The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-07
CITY THREATENED
BY HIGH WATER
Salt Lakes Position Is Not I'm.
like That of the FableG
Tantalus.
PARLEY'S CANYON Is
SCENE OF TROUBLE
All the Forces at the Command
of the City Are Being
Used.

/ Salt Lake City, water supply is
partly cut off and the entire city is
| threatened with n water famine as
4 result of the high waters In this
respect the city situation is not unlike
| that of the tabled Tantalus.
The mad waters from Farley S ana
! Big Cottonwood canyons have washed
the big flume behind Parley's creek
reservoir, which takes care of the ex.
cess water i'll flood times and diverts
1t from the reservoir to the creek, and
the Big Cottonwood 24-inch pipe line
that serves the same purpose, out, aud
| the reservoir, the city's main water
source rs threatened with destruction,
but Land and Wafer Commissioner
Frank NJ, Mathews aud Waterworks
| Superintendent Thomas A. HOLIDAY,
with big force of men, are doing
everything in their power 10 save the
reservoir Street Supervisor Jake Rs-
leigh is lending all the assistance pos
sibe. The reservoir is not threatened
with Immediate destruction. however.
10 save the reservoir the waters from
Parley's and Big Cottonwood CANYONS
have been diverted into private canals
and around the Big Cottonwood by
pass line. and the city's water supply
| from Parley's creek reservoir cut off
| while Mathews and HOLIDAY and their
! men are digging trench from the cast
end of the reservoir to the creek TO re-
bevc the reservoir from the terrific
pressure until the fume can be re-
paired.
May Be Repaired.
Mathews said at clock this morn.
ing that if nothing uutoward happeus
/ the flume will be repaired by tonight
aud the water from the reservoir again
turned into the city. Until then the
city will be fed only by City creek
and Emigration canyons. which com
bincd do not have anywhere near the
capacity of Parley's and Big Cotton
wood canyons.
All the higher part of the city is af-
| fccted by the washing out of the fumes
and the eastern parts of the First and
! Fifth wards arc without water In the
ncighborhood Of 5000 families are af-
! fected. The water pressure all over
the city is low, but the fire service is
not affected. Street sprinklng and
flushing have practically been dscon
tinued, and the public generally is urged
TO be as saving, as. possible with the
| water until Parley's creek reservoir
again is in commission. 1t is possible
! that it Will take forty-eight hours to
repair the flume and put the reservoir
| into commission again, but Commission
er Mathews did not apprehend such a,
o'clock this morning. although be
gave out that the waters are high and
threaten incalculable damage if they
continue to rise. They were almost nj
morning.
The state prison will suffer most
heavily soonest from the cutting off of
the water supply,,it is expected, This
institution is fed by Parley's and Big
Cottonwood canyons. and, of course,
now is completely shut off from water.
Warden Pratt said Thursday night that
there is enough water in the state pris-
on reservoir to last twenty-four hours
but beyond that the supply is uncer
tain. Unless Parley's creek reservoir
is brought into commission by tonight
the state prison will have to organize
and put into commission bucket bri-
gade, it looks like.
The First Break
The first break in ParIey's creek
fumes occurred Wednesday. In the
DeighboThood of eighty feet was swept
out, and early Thursday morning forty
feet more went out. Commissioner
Mathews reported by telephone early
this morning that 1t looked like forty
or fifty feet more might go out at any
time, Several lengths of the Big Cot
tonwood by-path pipe line arc gone, and
more are threatened.
Both Superintendent HOLIDAY and
Commissioner Mathews and their forces
have camped at the scene of destruc
ton. spending Thursday night there rs
they did the day. Between sixty and
sevcnty-tive men alternately are work
ing on the trench to divert the waters
from the reservoir and repairing the
fumes, When the SO feet of 6ume went
out Wednesday Commissioner Mathews
with several meu rushed to the scene
night there. When the 10 feet went ont
Thursday morning Superintendent Hob
day with fifteen or twenty more men
quickly followed At noon THURSDAY
Street Supervisor Raleigh sent ten or
fifteen more men ont, raising the force
to approximately seventy men, Follow
ing the last work party, bedding, tents
and supplies were sent to the scene and
the men spent the night at the reservoir
working in shifts of twenty each AL
night More men will he sent out this
and this will continue until
the flumc is repaired and the danger Is
past The city council in a body Will
visit the scene. leaving here in autonlo-
biles at o clock this morning, and de
terminc what. If anything, else can be
done 70 remedy the situation
Supervisor Raleigh said Thursday
uight that several of the city's forty
,r fifty bridges and Gulverts are threat
,ncd and he has men scattered all over
he city reinforcing the low banks and
yatcbino thc bridges aud culverts To
,eep them from being swept away. This
'orcr in all probability will be increased
oday unless tho waters should suddenly
ali, The weather proguostication, fair
md warmer, is not suspicious. however,
md tho city S water fighting forces VIII
,e prepared for the worst Every avail
f.ontiuued on Page TWos