The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-23
LOWEST EVER KNOWN
water In Great Salt Lake Con-
tlnueS to Fall.
DOWN TO ZERO MARK
IRRIGATION AND DRY SEASON
SAID To BE RESPONSIBLE.

II weather Director Murdoch had
discovered Mat Meakin's famous cop
per mine Itself on the shores of the
great Salt Lake he would not have been
more dumfounded that ne Tas yester-
day upon catching sight of the water
gauge at Garfield beach. AS it was.
he narrowly escaped falling into the
arms OF Professor Marcus e. Jones.
who accompanied him, when the stern
realization came over them that the
lake is lower than it has been in fifty
years.
Mr. Murdoch and Professor Jones
made a speciai trip out to Garfield yes
terday to see how things were coming
along with the big body of water He
found 1t awfully dissipated, the gauge
showing the level 20 be zero, Leaving
the pavilion high and dry. This is just
one loot lower than it ever vas at
least since the coming of Brigham
Young, History does not record that
IL was any lower before that
The fall of the lake has been remark
able this season. A year ago the read
ing was two feet On the first day of
l tne ore. present month it was one foot
one inch. On Sept. Is it was six inches
nat, and now on the 2Ist, il is nothing.
NO wonder the weather man gasped.
New Gauge Necessary.
There was but one way to surmount
the difficulty, and that means was
quickly employed. The old gauge the
gauge that has been tried and never
found wanting. the gauge that has been
exposed to az these storms and stood
every test; the gauge that has been
watched b. thousands of eyes since
It's creation in 1850. was discarded. 1t
could not lower itself to catch the water
level, and another one had to be fixed
81 figtsal l.lA
sary, that would suffice. The new one
Is a temporary arrangement. and viii
take the readings during the fall of
another foot After that another hole
IN the sands will have to be dug 20
put IN another lOW-Water gauge
Mr.. Murdoch Gays the fall in the lake
is due to two things. First the water
is being taken from the streams flow
ing into the lake for irrigation purposes,
and, second. there has been no DreciDi-
tatiOn to speak of. If the weather re-
mains as dry as il has been the fake
Will go still lower, ana IN time II
rain holding off long enough, there ~
not De any lake. 1t is expected, how
ever, that there will be enough water
TO battle in for some time yet.
Low Water Heretofore.
According to the chart hanging in the
weather office. the lowest mark ever
reached until the present was on De-
cember Is, 1851, when, as stated above
1t registered one foot The highest
level was thirteen feet five inches in
June, 1868. The water fell to six feet
between that time and 1876, and in
1888 It came down TO five feet two
inches in 1856 the level went up again
to nine feet two inches, and since that
time It has fallen gradually
Mr.. Murdoch has arranged with the
Saltair company to have them take
readings. the zero point on the gauge
at the pavilion being somewhat higher
than the one at Garfield In this way
he will keep accurate account of the
readings. which are in themselves an
interesting study.
Professor Drummond and his eighth
grade pupils came in from Mill Creek
yesterday, and were initiated into the
mysteries of the weather bureau.