Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-08
THR SEVENTH DAY,
And Only Two Witnesses Ire Dis
posed OF.
SOME IMPORTANT TESTIMONY.
Attorney and Witness Have Just 1
Little Tilt.

I
Continuing his evidence yester
day afternoon, after the close Of on
report, Prof. Marcus Jones, c. f.
SAID that the water in the ponds OF
these lands was considerably dense
thanthat Of the lake, and would rur
very close to, SO, which was tn,
point Of saturation for salt. Actua
tests Of this water would. however
show slight variation, due to In,
complex ingredients which mad,
up the solid matter Of the water
When the salt on this land hat
been gathered, the grounI under
meath remained one vast pond O
md, aad it was very difficult I,
walk around. Men workinr
there were generally required I,
wear gum bo1ts. When witnes.
made an examization Of the dis
puted lands in August aud Septem
Der last, it was at the request Of Mr.
/. J. Almy, whom he understood I,
be member Of the firm of Jeremy
K Co. Nothing, however, was salt
To witness as to in whose interes
the land was to be examined.
The cross-examinaiion of PROBES
sor Jones was then resumed by Mr.
Thompson, one Of whose question.
ELECTED from the witness an answer
TO the effect that the Great Salt Lake
was now on the downward move
ment Of its thirty years
oscillation, and had not YET
reached its lowest, being about twu
and b iif feet below at the present
time. His conviction was that the
lake would attain its lowest level
before It began its next grand no
ward movement, or grand oscilla.
TORS" The chances We're two u uu,
that next year aud the year after
the lake would rise to height which
hedid not feel justified in predicting.
for it had, within history, risen at
least four feet in one year. Not
withstandiug all these chances
in favor Of the lakes rising, he fell
very unuertIin as TO whether il
would rise or fall next year; that he
felt sure that the lake must 20 to it,
lowest level within the next few
years before it began to rise to the
extreme height Of the year 1858.
the lowest known stage OF water in
the Great Salt Lake was about the
year 1851, and it was lower now than
mad been the case for twenty-five
/ years. This was determined by
! HT. q. X. Gilbert of the United
! st ites Geological Survey from care
! tai data collected 10y him, and also
c0-rOboTated by witness own inves
I LEGATIONS, from information gather
Z Ell from residents of this city,
aud s,Ockmen who were accus omed
90 drive stock across to Antelope
isldni in that year. Prof. Gilbert's
| investigations and his own indicat-
ed to witness complete sItisEIc
ton that the diverting of
the waters in the streams OF the
I great basin, ami their Use in irrigat.
ing the lands within the great
basin. had no aDpreciable effect on
the oscillations Of the Great Salt
| Lake. IL the waters Of the Bear
| River were taken out aud made to
I dow in such q direction as would
! carry them outside OF the water sheI
Of the Great salt Lake, they would
/ Immediately affect the oscillations
/ Of the lake; but since the lake was
I at the bottom of the watershed OF
its own basin, the removing of its
water upon any part Of thar basin
/ you'd not eventually alice.
the oscillations OF the lake.
It was a perfectly evident
] fact til Il 10 water taken from one
part OF the salt Lakes basin and put
upon another could ever escape get
ting into the Great Salt Lake tx
cept by evaporation, and the effect
Of evap )ratiOn upon the Temporal
ture be had alreaiy shown. Divert
ing the water from the streams
which ilOwel into 6 river did not
/ permanently affect the flow OF
water in such river, 20 long as the
! water taken from those streams was
l Kept wihin its watershed, but il
might affect the temporary fiJw OF
the river until the waters, by seep-
age, again reached it.
In reply u further interrogatioDs,
4 the witness said that At the present
stage of the water of the Great Salt
Lake. drains could be dug which
would take of the waters now
standing In the ponds on tue land
ia question, tut tuose drains would
never be valuable for such purposes
Of drainage except during the orlei
| period wnen the waters OI the lake
we're below the level OF the bottom
of such ponds.
Mr.. rnompson-You seem to mis-
understand your position and in-
stead Of testifying and giving fair
aus sers u my Questions, you are
arguing the case, as you 90 along,
for Jeremy & Co. Hereafter, Will
ask you, ia AL fairness, during your
| crOss-sxaminztiOD, ~ c0nfine your
self strictly to answers to my ques-
tons
Major Bird-In answer to the re
marks Of Mr.. Thompson, We call
attention to their unfairness. This
witness is an expert, and as such Is
called upon to give his reasons for
his statements and answers.
After some further conversation
on this point, the witness said that
at the beginning of his testimony he
was required 70 testify to the whole
truth. The questions Of the oppos'
ing counsel, however, were framed
in such a way ia this particular ln'
stance that TO reply simply to the
question asked, with no explanation
Whatever, would require him to vic
late that oath.
Mr.. rhsmpson-I will now ash
you If you think that direct reply
% the question which l asked you
! in regard to the construction OfdralI
bitches would require you 10 violate
youroath, If you answered yes with
out the statements which you incor
uo-ated in your answer?
Witness-I do.
To other questions, in cross-ex
animation by MIR. Thompson, wit
ness said lac made careful test o
the character OF the soil, to deter
mine lbs nature SO far as agriculture
was concerned. He then learne'
that it contained high degree o
salt; but he did not make chemica
analysis. He made that test will
the Beaume hydrometer The sol
At the bottom Of the wells containe'
water which, as tested by his by
Jrometer, contained Il per cent
alt. II was a very rainy day whel
the obserN alton was taken, and NOR
or less rain had fallen in the well
therefore his test Of. II was probahl.
snmewha below the normal sqlubl
constituents OF the water. In hi
aninion, the farther down one dui
the less salt there was in tin
soil. He knew nothing abou
the character OF this soil 10 a create
depth than 200 or 800 lee
in this immediate vicinity, ou
il was his opinion, based on hl
studies Of the lake, that alter goini
sone two hundred and ffty feet, o
| ,t,..raah,nta the strata deposited ~