. As our farmers
are very conservative, you may
talk charge Of water right to them
till doomsdsy and will still remain
in the sans fix; but if you offer
many a farmer from $500 to $500
more for his 40 acre farm than he
considers it worth, one of every five
OF them will jump at the chancs to
make such bargain. Offer the
same farm again with canal instead
of canyon water for 5000 less than
its former real value, and you will
find plenty of buyers.
Now, il we can't climb the noun.
tain we must try TO work around it.
II the city has no authority to bny
farms, it certainly has authority to
buy WATER and perforce to sell
water, SO let contract be given to
some smart, real estate agent, or
active speculator with a glib tongue,
iCr him 30 receive one quarter of
the water in the canyon (eyen il we
have to enlarge it) and bonus Of
$4,000 or $4,000 to deliver to Salt
Lake City corporation an equal
amount and stesdy supply of water
and at 400 feet higher elevation as
long az grass grows or water runs,
al d have the firm belief that you
will find plenty of men to attempt
it. As for your reservoir. my dear
HERALD, you have got natural
one, the UI&h Lake. The sooner it
ia recognized both .in Salt Lake and
Utah county, the better fer both,
and it is the only one Salt Lake can
afford to look after at present. Our
canyons are too narrow and steep to
make sny very successful reservoir
possible. If you want to study res
eeryolrs, go to Victoria, Australia,
where government has invested
| millions in reservoirs principally for
mining purposes, the last twenty
years. There may be reservoirs in
| the hollows, on Cottonwood's upper
benches, but I am afraid the ground is
both too gravelly and porus,and that
your reservoir plan would be sad
failure, like our artesian well or our
digging for water in a dry hill,
though u ndertaken by good people
with excellent motives. That
doesn't fetch the water if 1t isn't
| there. AS for reservoirs in City
Greek there are three valid objec-
lions first, the cost would be out OF
all proportion to the benefit; second,
the amount City Creek reservoirs
could contain would be too trif1ing
to mention; third, if OF any size in
such steep canyon the danger to
the city in spring freshets would be
| so immense that no property owner
in the Central part of the city would
tolerate such a menace to his pro-
perty and life, and would invoke a
permanent injunction from the
courts to stop any such proceeding,
Now, Mr.. HERALD, hoping you
will investigate these matters and
take counsel Of men who have
handled and operated with large
bodies of water in other counties
besides Utah, and especially that
you will come to the dry benchers'
support with your able pen and
youthful, fiery blood, and by sound
sense try to get US water from where
1t is, and not waste Smoney trying
to make i. where it is not.
| I remain your sincere we'll wishel
and subscriber.