Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-01-26

After q careful study Of precipitation
data covering a period Of many months
section Director Murdoch, Of the utah
weather bureau, today gave out the re-
quilts I'm official form A glance at the
detailed information Is most interest
ING. Said Mr.. Murdoch to the News.
81 undertook the work several months
ago On account Of the agitation In the
public mind as to whether or not the
Great Salt Lake was drying up, with
the likelihood Of ultimate disappear
ance altogether / made particular
study Of precipitation data and am
now convinced that the lake viii not
disappear. and that we will soon nave
another period Of heavier precipitation.
one that viii cause a gradual rising Oh
the lake until It viii probably snow a.
hiph "A record as any time Wltnm inc
mast 6fty years We have had hlteeh
wears OF unusually dry weather lheIe
Is no reason TO believe, however lha'
IA win continue for indications are ue-
cldedly 10 the contrary. Another tnihs'
the lake has not fallen, In my oplhioili
no the result Of increased irrgauoh III
the great basin to any marked eA,vnU
The fact is irrigation cuts only sulAh
figure A normal amount OF plecipiVa-
ton win undoubtedly restore tue l"Ne
to a normal height -..a,.d
Mr. Nlurdoch's findings are embodied
I'm a report 10 the government thtuleu
"Relation OF the Water Level OF GIeat
salt Lake 70 Precipitation IL u as
follows;
PRECIPITATION.
On December 81. 1900, the water level
~ Great Salt Lake was inches oe-
inu, me zero of the scale, measured on
he gauge al Garfield Beach rms
gauge was established many years ago
by no n s. Geological society ana us
zero placed at what was believed TO De
ono foot below the lowest known water
Many old settlers claim, however thaI
tbe water was lower 10 ls4s lhah the
point accepted by the officials oil the -,
s geological survey as the loNe2.
known level In lSiS there was org
bar extending from the mainland 70 az 1dao
telope Island In September Oh l'vV
This bar was again exposed ana slHVe
then II has been possible to dri TIN, VI
walk 10 the island dry shOd' lheIe
can be but little doubt that the heau
ing of minus inches IN me loNes.
water level reached since the selllei'ie"'
Of the state.
WILL LAKE DISAPPEAR?
The question naturally arises. What
Is the cause Of this remarkable la'i ~
the lake and will 1t continue TO lah
and finally disappear Wlthm Ae"
years? -. tho
fau il due To the diyerting Of large
quantities OF water from the
streams flowing into the lake tot
irrigation purposes, win
view 10 ascertaining how taf
a shortage In precipitation Is response
ble FOR this decline In the lake lever an
the precipitation data collected III liS
Great Salt Lake basin was taDuIateu
and the averages calculated ana COM
nnred But 1t was seen that OBJECTION
enuld be raised 10 any conclus'tt
drawn from these averages loI the S"s
son that Tie average annual ralhldli Vi
tlp basin rquges from less IMAM NY
inches I'm the dfiest parts To about elsh-
teen inches where the precipitation Is
heaviest and as stations have Deeh ts-
tohlished here and discontinued theie'
II was seen that the data was not tVu' ,
noraUte. Nevertheless the results OF
these calculations ana coIhpai isol lle
| show that the last fifteen years nave
| been the driest ON record
THREE STATION RECORDS,
The precipitation data for salt Lake
/ civ including that for Fort D1us'as'
are complete back O. lsce, WIN lhe eN-
/ ception OF the oata Tor leoo' lne u e.a
| FOR ogden and Corlnne are eoulplese
! back 10 and including ISL lhSse s'a-
| lions lie few miles east OF lhc on IN
| ana the distance from Corlnne on tue
,,"r,b =, SaIt Lake CITY on the south Il
ohnit 55 miles. The data Tor these sla,
tions were tabulated, averages oDtaihru
Sor each wear and the results chaf'eI
The "a ,erdge annual precipitation toi
| tieea tM1e stations from 1919 10 l'VV
, ircipelv, 4 l46j inches. The last ae'
| ,i,,, in i1e water level OF the lake NC
an In tSS7. The average pre-
Sinitation from 1853 TO 1872 m
| .instye Ia l5.32 inches, While the
a,a,ays from lSSG 90 1900, inclusive
'GF,een years). Is only 1881 inches
,'ttNh ,s o. inch below the average loi
Nh vears and l.6j inch be oW Inc
syerare for the preceding twenty -lht e
years The year 1856 has oeeh lhcluI'
Win those following because IL vas
decline In the precipitation lhal 'sN'
which caused the lake 10 IoH tn, lu.
i,,,irg wear. OF course the average
sor tbe entire period gives the best nor
nal and as the comparison OF lh'
averoce Cor the last fifteen years WIZ
This normal shows AN average sho' 'ps'
| of JOS inch for each wear l"r - ~
g',,.t,rr f1r the fifteen years ending
,tr5 is ia 70 inches with a shortage Of
40 inches In rainfall a decided tal