The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-03

| BOreas. Another evidence that the air IS
/ surcharged with moisture is witnessed
m the phenomenal precipitation OF dew;
T This has been ever regarded as an aria
climate. one where the air is almost en-
/ tirely free from moisture. The days are
/ so warm that one can be comfortable IN
/ light underwear. Overails and cotton
shirt. and at midday the sun. even this
early in the season. seems to almost bis
ter as its rays pour down through sup
posedly thin atmosphere But each
morning the ground is as wet as from
gentle shower The "bucking-board near
our tent. if left uncovered during the
night, Will contain about half pint OF
water. A gold pan turned bottom SIDE
up will collect sufficient moisture on the
underside TO tax the absorbent capacity
of a gOod-sized cloth to dry If. While
the days are so gloriously warm the
nights are damp and chill woollen
blanket, a pair of cotton blankets and
heavy homemade quilt is the regula
ton covering at night on one OF the beds
in our camp. and in addition TO that an
eighteen-ounce paulin is not infrequently
added.
During the day light. fleecy clouds are
almost continuously coming in from the
direction Of the Salton sea and passing
over toward Utah's Dixie
n
The memory of the oldest white inhab-
liant along the Muddy valley has been
taxed in vain for a duplication of such
meteorological conditions as have pre-
vailed in southern Nevada during the
past two years. The memories of the old
est Moapa Indians have been sounded
for traditions of such weather. Their an
swer is a negative grunt and the en-
phatic reply. TOO much water"
No one who lives in this region could
be convinced by a saucepan theory that
the remarkable change in climatic con-
ditions is not due to the filling of the
Salton sink with water from the Colo
RADIO river
1t is unnecessary to detail the inestim-
able advantages that will flow from
continuation of present climatic condi-
tons Where blades of grass and sue
culent heritage never grew before" there
is now pasturage in abundance Two
years ago next May I saw ripe, luxuriant
barley growing in the granite soil at
Gold Butte a few miles over the divide
from this place. The increased snowfall
in southeastern Utah means the ADDITION
of tens of thousands of acres of choice
farms along the Sewer valley and in the
northern portion Of Willard county. IL
means the addition of tens of thousands
10 the population of Utah and Nevada
and the production of millions of dollars
annually from soil that heretofore has
been a sun-seorched desert.
And at this point it seems pertinent to
repeat the question recently asked by the
Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, II 1t
will not be better for the government TO
spend those contemplated millions IN re-
imbursing the settlers in the Saiton ba-
sin for their vineyards, orchards ana al
faifa fields. and let the sink fill up. in
stead of spending the money in what
would seem to be a hopeless effort to
force the Colorado river TO pursue its
old-time course 10 the gulf? Besides. it
would seem to be a blessing in disguise
to permit the water to force the inhabl-
tants of that denressiOn-more than 200
feet below sea level-to a higher and
cooler climate.
The amount of silt carried by the water
of the Colorado is almost incredible eS-
cept to those who have been compelled
to settle" and use the thin mud for
domestic purposes During hundreds of
centuries the vast quantity of silt was
discharged into the Gulf of California un-
til the mouth of the Colorado is ehoked
with quicksand. and today presents the
same formidable difficulties that con
fronted the engineers at the mouth OF the
Mississippi. Before proceeding to s>e-
cessfullv dam the new river the mouth
of the Colorado must he cleared and kept
clear by jetties or other means. And i
is an entirely safe prediction that until
the channel into the gulf is deepened.
anv effort to control the irresistibll
flood waters of the Colorado river will
end in costly and total failure
]. F. GIBBS.