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

agreeable and disagreeable. The antici
patton of surprise is exhilirating, and
puts one on the qui giue. Even the full
fllment 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 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 it is good
for all time, sort of eat the cake and
have it too. Prophesies, like patent
medicines, are a 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 denizens
and taxpayers of Salt Lake City is not the
fulfillment of a prophesy uttered in the
times of the megatherium or the tailed
man, but it 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 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-five feet to meet the waters of the
church canal How ugly and insignificant
is the injecting 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 pernetrated upon
the taxpayers to aid the Mormon church?
Ii any such there be who so think, their
minds are darlSened 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 IL, 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
lind 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 |
nshed far the extinguishing of fires, ETC.
We recommend that the tanks, heretofore |
authorized by the Council to be constructed, |
be placed at a point high enough up the |
canyon, to give, at least, double the force |
now in the pipes.
Tog accomplish this purpose, we recon-
mend that the Mayor be authorized to nepo- |
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 ''Old Empire Mill prop
erty" and the "New Marble Works property''
mentioned in the report are Instructions in
the way OF carrying out the designs of the
Council IN making the contemplated i'm
proVements IN our waterworls system; and
there are other obstacles in the way of the
corporation controlling the waters flowing
from City Creek. The lands occupied bv the
creek bed and adjacent thereto beginning
Mt point Immediately east of First East
street, opposite what is known as the HOld
Shop running thence easterly
and northerly along said creek for a distance
d a a mile ni or more, are now owned by Mr..
J. q: hlngsbury, of this city. Mr.. Kings
oury's claims cover an area of about 800
lcres, and include the ''Old Saw Mill Water
Power, the "Old Empire Mill Water Power"
he New Marble Works Water Power" and [
he large gravel beds formerly used by the
city for street grading purposes.
Inc ground immediately above and ad- I
Dining this tract of land is owned bv the
corporation, and the creek is practically +,
controlled by the city from that point to the I
north boundary line, distance of about six I
miles. =
Ihe water powers now established on the l
reek are a standing obstruction to the fur /
her development of our water works in The
anyon, and it appears to be necessary that p,
he corporation should become possessed of {
he absolute control of City Creek in the in q
erests of the citizens. .
there recommend to the careful consid- i
ration OF the Council the propriety of ne Il
'otlatlng for the whole tract of land owned
y MIR. hingsbury, that the corporation NAV \
e secured IN the control of City Greek. and a
he large gravel deposits for the use and ;.
eneft of the city, II
cannot too strongly urge upon you the S
ecessity of early action in the matter. as | "
onsder it to be of great Importance to the :
1ture of our growing city. d
That all looks as straight as a die, n
oesn't it? Well, it isn't 1t looks as
hough this were the initiation of the con-
emplated purchase, but in reality it is
ne close of it, and is done pro forma. In
he first place MIR. J.C. Kingsbury is not I
he owner of the 220 acres, which include l.
the old Saw Mill Water Power the