The National tribune., 1909-08-26
GREAT SALT LAKE.
One of the Most Interesting Sights Of
the Encampment Excursion.

found anywhere in the world. 1t may
great pocket formed at the base of the
surrounding mountains and has no out
let. This immense depression in the
Rocky Mountain system is known as
the Great Basin OF Fremont's Basin, as
Gen. John c. Fremont was the first to
1t comprises most OF Nevada and por-
tions of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and Cali
fornia, covering a total area of about
100000 square miles, or much larger
than any State in the Union except
Texas. It is five times as large as the
great State of Ohio. In shape it is like
an ancient shield, with the broad end
toward the North and the southern eX-
tremity rounded TO a point.
All of the water falling upon the
mountains for this vast area collects in
Great Salt Lake. These waters carry
down the salts from the disintegrating
rocks, and as the water evaporates from
the intense heat the salts are left in
solution.
Meteorologically this is highly inter-
esting. The Great Basin has been ijk-
ened to bottle, with a small alnouht
of water in the bottom. This will rise
= in vapor, condense on the sides, and
then run back to the bottom. The lofty
mountains on all sides shut off .he
mo:Sture-laden winds from every direc-
tion so that all the water II the Ras;n
is what was originally there when it
was formed. This continually rises in
vapor under the hot sun until il reaches
the mountain tops. where il is con-
densed and then runs back
Around the lake are fresh-water
lakes which empty into it. The princi-
pal of these is Utah Lake, TO the south,
which drains into Great Salt Lake by
the Jordan River. From the north the
main tributary is Bear River. Other
freshwater lakes which empty event
ually into the Great Sal, Lake are Win
nemucca- Carson, Owings, Mono, Pyra-
mid and Sewer.
The lake itself is 75 miles long and
from 80 TO SO miles wide, thus occupy
ing as much area as four or FIVE average
Counties. Its depth is nowhere over 20
feet, and its surface lies about 1880
feet above the level of the sea; that is
1t. is about 1000 feet higher up in the
air than the average hight of the Allie
ghany Mountains.
There Is, from year to year, much
talk of the variation IN the area of the
lake, and for several years il was
thought that it was going dry. The
geoiogists know that it was once much
more extensive than at present. The
statistics, however, now show that il is
either diminishing or increasing from
year to year, according to the amount
of rainfall. In 1850 its area was 1850
square miles, but 1t gradually increased
during the next 19 years to 2,170 square
miles. Then il began to decrease until
1890, when it reached its lowest ebb.
Since that time it has been steadily in
creasing,
The water is the saltiest of any in
the world, having % per cent of sodium
cloride, or common salt in solution. The
analysis of the water in the Dead Sea
varies greatly. The common salt con-
tents is stated all the way from 6.7S per
cent to 10.360 per cent There are
many other salts in the Dead Sea, such
as chloride of magnesium, which makes
up salt content of about the same ra-
ito as that of Great Salt Lake The
water of the ocean contains only 3G3
per cent, so that the brine in Great Salt
Lake is about seven times as strong as
that in the Atlantic Ocean.
Bathing I'm the Lake.
Salt Lake is reached from the city by
80 minutes ride over fairly good
railroad TO Saltafr. The price is rea-
sonable-25 cents for the round trip
Running out from the suburbs of the
city, with their green grass plots around
the houses and the trees along the
streets fiourishing in the abundance of
water from the irrigating canals, one
comes to the fertile fields, also irrigat-
ed, in which sre myriads of truck gar
dens and myriads Of the ever-present
alfalfa Around these stand high walls
of the conical lombardy poplars, plant
ed SO close together that their branches
meet. Beyond come the shores of the
ancient lake, now largely used for salt
production by solar evaporation. Canals
run from Salt Lake into wide excava-
'tions. The brine comes in by gravita-
ton, and as. 1t evaporates it is shoyeled
up into square piles of snowy-white
quite pure salt The salt is singularly
Tree from other salts, containing only a
very small proportion of lime and mag
hesla, and the procuring of salt from
this source Is a rapiGiy-growing indus
try. In all there were 334,4S4 barrels
OF salt produced in 1901 in Utah. valued
at s326,016. Since then there has been
a considerable increase in the output.
Along the shores of the lake the wa
Ter Is very shallow, and the railroad
ENDS on long pier, upon which is a
large pavilion, where one can sit and
look over the dancing waters to the high.
barren, blazing mountains, which rise
up thousands of feet on every side of
the water. In the gorges are seen smeIt-
ing works, but their corroding fumes
hnd no vegetation to destroy upon the
arld mountain sides In the pavilion
are restaurants and fruit stands, but no
liquors are allowed TO be sold Stretch
ing out from the pavilion for what is
apparently half a mile, but is in reality
only several hundred feet Is a long row
of yellow-painted bathing houses. A
bathing suit with a towel is rented for
rs cents and 10 cents more gets KEY
to a bath house. For the information
of those who may go there hereafter il
is mentioned that the numbers corre-
spond 10 the depth of the water. The
first 300 numbers are for rooms where
the water is from two to three feet deep.
it rapidly deepens until the higher num-
bers take one down to a depth of 10
feet.
The water is clear, bright and gIisten-
ing under the swishing of the light
breeze. and up to three and four feet
the white, sandy bottom can be clearly
seen.
The sensation upon entering the wa
ter is very peculiar, much more marked
than sea bathing in the ocean. The
brine Is so intense that IL is impossible
for anyone to sink. and the buoyancy
Immediately makes itself felt. One can
sit down in 1t with his head and shouI-
ders remaining above the surface. The
embarrassing feature is that his feet
Sow a tendency TO rise to the surface.
giving one the feeling of wanting TO
stand on his head. Stretching out on
ones back a large part of the body is
supported above the surface, and were
IT not for the waves swishing about and
taking liberty with the person, one
could lie there as upon 4 hair mattress.
The waves, however fiy about rather