The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-17
THE CREDIT FOR THE CONDUIT.

The church organ reviYes the fact
that there was opposition to the con-
duit last year on the part Of The
Tribune and other forces in the Ameri-
can party. OF course there was oppo-
sition to rushing the conduit last year,
and the years history has shown that
that opposition was we'll founded. The
opposition last year to tho conduit was
because the plans were hurried, i'll ad.
vised, and the location of the conduit
was not made to tho advantage OF the
city. When the robbing franchise of
the Utah Light and Railway company
was passed, which compelled the city
to break faith with its taxpayers and
to rcnounce the use Of the water pow
er at the mouth of Parley's canyon
which the high line OF the Big Cotton
wood conduit would provide, there was
no need at all for that high line. The
conduit should then have been brought
down upon level ground where it could
have been built at far less ex-
pense. 1t was a scandalous blunder
to put the conduit up where it is now,
and at tho same time renounce for
fifty years the right to use the water
power to provide which was the only
reason for putting the conduit up 30
high II the city was not to use that
water power for fifty years, the line
of the conduit should have been brought
down accordingly, upon the smooth
ground where the cost OF constructing
it would have been very materially
lessened.
Again, the specifications for the con-
duit being pushed through with undue
haste, in order to enable Mr.. Morris
to make a showing that actual work
was begun upon it so that he could
reap the benefit from that showing in
his municipal campaign, made it certain
that there would be defects in those
specifications. A test of the conduit
soon after the American party came
into power showed that it was leaky;
that it would be useless to turn water
into it at the intake at Big Cotton
wood with any idea Of having any con-
siderable proportion Of that water reach
the outlet at Parley's reservoir. Con-
tinued construction on that basis was
out Of the question. Accordingly it
was found necessary to plaster the con-
duit, and a consideration of the struc-
ture and the line of the conduit showed
that it would also be necessary to cover
it with earth to protect 1t from the
elements and from landslides.
This wrong location Of the conduit,
the faulty specifications which did not
provide for conduit that would be
water tight, and the omission to provide
been developed since the objections
were made to the conduit last year
are perfect justification for those OBJ
jections. 1t cost the city lump sum
of $4,000 to correct one of the faults
of these specifications that were so
hastily huddled together to give Mr..
Morris chance to say that he had be-
gun work on the conduit so as to urge
that in his behalf in his electioneerine
campaign. 1t was a costly blunder for
the city, but blunder which was fore
seen and protested against in general;
it was practically certain that serious
faults would develop in case the work
was pushed without the cautious prep
aration that an enterprise Of such mag
nitude required.
1t is quite impossible that any cred
it can accrue TO the Morris administra-
ton for the building of this conduit
If Mr., Morris had taken the advice of
wisdom and caution, and had corrected
the location Of the conduit, following
the restrictive limitations carried in the
franchise for the robbing Smith mo-
nopoly, if time had been taken so that
the specifications would provide a con-
duit that was water tight; if, in short,
expert advice had been taken and time
enough given for that advice to be prac-
tically applied, there would have been
no objection to the conduit last year,
and there would have been no recrimi.
nation about it this year.
AS it is, the conduit stands, and must
stand, as magnificent memorial to the
practical ability. utility, and benef-
cence of the American administration
now in power. This credit, Mr. Nor
ris could have had if he had been con-
tent to proceed with practical care and
the expert preparation which one would
naturally expect to have applied in do.
ing such public work. He refused the
opportunity, and now others rightly
reap the glory.