Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-28
hundreds Of Men and Teams
Working Day and Night to
Prevent Break.
EXCITEMENT is WIDESPREAD.
LANES Of Several Hundred Fam
iies Are Threatened With
Destruction.
.,,o,, is the Grayest One That Has
Ever Faced the People of
southern Utah.


rt0 SEWER river bridge reservoir, the
s,.,test project Of the kind in Utah,
,.or6ing to information that was Civ
ont IN the News" today is In immi-
,, danger of being swept away by
,,s aoodwaters. For ~ days past It's
,,se,y has been threatened. Now the
.,naton is extreme and the excitement
!, he people runs high.
s.y Hon. Thomas G. Callister and
lanes A. Melville Of Fillmore who have
hen IN the city for some days; 1.-TWO
hundred and fifty teams and more than
sal men are at work endeayoring to
save il. II is the hope of every person
An southern Utah that they will be sue
se,sful. Meantime the outlook is very
grave ana the excitement is very tense.
:, the weather had remained good We
had counted on placing it beyond dan
cor Of breaking in another seven days
Naturally the storm Is terribly against
MS The homes OF several hundred
families below the dam would be wiped
out Of existence II the reservoir were
TO break.
WHERE RESERVOIR is.
The reservoir Is in Juab county. but
Intended 20 irrigate land in Willard
county. II has a normal capacity of
ss000 acre-feet and has been two years
In course Of construction. 1t is In the
Sewer River canyon. and on the best
natural reservoir site in the state. IL
Is principally reinforced by nature IT.
self and backs up the water Of the river
from eight to nine miles and two miles
wide. This year $1,000 acres Of land
nave been planted below II, and crops
on these lands are expected TO be lrrl-
eated by ID. Next year 10000 acres
more are Intended to be added, making
total o. q 900 acres to be reclaimed.
Tie builders are The Doseret lrrlga-
ton company and the Melville lrrlga-
ton company, capitalized for $4,000
and $4,000 respectively
The citizens OF Millard county are
naturally the greatest heneiicarles of
his gigantic enterprise. Oasis, Hinck-
iey Deseret Fillmore and other towns
have all contributed largely TO II. Resi-
NtUlN OF Nt9itt W dhuiDSAbll, I TAN anu
Juah counties are all sending home
seekers here and soma are also com
lus from The Big Horn country and
canada. The Intention is to have the
work completed by next spring.
CAUSE OF TROUBLE.
The cause Of the present trouble is
found in the fact that the waters OF the
k.tff.p -, igh -,
1isgorge through the tunnel cut for
that purpose, Although the river bed
Is filled to overlooking below the dam,
which is 500 feet long and which will be
from 50 to 60 feet high.
VOLUNTEERS RESPOND.
When it became apparent that the
liam Was threatened, volunteers were
called ior from among the farmers of
MillNd county and the response was
Immediate, untll more than 80 teams
and I'D men are now at work day and
hlght 10 an effort TO save not only the
reservoir. bot hundreds Of homes 'apl
farms which would be destroyed in the
wen break should come.
CGDWD1NG THE RAILROAD.
The water had boon rising for days
m an average Of 30 inches each "a hours
prior 10 the storm, while the nh was
neiAs u1Ge at only three inches I'm adj
ahee of This The water IL also crowd
W. close upon the rails OF the Salt Lake
isou'e Iol many miles, and altog ether
u' situation Is very grave. Meanwhile
,9,Aef tunnel rs being cut through the
'''p TOOK, iu assist in releasing the
,'pIoF increasing impounded wntors.
ul't ta' railroad company has been ap-
p'1t'u To Toy free transportation IN tie
way of supplies
MessT. tallIster and Melville declare
'uIl " is a question OF life and death,
uNo one IN which the whole state must
necessarily be Immensely interested.
TOWN or MELVILLE.
below the dam is the new town OF
MetNille. with 10000 acres Of water
,Esl whose land has nearly ali been
w" NlihAn the last four weeks. II Is
o,a'ea ON the Salt Lake Route. i've
,',S tNst vt Oasis, and is within what
NuoNu as the lithia water belt.
4" gentlemen say that should the
NJ 40 out 300 familios at least vii,
sg,r s9leted homeless, and their prop.
I,G Ve.loyed over an area Of 50 miles
H'' itaciNolf,
As SEEN LAST NIGHT.
AhareN Jenson, who returned this
NV mig from trip to Willard countv
fal VINO on his return Journey LAST
Ky ~ visited the dam. today said
"ofsD w, Terry. who. during Tho
n Year 1r more. has had charge Of
~. LAsrot Agricultural COMPANIES
t. 'ol. dam, situated on the SEWER
.,r la'g miles south OF Juab county
~. word TO Deseret week ago last
lutl 10 the effect that the water in
~ reservoir was raising at the rate
n. nearly foot day, and that unless
,,,, nam was raised and that to,
vttHey, the magnificent reservoir upon
lnn,n ule whole river country below
MIL, s, Tor irrigation water and future
'eN' would be a thing OF the past.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS.
4, no word reached peseret lust
~ nfSt session Of the quarterly con.
N ,Ve Was being held and tho word
M. Warming Was given in no uncertain
ma ~ Presidents Francis NJ. I,ymar.
~ AIonzo a, Hinckley. and every ma,'
s.g could raise team or otherwia'
ss.luef service was. eyc,iera .,on, s,,r
and .ss,tehaance upon the conference
MAS Use 'seu 10 rustic. The response
10 co,,,t sratlfying. everybody seemed
alton s"ena Inc gravity Of the sltu-
,cene "nu determined to rush 10 the
mead. a.ion ~ the greatest possible
AVS esefy available team In