The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-10

EFcRE aaosApr century --~-s -
end the Great salt axe. re
mysterious thse9s>s inland sea
crzisexd &ap Sect s5ss@ tne s@vez
Of cceana nay have f5sspp~sxed
into air. For three decades rs snsrs izne
steadily has been contrasting - 5epsn
continually growing less. Until today %
ultimate destiny - written Iex-hly that
none deny the approach. Tire t-essraf1oB
that the waters are beng waited into f.s
atmosphere 10 10 figure " Re~cn. Evspe-
ration - me foe when IN certain course
Of time. unSer prevailing -ondirfo1s -
going TO transform the vsss expsas~ %
water into a huge salt psssrL
Ages ago. thousands - years me seoie-
gisfs ay. tho Great Salt axe. then a go
covering the greater part. possibly ne
whole, Of tho 9rras ba<en. eegou to sunesde.
but strange enough the agency Snien rsw
- fastening fts disappearance - distinctly
Of human origin. OF more sseonsshsng rBr-
port stiil he Normcns. VINO maize ne vsi-
ley Of the Jordan widen from narrow
strip Of green 20 nsies OF nsl~S e fsless I'd
unexcelled fertility. srs themselves the pso-
pie who have sacrificed fhe Iak@ Tsssr
they may exist. that their ricn~trsrts may
continue 20 bear. they deliberately are cut
ting or the source u fresh supply
Of The mountain sea Sssxnsnt and help
less the lake - coming 20 lie az he com-
plete mercy Of pitilsss sun
Not many years ago Seograpn@rs ansI
descriptive writer's took fancy 70 ex-
pressing the belief that the Great salt Iake
was fed not alone BY the four rivers w1tc1
empty into q. but by hidss~n springs NJ 80
bottom. As long no one took the tress-
Bile to question the assertions they were ae-
cepfed 40 facts. and BY many p~rsons are
st.ll credited. n there WERE springs az n
tervals along the bed Of The Isse u would
not matter 50 much whether me rivers
continued 20 pour their contents into IN.
basin. bus no springs exist They were
called into the pages Of text BOOKS md
into the accounts of travellers TO explain
why the lake 10 % exceptionally salt. It
sounded much better to say thar nature.
by one II IT'S freaks. mad opeDsd up tns
crust of the earth &C th-S point and sent
volumes of hrfny water nssbbtng forth.
sonnet hing after the style of seysers ARD
sulphur SPRINGS. than to msas the ssmpis
statement that the sAltnssDs with he
ocean. was due to the process OF evspors-
ton OF body OF waser Isexsnx . drain
age outlet. and that it, exceS vas ahs
consequence Of altitude. Plainly enough.
IL the lndowing vaker Re diverted 20 other
uses before 10 reaches the lake. there vii
come a day when the salt deposit. which =
the result Of the long continued wsFfaxs
between sun and water. viii stand exposed.
Its blanket gone.
Use Wsssv ~ IvvsUoss~n.
The Hornons. more perhaps than any
other class Of settlers IN the arid districts
OF North America. have rnastsrof tne
science Of irrigation. They have been
studying and experimenting for over half
n century. In all the TIM -tucs they en-
tered their promised land they have .ahsr-
81 with the end Of making . little water ID
the most possible good.
Unfortunately for ths Grvat salt fs<e sn~
lessons IN economy In tse B@gc 81 lrrf-
CATION rsvulets have not served TO Keep
pace with the Increase in populations snd
the consequent necessity % the corttn0esi
reclamation Of the land All rns water FOR ,
the irrigation OF the Jordan vs.Iey--the
Great Salt lake sss,sS " 80 Moruren
church. 40 10 n derousfnassf-snsass come
from me rivers which feed the Lake They
are the Jordan river nseif. connecsinU sn~
fresh water rtxn tahs win the Iarser
body; Weber river. wn1rn has IL sonFce
In the foothills Of the u.ntsn MAINTAINS
and flows northwzr1. WIN sinT closs "a 0x-
den before IL esnosie~ inso the Izne- 0R5~n
river. a smaller strewm- whsen parallels I'm
Weber for the latter half " tho Journey.
and the Bear river. vf,icn drains sne e}rs~s
Bear lake at the north.
The Bearrfver - subject to irrfxnx os de-
nands Of the GentileS a. we'll - rh- Mor-
n,ons. since more Of III course - thrc1xn I
Idaho than Utah. but the Weber md he
Jordan wholly within Mormon sphere 1
OF agricultural influences. While ths sen~
tiles divide the city populsfieas of Utah 4
with the Mormons. they do not comp~te /
with them In tlse farmans dlstrsr's They 4
own the mines In the mount airs. but tnese 4
need water for irrigation Hence it -
thai the Mormous have themselves 20
thank foS the lakes recession.
once the rivers have found their .ay 4
Into either Utah or Great Salt lake. "a H
the way thithsr have spread oat into ba- 4
sins. the as~ssitng influence 10 that ~ 4
evaporation. TIE Great Salt lake - 40
feet shove sea level ard It's spassern feed 4
er lake 10 10 feet higher ~ thts slss-
tude the evaporation 10 something enor- Fl
nous even with fresh water. while The ae-
tSon of salt lnereasps the di@Dsgfion a hum
dred fold r. water cosld b. preserved. 4
once IL mas been directed to . reservoir.
Great Salt iah~ might hold ~ sxpanse -
fs7e-tneu - square msie>--for unnorz-
D~r~d years to come
Yes ifs eventual fate would b. znchanx~
ed. for 10 10 decr~ed that the Great 5aIf
lake - not 10 enffssre upon the face % t7e
earth. On the mountains ~sfch ffse from
iss shorss 10 has written the s0ry ~ -
fall % 100 feet. Although II - given 20
no oas to knew the number ~ c@nturi~s
which have wirn~sWd rh~ dwzr1nx pro-
cess. the fact stssis mas been made 80 glain
thai he who gzzes may - ~sitxhteness.
nee~va - sso Oeesss~.
The successive steps of the ds-~ent from
nfzsffness 20 comparative Iovtiness ara
craven on ire ranges % the mountains
wnfen are within sight ~ TIE laxe ~ three
ssdes. The fronts ~ ssms Of tns uYessns-
sins have the sppesrsnre % having aasn
formed By piiinx srunczs@1 yyrsuias ore
on top ~ tho o<h@- The tire~rrr a9c~~
TIE terrace effect has ore ~ 80 n@~t
illustrations along q spur - tae Dsyf4irvtf
rsnse. az tine south Of the sa4e Wen ne
- -
t1ttfnx mountains nay have BEEN a f9ns.
narrow Lszsrd Esf3er mat 81 @la~ saey
we're entirety subm~-xed- n To- latter
event the Surface nss fallen rnD~n fnan
I ae fest. how mach more no STANDARD %
elT- At present they ar~ ffvs5e1 into EtFilsss
-