Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-10-05
Water Not Fit to Use Through
Sheep Grazing Near the
Reservoir.
ONE OFFENDER IS FINED $50.
People Also Annoyed With Rules Gov
crning the Cutting and Hauling
OF Timber.

Huntington. Emery Co. Sept SO.--
Hyrum ]. Christensen of Mayheld
Sanpete Co., was tried In the Justices
court at Huntington on the 2Sth Inst
MIR. Christensen was charged with q
nuisance in allowing his 1900 head OF
sheep to bed on the banks of the Fer
ron reservoir the watcrs\of which are,
used in the town q Ferron for culin-
airy and domestic purposes, The de-
fendaut admitted this, but his attorney
Mr.. willard Hansen OF Salt Lake city,
contended that even II he did allow his
sheep to bed there, II would not be-
foul the water that reached Ferron,
after running distance OF 20 miles
from the reservoir; but the jury
thought otherwise an brought in
verdict OF guilty. The justice
fined the defendant $50 and costs
amounting in all to S1l075. This case
was first tried IN Ferron, but the jury
disagreed and II was brought to Hunt
ington. Notice and bond on appeal has
been filed and the case has gone to the
district court,
Peculiar conditions exist here, That
may not be unknown In other places.
n
mountains % or 30 miles back from the
town, and owing to the vegetation and
underbrush having been destroyed by
sheep, and the ground packed hard, The
water rushes down the canyons and
brings down hundreds Of tons Of NTH,
which, as II runs through the towns,
flls up the bitches. IL viii take more
science than we have read of yet to
make the people believe that this stun
does not befoul the water, OF that such
water will purify itself In running six
or seven miles. The settlers of all
Castle valley have to use this water for
domestic purposes, as II is impossible to
get wells.
GOVERNMENT BIDS.
The government has undertaken to
remedy this evil In part, by creating the
Manti forest reserve, and cutting down
the number of sheep and cat
tie that may run on these
mountains; but the sheep men
have arisen in protest, claiming that
their business will be injured and have
appealed to some OF the government
officials who visited the late Irrigation
congress, and the officials have promis-
ed to have the order cutting down the
number of sheep running on the reserve
modified. The mountain range between
Castle valley ana Sanpete valley Is 80
to 40 miles In width Six or seven miles
of this runs down into Sanpete; the
balance runs into Emery county. The
sheep and cattle have nearly all been
driven from the Sanpetc side, and hum
dreds Of thousands Of them Craze ON the
Emery side. 1t seems to us that the
sheep men do not care for the health
or happiness of the 1000 or 5000 people
of Emery county 80 long as they
are not molested; but as soon as the
people here enter protest against using
the filth from all these herds, then the
sheep men rise up In anger for fear
there VIII be something done to protect
the people, and that might compel them
to be little more considerable of the
rights of their neighbors below them
The people here have appealed to some
OF the leading papers of the state to
help them In this matter but II looks
as though their appeals had been thrown
In the waste basket. II is hoped that
the Deseret News viii not treat them
that way. but will print their appeals,
| that the government Will try and
see that justice is done,
CUTTING OF TIMBER.
Tho people here and In Sanpete petit
toned tho government 10 set aside some
small forest reserves on the headwaters
| OF some OF our streams. We were not
| only granted what was asked for but
| tho whole mountain range from town
| ship Is south TO n south, and east to
| oas,, has been set aside. This we
believe would be all right If IL were not
| for the rrohibitive orders In regard to
Fctting timber There has not been a
loot OF lumber cut this season by our
| Gawmills and the range rider of the
| Huntington watershed, w II, Bench OF
| FairvteW, Sanpete county, has forbid
den anyone t. get q load of logs. poles
or oven old GlabH that lave been cut
| for years without special
] permit from him This permit
! must state what kind OF timber tnC
applicant wants, and must describe the
peculiar quarter section Of ground from
which the timber II taken, This is
prohihitive, because it would cost tn,
poor man that wanted n few logs C
build house for his family or u
build a stable corral, or fence his
farm, 81 or $40 per day to hire sur
veyor to tell him where he lives. Afte
this Is done he must notify the rang,
rider and wait until he comes anC
points out the particular pole Or lol
he may cut or count the slabs he IA,
pulled out OF the rubbish pile left by
some saw mill outat,
AT A STANDSTILL.,