Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-10

| 49, VI q NCi liSQt, urf,
sandy nature. He believed the
Sand bar was formed by the storm
action OF the waters OF the Great
salt Lake. Between the lake and
the sand bar the land was fat, and
not marked by any particular fea.
lures. 1t was the shore line Of the
Great Salt Lake. In August water
,veriayed the salt between the eBlg
Dam" and the south inlet. The
ground wnere the salt was being
gathered was wetand muddy. At the
different times he visited the land
salt was being hauled away in
wagons, apparently in the direction
OF salt Like City. On the eleventh
OF August witness went out to ex-
anime these lands for Jeremy & Co,
aud had been out there since at the
firms request. His visits since
August had been with a view of
making himself more thoroughly
acquainted with the facts and pbe-
nomena pertaining TO such lands.
de was present when all tests of the
water from the wells were made,
but beyond testing by taste the
qualities of the different waters he
lid not keep record of such tests:
- far as taste was concerned,
he ''couid taste them yet.n The
wells sunk there varied from three
to six or seven feet. There were
three or four wells, he believed, upon
the land in dispute. As far as wilt
ness recOllected Of the tests made in
his presence, they ran from Il per
cent Of salt 20 20, or more. There
was one artesian well, also, near the
shanty where the salt gatherers
lived; il had a small flow. The
water discharged from this well was
strongly saline to the taste and unfit
for human use.
Major Bini-In your opinion,
would this artesian water be fit for
irrigation, aud in that connection
eau you state whether or not there
is any vegetation growing around
the lands that are dampened or wet
led by alters from this well?
Mr.. Thompson objected TO the
question as incompetent, immaterial
aud irrelevant, and also for the
reason t,iat the proper fou ndation
for the witness to give his opinion
IN that subject had not been laid.
MsjOr Bird insisted upon the fair
ness Of the question, wherein they
had protected themselves by not
making the witness an expert upon
irrigation, allowing him to state the
groxths which this artesian water,
as it flowed over the land, had pro-
duced.
Mr.. Thompson-We further Oh
ject, because the question is leading.
Major Bird-And We deny most
nnsi'ivrly that any portion Of it is
leading.
Witness then answered that as
the flow from the artesian well was
exceedingly small and the soil on
which IL discharged was sandy, il
was difficult to state whether any
vegetation in the neighborhood of
the well received any amount of
moisture from it. 1t was his opin-
ion, however, that no vegetation
other than great lovers Of salt, such |
as salt weed, tumble weed, shad |
scale, stink weed, and such low
class Of vegetation could live IL |
irrigated by such water
Asked as to the value Of any of |
these to the land for forage or
other purposes, witness said the only |
one ever used by animals as food |
was the shad scale, and that was
not usually produced by farmers as
an agricultural crop, and 1t was
very scarce upon the land in ques-
ton. He did not consider these |
lands Of any value whatever for
purposes. The only |
value, so far as he saw, that could |
attach 70 them was for salt gather
ing. He did not think that q single |
head of stock could be kept upon the
lands in dispute-that was, the |
whole, Of the Jeremy lands-with- |
out considerable artificial feed; he
meant by that, hay and grain
brought in from outside points. The
of the dam would not i'm
prove the agricultural property Of
the land now under consideration.
At the present stage Of the water on
the lands it was possible that a large |
quantity out of the main pond would |
recede to the lake if the dams were
DDened now. The oscillation Of the
lake in the spring, though, would
bring the water back TO q higher
level than now existed in the main |
pond.
Major Would the simple
removal Of the dams allow this
large quantity of water TO go back
into the lake? II not, what, in con-
nection with their removal, would
have to be done?
Witness replied that drain bitches
would have to be dug throughout
The main pond and through the bar
AZ the mouth Of the south inlet
Major Bird-Now please explain
what effect these dams have upon
he lind? Il
Witness latter sfr. Thompson had
-aised an objection to the question:
aid the dams were built across |
narrow necks Of land with view
II forming ponds of greater or lesser
in which the salt |
water which came in with the spring |
oscillation of the lake, or its rise and
all. was retained subject to no
otherth than evaporation,
which gradually reduced the
mount OF the volatile elements In
he water until saturation point was
and from which time pre-
.ipitation took place. Tn decrease
M the amount OF water LEFT at the
sdges of those ponds layer Of salt,
1oinV from a quarter Of an inch to
swo and three inches, leaving in the
ENTER a body OF salt Of equal, and
lften greater, thickness than that
wing at the edges, but OVERLAND by
! stratum Of water, snd carrying
arge per cent Of salt, butalso bittern,
which would not crystalline or
nor did It readily
svaporate. The saIt around the
edges, and as far out in the pond as
practicable, was gathered by hand
abor and piled on the high gronnd
the ponds. III the dams
we're removed, the drain ditches
lug, and the bar cut, SO as TO allow
he influx AMI outflow OF the waters
II the Great Salt Lake-to How in or
,ut according to the height OF the
axe. precipitation would very sell
lom take place to the extent that
yoaId make salt gathering on these
ands valuable. The high water
n the spring would de-
Ios;t waters IN sil these
,onds. In high water years, al
yreater depth than possible, the
evaporation Of the year would al
ow Of sufficient precipitation to