Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-28
WHAT SITUATION is.

Last Friday night the water reached
the top of the old dirt--30 feet above
the river bed-and Is now five feet
above that point; hence II Will be seen
that the alarm was not sounded IN
vain While the teams are engaged in
raising the dam, so men are now also
employed In blasting a temporary spill
through the rocks on the north side Of
the river, but before this spill can be
used, the water must raise II feet
above it's present level and the dam.
In order to make it safe must also be
raised correspondingly. The intention
is finally to make the dam SO feet high,
which will back the water up to the
level of the fields OF Dover l6 miles up
the river at present the reservoir is
about nine miles long and about two
miles wide at it's widest point
The camp Of the workers presents a
most unique appearance perched as 1t
Is on the slope Of the hill Immediately
below the dam on the south side Of
the river. II is a genuine canvass
town with very irregular thorough
fares. There are covered wagons and
tents of nearly all sizes and descrip-
tions, while scores of beds are spread
out upon the ground under the broau
canopy of heaven itself, About 90
"a
are engaged in cooking for the men. of
whom the majority. however, are
patching il. Good cheer prevails In
the camp and there Is no profanity or
drunkenness; all seem to work with
that earnestness and determination
which characterize men who feel the
weight of responsibility; for Il is well
understood that TIE future success of
one-half of the population of Willard
county depends upon the saving of
that reservoir, which is. without doubt
one of the very best and largest in
western America
MANY BISHOPS THERE.
William r, Black of Deseret is gem
eral manager ofShe construction work,
and is ably assisted by Bishop VIM i.
Pratt of Hinckley, and Jacob G. Haw-
ley of Deseret A number of other
Bishops from different wards in Nil
lard county are also on the ground
working with their men and otherwise
giving strength and courage to the
work. Help i'm the shape Of teams and
men have been sent from Sewer and
Sanpete counties, and President VIM.
II. Seegmiller of Richhed. has as
sured those in charge OF the work
that IN case Of an emergency he can
raise 100 more teams in 100 minutes
IN his stake alone.
FUTURE OF MANY TOWNS.
Il may add that on the strength Of
this reservoir depends not only the fut-
ure destiny of bennington. Oasis. Des-
eret, liinckley and Abraham, down the
river, but the new and interesting town
OF Melville, recently surveyed few
miles above Oasis, which in the minds
OF it's projectors already fOreshadows Il
city to be divided into four Bishops
wards It is surrounded by tens Of
thousands Of acres of the best lands
IN the state Of Utah. Nearly all the
lots and farming lands have already
been sold.
THE cause Of the present danger to
the reservoir is due to the fact that
the tunnel-40O feet long-blasted
through the rock some time ago as an
escape for the river, is inadequate this
spring to carry Off the water as fast
as 1t comes down from the melting
SHOWS IN the mountains, though the
tunnel measures 10 feet in width and
Z feet IN height. II Is a most inter-
esting sight to watch the whirlpool
above, where the wat-r many feet be-
low the surface, enters the tunnel, and
then TO see with what force the inn
mense stream shoots out into space he-
low. The tunnel has caused 'an en-
tire new river channel to be made be-
low, the old channel being changed into
a dry dam
should the reservoir have given
way, which indeed would have been the
case last Friday night. II the work now
In progress had not been commenced I'm
time, the greater portion Of Deseret
and parts Of other settlements below
would undoubtedly have been destroyed
and perhaps many lives lost