The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-05
WORST FLOOD IN
HISTORY OF ZION
City Creek a Raging, Frothy,
Yellow Stream, Full of
Debris.
LARGE FORCES OF MEN
BUILDING EMBANKMENTS
Everything Possible Being Done
to Hold the Damage to
Minimum.

City creek. along North Temple street
raging, frothy yellow stream, carrying
all manner of debris, from stumps of
trees TO boulders one foot In diameter.
I The roaring Of the stream can be heard
for q distance of $50 feet from lis
banks. The worst floods in the history
Of the city were yesterday ravaging
the street along North Temple. between
Fifth West and the Jordan river, on
Eleventh West.
j. r. Raleigh. superintendent of
streets and alleys, had large force of
men at work on Friday and Friday
night doing everything possible TO pre-
vent the flood from getting out of con-
troll. \ large number of teams were
employed hauling material for cmbank-
ments. which were thrown up along the
sidewalks on North Temple to prevent
the water from damaging the property
of the residents in that section of the
city. 1t 9 clock Friday night, these
cmbankments had been raised to two
feet above the street, with the water
. rapidly creeping up to their top.
Embankments Raised.
BY II o'clock Friday night, the EN-
bankments bad been raised three feet,
with the water flowing over In few
places. superintendent Raleigh SAID
that the floods were the worst he had
ever seen i'll his long experience. Due
TO the fact that il takes from twelve
10 fifteen hours for the water from
melting snow in the mountains to reach
the city. the floods reach their highest
point between the hours of and
o'clock in the morning. Everything
possible is being done 10 prevent further
damage. and large force OF men was
ont all last. night patroling the banks
of the streams
The grade Of the street aud the car
line between Eighth and Ninth West,
and between Ninth aud Eleventh West,
has been ruined. the entire street be-
lug covered with water from eignt to
len inches in depth. Where the car
turns al the Fairgrounds, the embank-
mcnts thrown up on either side OF the
street are at least four feet high and
the car company had TO abandon INC
use Of the loop. running the cars back
On the same track they came on,
Racetrack Threatened.
Friday night. he water again broke
juto the racetrack aud was only stopped
from running the track by the combined
efforts of the entire force Of men. At
the Oregon Short Line depot. the water
flooded the street in front Of the depot
and also the yards of tho railroad. BY
constructing a heavy dam. the water
was prevented from doing any further
damage at this point
On West Temple street. the men en-
pIoyed in grading the street were driven
away from the work by the water flood
ing that street. With the present hot
weather continuing, the outlook for
greater floods than have ever been
jiuown IN Salt Lake has become serious;
Those who have the situation III hand
report that they have the water under
control at present and anticipate no
urcat damage from the floods. The
1ates. reports of the other streams IN
The city are TO the effect that al
though the water is rising, there is moth
ing 10 fear from these sources.