The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-08-20
(Salt Lake Tribune.)


According to some of the eastern
papers, the Great Salt lake, in twenty
five years, will he nothing but salt
encrusted desert and a memory. Ihls
misunderstanding theory has been pro-
mulgated annually since 1850, despite
all the facts which tell against it ana
the total improbability of such an
/ event
! During a certain year, or series OF
years, the lake has receded such ana
such a distance, Therefore the sensa-
| tional writer's seize pencils and proceed
! to figure out just how many years it
will take for it to disappear entirely.
The fallacy OF such reasoning is APP
| parent when it is remembered that the
! lake has actually increased in size in
the past year. ByIusing the rise as d
! basis of calculation it can be demon
strted that in 400 years, or such d
matter, the Temple spires will be ten
feet under water
The history of the inland sea for the
past fifty-scven years proves that there
is no predetermined rate of growth or
shrinkage, and that the lake is just as
likely to be larger in twenty-five years
as it is to be smaller. Its volume re-
spends very quickly TO the rainfall de-
is a factor which the newspaper scien-
lists omit from their calculations.
Thre is no better authority in Salt
Lake City on the variations of the lake
than Marcus e. Jones. For twenty-five
years he has studied the subject, and
during that period he has collected
great amount of data with which TO
back up his conclusions. He shows
by convincing arguments that a va
ration of one inch above or below the
normal annual rainfall produces a va
ration of one foot in the depth of the
lake. The rainfall necessary to keep
the lake at its present level is thirteen
inches per annum. If this decreases to
twelve inches. the lake will recede: if
1t increases to fourteen inches, the lake
will rise.
Mr. Jones disposes of a number of
fallacies recently promulgated by the
eastern writer's. 1t is asserted:
l. That the agency, responsible for
the disappearance of the Great Salt
lake is distinctly of human origin; that
the settlers have cut off the sources
of fresh water supply for irrigation |!
purposes.
Mr.. Jones says that until ten years
ago the use of water for irrigation |
made absolutely no difference in the !
height of the lake and that the total |
loss traceable to this source has been |
but six feet. Only small percentage !
Of the water used for irrigation is lost |
% the lake. By far the greater portion
;eeps into the ground and percolates to
-he lowest point in the valley, which
S the potion of the lake. During this
Underground progress the process of
evaporation is arrested. The remainder
II the irrigation waters are taken UP
" vegetation or absorbed by evapora-
ion. In the latter case they are con-
lensed on reaching the Wasatch noun
aims TO the east and precipitated in the
orm of rain or snow, only to swell the
treams which flow back to the lake.
The actual loss TO the valley of water
AIKEN up by evaporation, says Mr..
ones, is about 25 per cent, which es-
apes over the rim of the mountains.
this loss is made up by precipita
ion from the Pacific, the lake is not
ffected. l.
2. 1t is asserted that during past
ears the cutting of the timber on the :
elghboring mountains has been UNI
sually heavy, practically destroying
he forest protection of the headwaters
number of streams whose waters
ow into the lake.
Mr.. Jones says that, in the first place
ne timber has not been cut, and in the ]
econd it would not reduce the volume |
the lake if it were. The later the !
alter is retained in the hills the more
used in irrigation and the less rolls
own to the lake in the spring fresh
IS.