The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-01-21

.lc water for 10th. Ever since the
ditch was built there has been very
iittlr water running into the lake.
Except for some hidden aprings which
supply it, no one knows how many or
how large they are, the lax. water is
unchanged. Yet, Will no water was
coming into the lake, thousands Of
gallons were constantly being drawn
of. The grca. sal. rciincries, which
produce l50.0OD ,ons Of salt a year,
draw off -, 900, 0D0 gallons Of watcr in
the same time. And busy old So,
shining iown day after day. summer
and winter, has piled himself with Il
multiplication Of those figures.
Although there has always been u
greater or less amount Of refining done,
it is only within the last few years
that the salt industry has brought
Salt Lake into the open market. The
process nov employed is to pump the
water fourteen feet above lake level
and carry it through fumes three miles
back to the cvaporating ponds. The
ponds cover 1,i00 acres Of ground and
II, 900 gallons Of water pours ovcr
them every minute. 1t is, however,
only during the summer that the work
can be carried on, for sun heat is used
for evaporation. Early in August,
when the ponds are like great fields Of
salt, car trucks are laid ovcr them and
the salt is dug up and carried away
for refining.
The district Of farm land, which is
watcrcd by the streams which former
ly loaned their forces to the great lake,
overs 100000 square miles. 1t
spreads over the western half Of Utah,
the greater part Of Nevada, and part
of Eastern California, Southeastern
Oregon, Southeastern Idaho aud South
western Wyoming. Thi. vast terri
tory has been fed at the expense Of
the lake and in Tie last fifteen years
tho lake surface has fallen ten feet.
AZ an evidence Of Tn. prosperity
the lake bring, them the people Of
Salt Lake City quote the lGO, 600 WISH
tors who visi; them annually. They
point further to the handsome bath
houses which have been built, their
great hotels aud splendid public build
ings. The city treathcs prosperity
and happiness and wealth and the
citizens attribute it all To the proxi-
nifty Of tho lake and the thousands of
people and consequent thousands Of
dollars which it brings to them.
They point with pride to the big
bath house, which is built out into
the lake distance of 4 1000 feet. The
water is.vcry shallow and the great
salt banks which surround it are an
annoyance TO the visitor. TO over
come this IL pier was built out into
the water, with "A railroad running the
length Of it, and IL vcritable city at
the far end. The water nven here ID
but waist deep and series upon series
Of stairs lead into it from the pier.
The central bath house is a low egg
shaped building aud the shower baths
and dressing rooms stretch in long
rows from each end.
y shower Of fresh water is IN abso-
lutcly necessary accompaniment to
the lake bathing. The moment the
bather leaves the water he ia covered
with a crust of salt, which hardens as
it dries until it is like Ii suit Of armor
and almost an heavy and uncomfor-
table. The momcn the bather leaves
the water he runs for comfort TO the
shower. There is no stopping to sun
oneself or 10 gossip with friends.
With the lowering Of the lakes sur
face it is said that the brine has be.
come brin:cr. if possible. than it was
before. Chemists find by analysis
that the water is heavier with salt
than it used to be, and there il a
noticeable difference To the bnther.
Although there is absolutely no dan
ger of drowning in such water, the
life-saver must be on hand, for stran-
gulation is frequent. The ba,her who
gets that water into his nose and then
tries to breathe is in great danger and
there is yearly a series Of fatalities of
this sort. The visitor is warned Of
this by the attendant at the bath
house and people are very careful to
remember it. The sight Of hundreds
Of bathcrs with their heads and necks
poking out of the water like turtles is
funny enough and the onlooker ut the
baths has quite rs much fun as the
bather. People struggle in vain to
keep under water, yet in spite of all
they can do their heels go up, and if