The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-01-24
WATERS OF SALT LAKE.
THE MlcHTlEsT MARvEL:oF ALL MAR.
Vicious UTAH.


majestic mystery, clad in beauty di-
vine, is great Salt Lake, the Ameri-
can Dead Sea. Among all earths
weird wonders in water it has but one
rival or peer-the miracle made sea
whose waves of DOOM and oblivion
roll over Sodom and Gomorrah. the
Chlcagos of forty centurie, ago. Think
OF a lake from $500 to 5000 SQUARE
miles in area, lying 1000 miles inland,
at an altitude of 1850 feet above the
sea level, whose waters are six times
as salt as those of the ocean: and while
1t has no outlet. four large rivers
pouring their ceaseless floods of fresh
water into it, without raising its mys-
terious surface fraction of an inch.
or ever diminishing, so far as chemi-
cal analysis can determine, its indie
scribable saltiness. Where does all
the water go? Where does all the
salt, that no stream can freshen. come
from? Who're are the vast saline mag
azines from which it draws everlnst-
ing supplies? One may stand upon
its shores and ask Il thousand such
questions, but no answer comes from
its mysterious depths, amid which
death and silence reign supreme.
There is not 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 n shark or n stingaree
to scare the timid swimmer or foater:
not crab or n crawlish to nip the toe
OF the wader; not n minnow or frog,
tadpole or pollywog-nothiug that
lives, moves, crawls or wriggles.
Long before human being invaded
this mysterious and beautiful region
or before the little band OF Mormons.
after their long march from Illinois
and months OF weary travel across the
barren plains and oyer towering
mountain ranges, pitched then tents
IN the picturesque valley adjoining
Salt Lake, this wonderful body of
water was larger than Lake Huron and
1000 feet deep. Its ancient plashings
are still plainly visible on the noun
tain benches and are as easily trace
able as though they were written but
yesterday.
1t is now about 100 miles long, with
an average width of twenty-five 10
thirty miles. 1t is from fifty to sixty
miles in some places aud its greatest
depth is about sixty feet. Its waters
contain about eighteen per cent. of
solid matter, mostly salt and soda,
with small proportions of sulphur,
magnesia, calcium, bromide, potas.
Jun, lithia and boracic acid The
Asiatic Dead Sea water contains TWEEN
ty-three per cent. of solids, including
less salt and soda and much more mag
nesia, calcium and potassium than
Salt Lake. Atlantic Ocean water holds
but 80 per cent. of solid material. of
which salt constitutes 90 per cent.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of salt
are made by natural evaporation along
the shores of the lake, and Mt one
place near Salt Lake City windy
night never fails to pile up many tons
OF soda. eliminated by the movement
of the waves.
Compared with this yastliauid treas
ure house of riches. the greatest bo
nanza mines of Utah or OF The United
States dwindlc to besgars' penuv
boxes. Take cut your pencil and do 2
little figuring. Figures, it is said. will
not lie, and you will soon find your
sell dumbfoundcd before your own
mathematical truths.
Say Salt Lake is 100 miles long and
has an average width of twenty seven
miles; that gives an area of 27OO
square miles. There are 27,S7S. 400
square ieet in mile; so the lake has
an area OF 1921 $50, 600 square feet.
Take twenty feet as its average depth:
then twenty times times Is, 27I. $50. GOO
will gives us /, sos, 433, 500, 600 cubic
ieet rs the contents Of the laLc
Now, 16s per cent, or ouc-sixth Of
this, according TO the analysis of emf
ncnt chemists, is salt and sulphase of
soda.
That is, tho lake contains $50. 9O5.-
600, GOO cubic feet Of salt and sulphole
of soda OF this mass onc.eiqhtb il
sulphato Of soda and seven-eisbths
common salt.
The ordinary valuation of sulphate
oil soda IS ono cent per pound, or $40
per ton. Common salt, at low csEi-
mate, IS worth one-half cent per pound. |
or so per ton, aggregating for the
salt and soda contained in this great
body of water value of 9lo3, 1873. p
296, 600.
The irregular, picturesque banks
painted glistcning snowy white by
heavy deposits Of salt, extend miles .
from the waters edge, marking with
unmnstakable evidence the old bed OF F.
tho present lake. Out OF the motion. /.
less emerald water giant mountains
rise to on elevation Of 5000 feet In /
the summer they arc covered with YER /
dure and abound in exquisite scenery. /
Near the tops many springs send forth /
puro crystal water, which winds its /
way in silver threads about tho noun
tam, and, ultimately meeting other .
water, forms larger streams. which F..
leap ployluny over lodges and make /
nwect music as they go dashing. splash /
ing, singing merriIy down the noun /
into the lake below. Rich .
grasses flourish everywhere. while ex- .
tensiyc groves Of trees lend their cx- .
quisite beauty 60 tho scene.
Tho lake has receded from the CITY
proper about twenty miles. one Of .
tho most delightful featuro Of n visit /
to- the region OF the great Salt Lake is
q bath in tic lake. One Of the finest
and most imposing payilions in the
world. which ia anid 10 b,rc .c.t -