The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
THE SALT LAKES WONDERS.
VdST Wealth. Nv THE T4TERS OF
TTIH'S DEAD SEA.

the Dead Sea which rolls over Sodom and Co
morrah. Every time | look at this great
American dead sea get to specializing about
its past and it's probable future. which will be
more interesting to the next generation or
two than to the present. The origin Of the
lake Is only matter OF curiosity, but its fu-
turs will be IA question Of dollars and cents to
this country. | have lately teen figuring out
the probable value OF this dead sea to the COM
panv which will exploit it. At first was sur
prised at the magnitude OF its wealth. and
then astonished beyond measure. The fact
Is that Utah Is the richest State in the nion.
and all by reason Of this great American dead
sea Her salt is worth more than all the gold
and diamond miles in the world The esti-
mated value Of the products OF this salt lake is
in round numbers nearly SlO3.JOO.OOO.C 90.
Think Of over ono hundred billion dollars ly-
ing unused and untouched right in the heart
OF our country.
How do figure out such value? 1t s sim
rle enough. According to analyses the
waters OF the lake have an average Of more
than 10 pei cent. of salt aud suphate of soda
that TO- about one-siXth Of every bucketful OF
the water dipped out OF the lake is Of CONNER
cial value. About one eighth Of this is sui
pha.e Of soda and seven -eighths common salt.
Now. to find out the value of the lakes con-
, tents one has only TO figure out roughly the
3 amount Oh Wuttr III II. ] % MAKE tne cllpuIl-
tion easy we will say the lake is 100 miles
long, with width varying between % and 30
miles. or approximately 300 square miles in
surface area or 1921 .6SO.OOO square feet.
The average derth of the lake can be safely
placed at twenty feet. which would make L.
5u5.4}3GOO.OOD cubic feet Of water. Now one
sixth OF this total IS common salt and soda or
! 25O.oO5.GOOOOO cubic feet. A cubic loot OF
sulrhatc OF soda weighs fifty pounds. and Gu
b., foot OF salt eighty pounds. The ordinary
valuation OF sulphate CT soda is one cent a
pound or 500 a ton. and common salt Is worth
half n cent round. or SO a ton. According to
my figures there would he 7S4. OSO 600 tons OF
sulphate of soda in the lake. and $3.50 1884,
] 900 tons OF common salt. Now. at the ruling
prices for these two commodities given above
the total valuation of the lakes products
would amount to SOB. is3 2.6. 900. What state
can produce a better showing than that?
Put it is not only the money value NJ this
great inland sea that ATTRACTS me- The lake 10
mystery which appeals to one. even though
lie lives on its rim for lifetime. There are
four large rivers pouring fresh water con-
tinually into he lake. but the saltness does
not diminish per cent. at any season OF tho
year. not even when the freshets II summer
pour millions al gallons of extra water down
the mountain sides into the lake. There is no
visible outlet. and vet tho lake rises and fans
from year to year only n trihe. There is no
visible source of the great salt beds or mines
that must underlie the lake.some where. The
reason for the satiness OF this sea Is almost as
great a mystery to the scientists Of to-day as
II was to the Indians of "A century ago There
is simply no explaining the matter. In ages
gone 10y the lake was much larger. covering ut
one time a total area larger than thar OF Lake
Huron. In places the sea must then have
been at least Il thousand feet deem. Its great
est derth now is about sixty feet it is saltier
than the Dead Sea Of Palestine. a. though MANY
son thar they cumpare only the percentage Of
solid matter in the water Of the two lakes. The
solids, and the American dead sea only - ner
cent, But; besides common salt and snlphnte
Of : ia, this solid matter includes .magnesa.
and horacic acld When these solids are
taken from the water of the Asiatic sea 1t viii
.'Comunred with the Atlantic Ocean the Salt
Lake OF Utah produces another surprise You
talk of the SAT- sea- that washes your coast from
Main" To Florida aud the cooling hreeZes that
come ont To- salt Lake City we would give you
genutn" Eurrrise Your water contains only.
snt. Your salty hrcsz"s have only t ine Of Of
salt in them. When the wind blows in the
right i'iec'i}n acr"a; the fnll l@nEth Of Salt
crust or coating of salt on the face and clothes
that gives Ehostly aYrearance TO you, In
and take salt baths without going into the
water They simply dTess in tnstr IT,, bathing
dows open at night. when the wind is blowing
off the lake. neope wake up with II decided
our summer resorts on the lake are as at
tractiye as ANY vnu have along the coast.
bs rh '4e IN tue ana to
sensation You dive under. but 1t is impossi-
bic to 20 down far. The water ressts your
, effort, 40 mat YOU soon come 70 the surface,
where you float about like corks We don't
have. suicides from droTning out there They
might hold their heads under water by sheer
force of Will. hut II they Jumned into the wa
body picked them ,up. Eastern PEOPLE who
boast: Of being good swimmers come 70 Salt
selves. i is beiter.than "a circus to see one
go into the lake for the nrst time. II he at
reaches the bottom. but slides SAT-" a,ong in tie
most unearthly fashion, If you dive you come
up with-eyos smartnE from the effect Of. tho
burning Of the ewes will ever cease. and You
imagine that yon, are going blind The, only
fingers a few minutes to wash of the salt and
then ruD tho eyes with tho cleansed fingers.
., will find that all the other hathers are laugh.
, ing heartily at vour predcnment Then il
learn how TO balance yourself. You are more
ant TO stand on your head than on your
the upper G TART Of the boiy IS heavier HI than the
lower. Your skill rs a diver aud swimmer III
other bodies Of water counts for little. You
The lake has receded from the city proper
about twenty miles. and the trains run down
20 its edge all through the summer months
The excursion is as popular as your Ccney
Island trip, and considering the size Of the
CITY the crowds are "rater. One OF the finest
bathing ravllions in the world has been erect
ed on the lake at a cost of half million dol
lars 1t is called salt Air and it is aupropr-
atoly named, for the air around it at times is
80 thick with salt that Vegetables and meats
You eat don't need any saiing, You take
enough salt into the mouth with each gulp Of
air to season your food. OF course everyl ody
who COOS down to the lake takes a bath. be-
. pNpISlipIE il "a
great tonic and inygOratnr. and after swim OF
an hour YOU feel ike a different person. You
cant take cold in such salt water and so chill
drcu are left in half day. There Il also no
danger OF the children's drowning, Tor II they
. walk In over their dcptn they will only float
and splutter around until somebody comes 10
lie rescue,
Naturally. there isn't any fishing there, and
, that's one point you have ahead of us here on
Tho coast. Fish simply can't live in the dead
sea-nOt Il crab, minnow. frog or adpOe. Tho
lake is absolutely devoid Of all life except the
huthers. Now. to some this may seem "a great
, pity that in a beautiful lake nearly 5000
square miles In size there 10 nothing TO DO
. caught with hook and line. Seine or Spcar