The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-16

One of the greatest pieces Of res
ervoir work ever done on the Sewer
river has just been completed and now
two dams have been thrown across the
stream and water will be given to the
entire region between Annabella and
Redmond in the Sewer valley.
Joseph E. Ray, who has been super
intending the work, is in the city COM
pleting some arrangements in connec-
tion with it. We are now ready for
the storage of water he said yester-
day, and next years crops will be
helped by our enterprise. We have
two dams in the Sewer canyon, just
below Marysvale, one about three miles
above the other. The lower dam has
been completed for some time. In that
We have put over 5000 perch OF ma
sorry, imhedded in imported cement.
The dam is 80 feet high. 20 feet thick
at the bottom and 10 feet thick at the
top. 1t win back water SO as to cover
$50 acres Of ground with a depth of Is
feet of water.
The upper dam is three miles above.
That has just been completed. In that
we have put over 5000 perch of ma
sonry imbedded in cement. This dam
is $50 feet long. 80 feet high, 20 feet
wide at the bottom and 10 feet wide at
the top. We have taken a great deal
OF care with it. On it we have left All
open space of 30 feet for an overflow.
This VIII back water over 200 acres of
land 10 an average depth Of 10 feet.
ION the upper dam we have had to
do some heavy work in order to secure
an outlet. The canyon is very rugged
just there and we were compelled to
cut through the solid rock for - dis
lance of $50 feet, leaving ditch L
feet wide. To close this outlet are
fine steel gates on iron frames that
will withstand as severe pressure as
we could reasonably expect from the
Sewer river.
Our property is now very valuable.
In ect, an eastern syndicate has made
a very handsome offer, and all who
have invested could have realized a
profit Of several hundred per cent But
we VIII operate it ourselves. The con-
ditions in the Sewer valley are those
found in many other parts Of the coun-
try. In the winter and spring the Sc
Vier has large stream. Towards the
middle of the summer it dWindles
away. The people SO far have been
able to secure two irrigations on every
crop. but the water generally runs
away and the river bed becomes dry
before their crops have fully matured,
with the result that they generally
lose a part of their crops.
"Our design therefore is to store
water to be used to mature crops in
the latter part of the year. We will
not build new canals, but will sell our
water TO those who have already taken
out canals, using the system at pres
ent in use and only adding to it when
necessary. We can hold water for
400 900 acres of land.
I'VE are also contemplating the
building of a new town. The great
Richfield canal now being built at the
cost of 500, 900 will turn water onto the
old Cedar ridge and the country
around there. which has not yet been
we'll settled. We will trade our water
for an interest in this canal and Will
also trade canal water for the use of
a canyon stream. which can be utilized
for town purposes. We have applied
for a townsite location on the Cedar
ridge, and I expect that we Will have
q successful place within short time
after the arrangements are made.
'Our operations will reach from our
dams clear to Redmond, which is al
most even with Salina across the val
lev. This will be vast strip of coun-
try and I believe that our project will
tend to raise values all through it. !
More than that, we will have splendid |
water power. and when the valley be- /
comes sufficiently settled, we will be |
able to furnish electricity to the cities. |
"Our lower dam threatens to inter |
fere somewhat with the line of railway |
marked out by the Ris Grande West I
ern survey, but we have notified the |
railway people that they will be &C. !
by the lowering Of the |
water four feet"
Mr.. Ray has been the designer and |
of the work, and the |
prospects are very good for Sewer val |
ley. which will probably become
great fruit raising section