The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-04
VISIT SOURCE OF
WATER SUPPLY
Continued from Paqe 1.


as much, if not more, water than it has
! ever had before. For the past forty
years Big Cottonwood has been used
| for irrigating an area of about $4,000
acres. Incidental to the use for irriga-
ton the water was formerly used for
culinary and other domestic purposes
by all those who lived upon the land,
and 1t is still so used on the upper por-
tons of the area, while on the lower
and larger portion the flowing wells
supply this need.
The city says that when it purchased
these rights from the farmers below
the canal, it purchased the right to the
pure water, although the farmers had
long since discontinued its use for do
mestic purposes, which by the way are
A., superior to irrigation purposes as far
as priority of claims and use are con-
cerned The plaintiffs say that this is
| not true, and that the city only pur-
chased the right to the water for irri-
cation purposes, as the users had aban-
doned their rights so far as culinary
and domestic uses are concerned. This
| is one of the important points in the
dispute, and one upon which a large
amount of evidence will be taken.
More Water Secured.
The city also claims that the Prog
| ress company is now securing more
water than it did before the conduit
was opened, as the amount turned into
the bitches from the canal is far above
the amount previously secured, and
| that all this ultimately finds its way,
either. by seepage or by direct route,
into the power plant canals.
If these contentious of the city are
supported by the weight of the evil
dence the city wins if not the Progress
company wins. That in brief is the
statement of the case.
The trip was begun at the farm of
Henry W. Brown, a little north of
State street. Brown on the stand last
Monday testified that he could throw a
stone from his house to the ditch, and
then declared the distance to be twenty
rods. AS he is IS years of age, his
statement as to his prowess as a stone
thrower caused considerable specula-
ton. and yesterday Brown endeavored
to explain to the judge just how he
happened to make the statement
THE Herald says I threw a stone
twenty rods, but it isn't So" he de-
clared. 81 have measured the distance
and find l was mistaken, and 1 don't
want the judge to think my word is not
good"
The aged stone-thrower was par
doned for his sin of omission and the
party journeyed to the power plant of
the Progress plant, known as the Miller
plant. From this point the network of
canals and bitches up to the city canal
were gone over thoroughly, the weirs
inspected, the flow watched and the
dams and gates examined.
The City Canal.
The city canal runs parallel with the
mountains and diverts water from
Utah lake at a point in the Jordan
NarrowS about fifty-five feet below the
level of the lake. Its length to the
city limits is about twenty-five miles.
1t would seem, however, from a casual
survey that its capacity is somewhat
overtaxed in supplying water in ex-
change for mountain water from Big
Cottonwood creek and also to the
southern portion of the city for irriga-
ton purposes.
Above the canal the principal bitches
are the Hill, Newman, upper and low
er Ellison, Brown and Sanford, Upper
Canal, Farr and Harper, Walker and
Green. These all claim to be damaged
by the taking out of water at the in
take of the conduit at the mouth of
the canyon by virtue of the grants to
the city from the owners of rights west
of the city canal.
The knudsen Rights.
The city has already overcome the
principal difficulty growing out of the
exchange of water rights which threat
ened for a long period TO delay the use
of the creek water by the city. The
Knudsen mill rights were purchased re-
Gently by the city for $4,000. The mill
is situated near the mouth of the can
yon and above the heads of the sew
eral canals from which the city OBJ
tanned it's rights. The water was used
and is used for power purposes and, of
course, there was no waste to speak of,
the water running through the power
plant and then going beyond to the
other users. The city, however, want
ed this water diverted from the con-
duit above instead of the bitches below
the mill. Knudsen objected at first on
the ground that the city would be in
creasing it's rights and would ultimate
ly deprive him of water for power He
finally settled for the sum named. The
Knudsen power plant is situated a
short distance above the old mill and is
part of the system of the Progress
company in which Knudsen and Ca
Hoon own the majority of stock
The party stopped at the Knudsen
mansion to have dinner. Here a feast