The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-19
OFFICIALS WORKING
TO OFFSET FLOODS
Bridge Spanning Emigration
Creek Washed Out by
High Waters.
MEN ARE PATR0LLING
ALL CITY WATERWAYS
Raleigh and Mathews, HcWeyer,
Believe That Conditions Are
Worse Than for Years.

The bridge at Eleventh South aud
Fourteenth East which spans the wa
ter coming from Emigration canyon
was washed out Sunday morning by the
turbulent stream. flowing through EmI-
grafton creek. Street Supervisor hai-
cigh later in the day drove up Emil
grafton canyon upon an investigating
trip. and after looking over the sltua'
tion came To the conclusion that the
damage was caused by the spring thaw
which looscncd the earth on the noun
tain sides above the canyon and pre-
cipitatcd slide, thus causing the
stream to become damned for a short
period.
Street Supervisor Raleigh, in dis
cusSing the situation Sunday after
noon, said:
81 am Of the opinion that the worst
has not vet come. We are at the pres
cnt time doing everything III our power
10 prevent all damage TO the people
who live in the vicinity Of the creeks
and irrigation bitches throughout the
city, but should the present thaw con
tinue | fear the consequences IN the
near future. During the night VIC have
! 4 force OF men patrolliDg the dangerous
! places and everything is being done 10
prevent the situation getting away from
us but YOU can never tell when some
| unforeseen condition viii arise.
Busy All Day.
"All day Sunday we have been busy
braciug the weakest portions of the
bitches and at the present time every
thing possible has been done 10 insure
safety. Since the present condition mas
arisen We have men who arc on the
alert 1T all times TO prevent if possl-
hle all damage, aud they are removing
all debris that is coming down the va
rious streams. On my trip up Emigra-
tion canyon L spoke TO some Of the old
est residents and all were of the opin-
ION that this year S snowfall IN the
mountains has been greater than any
in the past thirty Years. This fact and
| the present spring thaw are response
bic for the excessive amount Of water
( with which we have 10 contend.
Should the warm weather continue
until the Cottonwood creek begins to
! fill up and the river has not Subsided ar
! that time / am very doubtful Of the
/ outcome. and expect TO see the entire
/ western portion OF the city flooded. At
! the present time we have siXty-seycn
| planks in the river at Twelfth South
! which are turning the water into
! Surplus canal, and that canal has all
that il can carry at the present time.
| ] have men stationed all along Tenth
| South on Parley's creek. on Emigra
! tion creek and Red Butte, who are kept
| busy clearing these streams of the
! large stumps and debris coming down
| the various stream. They will be kept
on duty until the present food subsidies
and all danger to the citizens living
/ III that vicinity has passed.
Fears for Outcome.
! Land and Water Commissioner Math-
ews. in discussing the situation. said:
"We have men employed on Twelfth
| South and Eleventh East re-enforcipg 9
I the culvcrt with sacks OF sand and rock
and doing everything in our power to
restrain the stream. but should it con-
| tinue 10 rise. as it has during Sunday.
I have grave fears of the ultimate ont
come. The stream in Parley's creek
and Emigration creek is higher than il
, was Monday afternoon by six inches.
/ When you take into consideration that
! these streams are higher at present
I than they were two wears ago and at
/ that time they were higher than in the
| last fifteen wears, YOU VIII have some
conception of the situation with which
we have TO deal. We have gangs OF
men working at the reservoir clearing
away the debris Of the bridge which
went out today and we will have men
out all night patrolling all of the
streams. All of these creeks went
down last night, due to the colder
weather. but they have not subsided to-
day. and IN fact they were continually
rising until ; p. m.
Some Of the citizens at Eleventh
East and Twelfth South threaten dam
age suits to the city on account of the
water flooding their cellars, but they
! should remember that the present has
not had its equal in the past thirty
years. You may rest assured that we
are doing everything in our power to
| prevent all possible damage -
| hereby notify that I Will not hn