The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-13
LAMSON MAY
TAKE A HAND
Expected to Push His Lake Res.
ervoiF Project.
MEETING OF COMMITTEE
CANAL COMPANIES GO AHEAD
WITH WORK.

Just how much of a figure Alan G.
Lsmson will cut in the project to make
d reservoir of Utah lake by increasing
its storage capacity. cannot be esti-
mated yet That Mr. Lamson Will play
an important part in a controversy
which is scheduled to come off soon
: between the municipality and the ca
nal companies on the one side and the
/ originator Of the Jordan Narrows pow
er plant on the other, is not doubted
! by those who are conversant with the
situation.
1t is regarded as significant that just
I as soon as it was announced that the
several canal interests would ask the
federal government for a million dol
lars to improve the water supply, Mr..
| Lamson FASTENED back from New York
/ 10 protect and advance his claims by
right of appropriation to the waters
[ TO be conserved according to his plan
in Utah lake. BY appointment d party
of capitalists met Mr.. LamsOn in this
city few days ago to look into his
project for making the lake a means
of greater utility to the users of its
outflow. These gentlemen were Mar
! shall Bond and John Erickson of Sc
attic. Andrew F. Burleigh and Fl. G.
Bend of Santa Clara. Cal
The federal proclamation of some
years ago to set Utah lake aside as a
reservoir site is regarded as of little
effect Even the city's application to
be considered as an appropriation Of the
lakes surplus waters under local laws
and decisions has been hung up with
out action by the secretary of the in
terror. This appropriation antedates
Mr.. LamsOn's location of the right by
day and both have left nothing IN
done in a small way to protect their
conflicting claims.
Early in the week assurances were
received from Senator Kearns that he
would do all in his power to protect the
city's appropriation, in which all of
the canal companies will be invited to
share by helping to infiuencC the con-
gressiOnal bounty. These assurances
also went to the point of saying that
everything possible would be done in
Washington to defeat any private
claims, which is taken to mean the
Lamson project.
Meeting Of Committee.
Indicative that the canal interests
are alive to the situation, a meeting
Of the committee appointed a couple
OF weeks ago to promote the plan for
congressional appropriation to aid in
the reservoiring project, was held yes
terday at the Office Of Chairman Angus
NJ. Cannon. 1t was voted by Mayor
Thompson, County Commissioner An
dersOn, Chairman Cannon, State En-
gineer DOremus and John Henry
Smith, the members Of the committee
present, that the task Of securing the
necessary data be commenced at once
under the direction Of Engineer Dore-
mus and Attorney Franklin S. Rich
ards. 1t is probable, however. that
Engineer DOremus viii not be able to
spare the time from his other duties to
more than give general direction to
the work
Another meeting Of the committee
VIII be held today to outline a plan of
action in connection with the work and
to ascertain if the data in the city
engineering department applicable to
the needs of the committee and Utah's
delegation in congress can be secured
without expense further than copying.
Our plan is to find out the status
of the Utah lake as a reservoir site"
remarked Engineer Doremus yesterday.
Then we want to avail ourselves of all
existing laws and if we lack anything
to secure the governments aid it is
proposed to frame a bin so as to make
the subject worthy of the governments
attention"
Mr.. Lamson's Scheme.
While the project urged by the for
mer city engineer was TO make it pos
sible to raise the lake level a couple
Of feet and to draw 1t down to a point
twenty inches lower than has ever
been done, the plan of Mr.. Lamson
cOntemplates only the narrowing up of
the lake by cutting off the large east
arm by a dixie and by draining the
sWamDs reclaim for farming thirty
acres of fertile land
In pointing to the merits of his
scheme last evening, Mr. Lamson said
he proposed to save enough water from
the lake that is annually lost in evap-
Grafton TO more than double the normal
flow of Jordan river. He expects to
succeed the power plant company in
the ownership Of the enterprise which
has been unfortunate because of lack
Of water in dry seasons. Mr.. Lamson
added that he would retire from his
reservOiring project if anyone else
would carry it out.
As to whether congress will come to
the relief of the Salt Lake valley farm
ing interests and to the needs of Salt
Lake City Mr.. Lamson is of the opin-
ion that the scheme will fail, for the
reason that the federal government is
IN no mood to help a community which
should help itself. whereas if the
scheme were to reclaim land, as he
proposes, it could hardly be other than
successful in winning a congressional