Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-24
GREAT SALT LAKE DRYING UP.

Chicago Tribune: Before another CEN
fury nears its end the Great Salt Lake,
the mysterious. tideless inland sea, cradl-
ed four thousand feet above the level OF
oceans, may have disappeared into ar.
For three decades it's shore line steadily
has been contracting. its depth continue
ally growing less, until to-day its ultl-
mate destiny is written SO legibly that
none deny the approach. The declara-
ton that the waters are being waited
into the atmosphere is no figure OF
speech. Evaporation is the foe which
in certain course of time. under preNall
ing conditions. is going to transform the
vast expanse of water nto a huge salt
plain.
Ages ago, thousands of years, the geo.
logists say. Great Salt Lake, then a sea
covering the greater part. possibly the
whole. Of the great basin, began to sub
side, but, strangely enough. the agency
which now is Fastening it's disappear
ance is distinctly of human origin. or
more astonishing purport still. the Nor
mons, who mad the valley Of Jordan Wi
den from a narrow strip Of green to miles
IN miles of fields of unexpected fertility,
are themselves the people who have sacri-
+ feed the lake. That they may exist,
that their rich tracts may continue to
bear, they deliberately are cutting off the
source OF fresh water supply of the
mountain sea. S%tagnant and helpless,
the lake is coming to lie at the complete
mercy of a pitiless sun
Not many years ago g~aographers and
descriptive writer's took a fancy to eX-
pressing the belief tina the Great Salt
Lake was fed not alone by the four rivers
which empty into it. but by hidden
springs at its bottom. AS long as no
one took the trouble to question the as
SnrtiODc thnV wnrn 1cppntp1 as factS and
by many persons are still credited. If
there were springs at intervals along the
bed of the lake it would not matter so
much whether the rivers continued to
pour their contents into basin. but no
springs exist. They were called into the
pages of textbooks and into the account
of travellers to explain why the lake is
so exceptionally salt. 1t sounded much
better to say that nature, by one of it's
freaks, had opened up the crust of the
earth at this point and sent volumes
of briny water bubbling forth. some
thing after the style of geysers and sui
phur springs, than to make the simple
statement that the Sadness. as with the
ocean, was due to the process of
ton on a body Of water lacking a drain
age outlet, and that its excess was the
consequence of altitude. Plainly enough
if the inf1owing water be diverted to other
uses before it reaches the lake, there will
come a day when the salt deposit, which
is the result of the long continued war
fare between sun and water, will starA
exposed, it's blanket gone.
The more. perhaps tina
any class of settlers in the arid districts
OF North America, have mastered the
science of irrigation. They have been
studying and experimenting, for over
half a century. In all the time since they
nave labOred with the end of making a
little water do the most possible good.
Unfortunately for the Great Salt Lake
stake OF the Mormon church. as it is de-
nominated-'nust come from the rivers
which feed the lake. They are the Jor-
dan itself, connecting the fresh water of
Utah Lake with the larger body; Weber
river, which has it's source in the foot
hills of the Uintah Mountains and flows
northWard, winding close to Ogden be-
fore 1T elnpties into the lake: Ogden river,
a smaller stream, which parallels the
Weber for the latter half of the journey,
ana the Bear river. which Trains the
Great Bear lake at the north.
The Bear river is subject to Irrigation
demands of the Gentiles as we'll as the
Mormons. since more of it's course is
through Idaho and Utah, but the Weber
and the Jordan are wholly within the
Mormon sphere of agricultural influence.
While the Gentiles divide the city popu-
latlons OF Utah with the Mormons, they
40 NOT compete With them in the farm
ing districts. They own the mines in
the mountains, but these need no water
for irrigation. Hence If is that the Nor
mons have themselves to thank for the
lake recession.
II mas come to pass that at the dryest
seasons of the year the Weber discharges
but a tiny ~streanlet into the lake. The
Jordan and the Bear both drain lakes,
winch i'll turn are fed by mountain
streams, hence their flows are larger
than tnat of the Weber. though insight
hcant IN comparison to what they once
We're ore what they would be again
should irrigation canals and bitches
cease to claim their contents.
1t would seem at first thought that tho
rate or Utah lake would be identical with
that of the Great Salt Lake. The fed
eral government. indeed, was seized over
ten years g with the fear that the less
er nodN soon would be dried I'M. tho,,ph
no concern was expressed for the noss;hio
erect upon the saline reservoir If kent
filing. u hePl
When the Great Salt Lake ,s pone -
WI De missed as a wonder and as a. salt
factory-for little else. It's waters de-.
stfoy vegetation instead of no11rishino
II. should the fresh waters of IYtah
lake. however. be evaporated mr. disan'
pear INTO the earth, thousands of enYar Va
miles would cease to be habitabIe
ETHER DRINKING.