The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-06
THE WATERS OF SALT A K
WHAT THET CONTAIN WOULD BE
WORTH SIOS, 1885, goo. 900 IN THIS CITY.

From he McHphts Commercial Appeal.
Tho most wonderful feature OF all this won
derful land, the miEhtlest marvel Of all mar
vellous Utah. an ocean of majestic mystery,
clad in beauty divine. is great Salt Lake. tho
American Dead Sea. Among all earth's weird
wonders In water 1t has but one rival or peer
the miracle made sea whose waves OF doom
and oblivion roll over Sodom and Gomorrah.
the Chicagos OF forty centuries ago. Think
OF q lake from $500 TO 5000 square miles in
area, lying 1000 miles inland. at an altitude Of
4,25O feet above tho sea level. whose waters
are ak times as salt rs those Of the ocean and
while Il has no outlet. four large rivers pour
ing their ceaseless floods of fresh water into IL,
without raising It's mysterious surface u frac-
ton OF an inch. or ever diminishing. so far rs
chemical analysis can determine. its indie
scribable saltiness. Where does all the water
go? Where does all the salt. that no streams
can freshcn. come from2 Where are the vast
saline magazines from which II draws its ever
lasting supplies? Ono may stand upon its
shores and ask II thousand such questions. but
no answer comes from its mysterious depths,
amid which death and silence reign supreme.
There Is not a fish or any living thing in all
the $500 or 5000 square miles OF beautiful
water, except the yearly increasing swarms OF
summer bathers. Not a shark or q stingaree
TO scare the timid swimmer or foater: not a
crab or a crawflsh TO nip the toe OF the wader;
not a minnSw or a frog, "a a a1ro,e or a poiiyToe
Long before. human beings invaded this
mysterious and beautiful region or before tho
little band OF Mormons. after their long march
from Illinois and months OF weary travel across
the barren plains and over towering mountain
alley adjoining Salt Lake, this wonderful body
Of water was larger than Lake Huron and
loo feet siS deep. 81 Its sb ancient mann Piashibn nnsS are Ell
are as easily traceable as though they were
written but yesterday.
age width Of from 25 to 80 miles. 1t is from
80 to 80 miles wide IN some places and its
S S5S1sfst about fspth Is & f peP cent S3 t ef solid ID matters matters
mostly salt and soda. with small proportions
OF sulphur. maGnesia, calcium, %br0mide.. po-
Dead Sea water contains % per cent. of solids.
Including less salt and. soda and much more
magnesia, calcium and potassium than Salt
Lake. Atlantic Ocean water holds but 3.5 per
cent. of solid material, OF which salt %consti:
tutes 80 per cent. Hundreds of thousands of
along the shores, Of the lake. and at one place
near Salt Lake City a windy night never fails
to pile up many tons OF soda, eliminated by the
Compared with this vastliqutdt treasure house
Of riches !; IS: The f}oi greatest ste So3 dTiSaI mines ne b OF Utah
lRifstalee ,s e9rSsi 1 Fisar res. L IS s adv viii lin not I'll lie,
before your own mathematical truths,
Say Salt Lake Is 100 miles long and has an
s siSes az area Mta'o Of !. 700 sS square, miles m"t The're 'a ars
22a -. ! 9 100. s y "a 81 fe 60 y 60 z % 1ansre Sc ie the T Isks
cubic feet as the contents 81 the lake. Now.
to the analyses o., eminent chemists. Is salt
and sulphate of soda. p oo- oooooo
cubic feet of salt and sulphate. Of soda. or this
mass .one-eighth is sulphate OF soda and seven
eighths common salt. 5o A cubic foot OF sui SIo
foot Of common salt 50 pounds: so we have as
thf cG d %sslli II p q,Ess # 81 saiS SS5PD D55 paSa5 fsse or
79f.O80.00O tons Of sulphate Of soda, and IT.
$50. 1889. 200 00 pounds. or $3.50. 10000 tons
of %os sRlt' he A " %dsGoS ten aat tons o9 soda to a a GSTi 8as.;o th't
$50 cars OF salt. Taking 30 feet as the total
length OF a freight car and It cc9uplinEs. We
or nearly to the moon and back. and a train OF
salt 1858 40 miles In length. or long enough
to reach l90 times around the earth and leave
an 5000 mile string of cars over On q side
track, Running 20 miles an hour and never
stopping. night or day. it would take the salt
pass a station.
Garry the computation one step more. The
per pound. or $50 per ton. Common salt at
low estimate Is worth y cent per pound. or
c2e si6s.4 ss ,n s ~ great O0o' OF wafer d VSiuo
The irregular. picturesque banks, painted q
Inc with unmistakable evidence the old bed of
erald water giant mountains rise to an eleva-
tion. of 1000 feet. In the summer they are COW
cred with ,verdure and abound in exquisite
scenery. Near the tops many springs send
in silver threads about the mountain, and. Ill
streams which leap |playfully over lodges and
make sweet music as they GO dashing, splash
Ing; S The iake" n6 6efow. o Rich 'G RSa sesnf fio1TIsS
everywhere. while extensive groves OF trees
lend their EXQUISITE beauty to the scene.
snow-capped. and when the suns slantins
rays, spread over their immaculate crests they
with rich Jewels and seem to be crowned mon
archs standing sentinel over the sleeping lake
The lake has receded from the city proper
about twenty miles. One Of the most delight
full features Of a visit to the region Of the great
finest and most imposing payillons in the
world. which Is said to have cost q half "a mil;
s nfe R fS5RFsi as s Salt o Air. e 6%i9G to on the q 9 eHeS Seine
so thickly impregnated with salt that 1t is Wis
ible at times TO the naked eye. it has received
Crowded trains run to and from the lake nj
frequent intervals during the SPINNER months.
float around in the water like corks. In fact.
are committed here Via the drowning
tonic and din invigorsnt Of the body and mind taHnndi
Is said to work miracles on him or her. whose
lcuNOuCleS II W uhli- Sultoo.. y nTbU
bath is always as good Us a circus. the bather
being his or her own amusing trick mule. II
You are in shallow water and endeavor TO sit
you slide out from under yourself with
n speed and grace that suggests hidden aoro-
batle. qualities. II You are floating and at
apt to land on your head az on your fe st.
Very few persons ever dive In this water more
than once. At first It is tempting. but not so
much 50 after you emerge with your eyes flled
with, salt. burning at q rate that threatens total
blindness. while you reach for a portion OF
your bathing suit to wipe and soothe the burn
Ing members, and only add TO your misery by
the salt deposit. It's Q, terrible
predicament-way out In the water blind as a
bat. totally unable. to reach your bathhouse.
not . dry garment anywhere to be had-salt.
nothing but Rlt-with the aggrayating pres
ence OF thousands Of fellow bathers who, IL
seems. could possibly offer a disabled, friend
assistance, some, relief. but who are
as their bathing costumes and An
Rers are Just as salty as your own. and, being
accustomed to such scenes. they merely stand
by and laugh and make provoking suERes-
But the old-timers know a remedy for
this afliction, and 1t isn't q patent one. either. |
1t 10 free and simple knowledge easilv enough
II you but have the Opportunity, boz
fore your knowledge OF your skill as q diver
lmpels you to demonstrate your ability TO fell
lnr, ,tla- a-l a.ta.1 II ~.nI.. 49,. |