Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-10-03
PAVING THE WAY.


flment OF the prophesies, OF which we
hear occasionally in Salt Lake City, is
nothing more than realization of sur
prises long since predicted. The beauty
of these prophetical susprises is that they
are realized whenever u PERSONS mind is
in certain condition and while they are
fully realized in one generation, they
serve for future generations equally as
well. The great benefit that prophesy
confers upon humanity is that il is good
for all time, II sort of eat the cake and
have it too. Prophesies, like patent
medicines, are source of comfort to
many people, and TO deprive them OF an
innocent pleasure would be to do them a
great wrong.
The surprise that awaits the denzens
and taxpayers of Salt Lake City is not the
fulfillment of prophesy uttered in the
times of the megatherium or the tailed
man, but il is one of those heaven born
surprises which have their birth in this
city The fathers of this beautiful sur
prise are our gracious city fathers, and
the child to be accouchedis a brother to the
little girl who was born OF the water OF
the Salt Lake City canal whose ad vent
cost the taxpayers forty thousand dollars,
not that they might have water supplied
them, but that an old and useless canal
might be bought from the Mormon
church. How beautiful it is TO see the
water OF Salt Lake City canal descend
forty-iive feet to meet the waters OF the
church canal How ugly and insignificant
is the meeting OF the waters' of the
lakes of Killarney when compared to the
meeting of the waters OF the Salt Lake
City canal and the old church canal Did
the purchase OF that old and worthless
canal by the guardians of our property
and the conservators of our rights, seem
an outrage and wrong perpetrated upon
the taxpayers to aid the Mormon church :?
If any such there be who so think, their
minds are darkened by prejudice and
they are deprived of the power OF seeing
the true principle of finance which under
lay that scheme. "Let no such man be
trusted"
On last Tuesday night the Mayor ad-
dressed communication to the City
Council on the question of the water
supply which comes from City Creek
canyon. He called the attention of the
Council to report which was made TO
the Council July II, 1888, by the Council
Committee on Waterworks. This report
was made at the time there was some
talk in the city about the establishment
OF marble works up the creek, and the
committe in their report, among other
things, said:
Upon investigation by the committee we
find that the increased demand for water
from the mains has materially reduced the
pressure in the pipes, and we think it neces-
sary that greater force should be obtained,
so that the water can be furnished to the
inhabitants of the city, living on the higher
lands, and that better means might be fur
nished far the extinguishing of fires, etc.
We recommend that the tanks, heretofore
authorized by the Council TO be constructed,
be placed at n point high enough up the
canyon, to give, Mt least, double the force
now in the pipes.
To accomplish this purpose, we recon-
mend that the Mayor be authorized to nego-
tiate for the purchase of the acquired water
right of the parties owning the Old Empire
Mill, situated Immediately above our present
water tanks, before the erection of any new
buildings or works at the old site, and to
take such other steps as may in his judg-
ment, be necessary to preserve, intact, the
rights of the citizens of this city to the un-
disturbed use of the waters of City Creek.
Those were very good recommendations
in the main, and should have been acted
upon at the time, but they were allowed
to rest in peace until now. The Mayor,
in his communication, says:
Upon investigating this matter it has been
ascertained that the sold Empire Mill prop
erty" and the "New Marble Works property
mentioned in the report are distractions in
the way of carrying out the designs of the
Council in making the contemplated i'm
provements in our waterworks syste.l; and
there are other obstacles in the way of the
corporation controlling the waters flowing
from City Creek. The lands occupied by the
creek bed and adjacent thereto, beginning
at point Immediately east of First East
street, opposite what is known as the 'Old
Blacksmith Shop" running thence easterly
and northerly along said creek for distance
of mile or more, are now owned by Mr..
j. O. Kingsbury, of this city Mr.. Kings
bury's claims cover an area of about 220
acres, and include the "Old Saw Mill Water
Power" the "Old Empire Mill Water Power"
the New Marble Works Water Power" and
the large gravel beds formerly used by the
city for street grading purposes.
Inc ground Immediately above and ad-
joining this tract of land is owned by the
corporation, and the creek is practically
controlled by the city from that point to the
north boundary line, distance of about six
miles.
The water powers now established on the
creek are a standing obstruction to the fur
ther development of our water works in the
canyon, and 1t appears TO be necessary that
the corporation should become possessed of
the absolute control of City Creek in the in
terests of the citizens
there recommend to the careful consid-
Grafton of the Council the propriety of ne
gotiating for the whole tract of land owned
by Mr.. Kingsbury, that the corporation may
be secured in the control of City Creek, and
the large. gravel deposits for the use and
benefit of the city.
Il cannot too strongly urge upon you the
necessity of carly action in the matter, as
consider 1t to be of great importance to the
future of our growing city.
That all looks as straight rs die,
doesn't it? Well, it isn't. 1t looks as
though this were the initiation OF the con
templated purchase, but in reality.it is
the close of it, and is done pro forma. In
the first place Mr.. j. G, Kingsbury is not
the owner OF the 220 acres, which include
"the 'Old Saw Mill Water Power the
odd Empire Mill Water Power the
= New Marble Works Water Power and
the large gravel beds formerly worked by
the citV for utraaf s,ra li,,,, &C., !,