El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-03
GREAT SALT LAKE.
CIogging of the Salt Rocks Causes a
of Naline Strength.

The Great Salt Lake is Jeet lower
today than ever before known in the
history of Z b, and according to COM
petent OBJ ervers it is rapidly caangirg
| is chief Characteristic and turning IT,
to an island sea of fresh water. Eve~y
| fall the lake is several feet lower than
| in the spring, but this year the waters
| have So bsidpd 10 such an extent that
many of the bathing pevilioI and
boat houses are left high and dry up
on the beach. 1t has always been be-
lieved by experts that the lake had an
underground cutie, but no explorer
has yet been fortunate enough to dis
cover any. 1t is supposed, however,
| that outlets exist aud that during the
past six months they have gained no.
ticea biv upon the springs which supply
the lake with its water.
On the northern slope OF the lake 9
shores, and down the western border
are mum berless springs which have al
ways run pure brine into the inland
sea. These springs evidently come
through imme rocks CT salt in the
earth, and by wash ng through Their
Trey make the sp~ing water intensely
hriny by the time it. reaches the sur
face. There have ben signs OF a
change in these springs In recent
years. Several times they have ceased
&c flow rapidly as usual and the wa
They have now become partly choked
up either with rocks Or salt, and they
70 ouger give the same supply of ALT
water as they did years ago. In sew
eral other places-notably on East An
| telooe within l. fee of the brimming
alt asin-there a 9 many fresh water
springs that gush up at all seasons OF
the year aud pour into the lake. These
fresh water springs have become larger
| nd rfr Si
ter springs. became clogged up ard it is
supposed the underground reservoir of
water, diverted from it's usual course,
is now seeking an adequate outlet
through the springs where no salt
rocks exist.
Ea!f this theory is correct, the great
Sal. Lake will gradually turn to f. esh
vat n, and the surface will continue to
| fail until the winter and spring fresh
. Is from the mcur ia rs fill it again.
| This additional water Will AID no
salt to the great sea, but make it fresh.
err han ever. L. has been we'll known
for many years that the great Sal,
Lake is fresher in the early sprnp
than in the summer, aud the phenOme,
noris probably cou sed by the addition;
great quantities of water from the
SHOWS and streams Of the mouutair S
| Those engaged il manufacturing sail
of water to make one gallon of salt in
the ummer and fall, but that in early
sp, ing if often takes seven and eight
gallons to make the same quantity Of
salt.
TIER are three large steams empty
ing in TO the great Salt Lake-tbe
Bear, Weber and j "dan rivers-bu1
they make no appreci. BILE ditre renee in
the saltiness of the lake. except early
in the spring, when they carry the melt
ing SHOWS of the mountains down tC
the lake. So long as the underground
springs of salt continue to pour thei,
brine into the lake it required an i'm
mense volume of water to neutralize
their effect.
The great Salt Lake is seventy nile:
long and fifty miles across in its wild
est part, and it has an area of 2O0(
square miles. Another peculiar chapgt
that has taken place III the lake is the
gradual upheaval of the bottom. Ir
recent years it's greate.t depth has no
exceeded 40 feet, VIII le the average
d pth is only from y to 20. Fifty
years ago the bottom could not b.
sounded in places, and lines 100 fee
long faile to strike bottom. eel
phia Times.