Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-10-16

area Of the sanon sea. and the check
OF the Increased irrigation in the I'M
perial valley caused by the break, but
the lake rose 90 3S feet, gain ~ -
feet showing the FUN effect of the
heavy precipitation during the iall anu
winter Of the previous year ard icll
only until october 90 29 feet. loss ol
only 90 foot I'm 1908 30 was -ls'
Inches. the Increase showing the I'M
crease OF irrigation was beginning 90
compensate TO- the loss in the area
of the Salt0n sea-. and the lake reached
Sos height again iu July at ~ feet
gain OF only ID feet This year 10
reached lte height of 50 feet once more
in July 10 gg,a ui &c. What the total
precipitation for this year viii De, OF
course win not Doe known until the
close of the year. however its excess
up to September T. was 30l Inches as
compared to 264 FOR the same time
last year SOD &c ia likely the precipita-
tion for this year will Doe greater thau
that 90 last
How high win the lake rise? u win
certainly rise until the amount of water
taken up hy the increased evaporation
caused bv the enlarged area OF the
lake. equals that which flows into tho
PREDICTS GREAT RISE.
AT what time. or az what height this
point win he reached, the writer is
not prepared To state, however % VIII
certainly 40 as high as b. was In 1856,
when 10 was about feet higher than az
present The writer feels quite sure
it will rise righcr than IL has ever
been since the first advent of a white
man TO this basin
Some optimist. and some Wi~caotcs,
viii at once say. bosh We had cycles
responding rises ana falls of the lake.
and we viii have "a dry cycle before
the rise iu the lake can Co much harm.
True as Go terms uf years that were
wet. and others that were dry. but We
have mo- data uf conditions that exc
listed during those times BOO the stretch
of country between tho Gulf of Cali
foruia ANA this basin Had we such
data We would undoubtedly hui that
during the wet years. for some reason,
the evaporation was considerably
greater than during the dry, n that
same stretch Al present only i'm
creased evaporation iu the Salton basin
can De- forcseen.
As TO the damage that win ensuc
from the continued rise of the lake for
the next few years the Western Pa
cihc has during the last two years eX-
pended large sums for raising and rip
rapping their track AT the edge Of the
lake. Far greater expenditures are
facing them. If they expect TO keep out
or the water on their present right ~
way They might possibly arrange 10
run their trains over the san Pedro
line 90 some distance beyond the point
OF the mountain. and from there es-
tablish "a new line so as Co keep out Of
the way OF the lake, but that viii cost
them an immense sum.
During the storms In the last two
years the Southern Pacific had TO dis
continue trains over the Lucin Cut-oH,
and afterwards go TO quite an expense
in repairing, strengthening and rip
rapping their grade. should the lake
rise no higher than q was I'm 1856 they
would be az the mercy OF even every
ordinary storm. and Il Is very ques-
tionable II they would be able To hold
their right of way
They are now planning and figuring
oa spending a large sum Of money
in building breakwaters To protect their
right Of way from the action OF the
waves during storms.
OUTLOOK FOR SALTAIR.
As to Saltair they have already gone
to the expense of building new bath
houses over shallOwer water, ana the
bath houses farthest out in the lake
are OF little use to them. further rise
viii necessitate moving them nearer
shore. or abandoning them. and ulti-
matelv losing them altogether. and the
expense OF building new ones 10 take
their place After "a heavy storm In
the winter OF 1898 when the lake was
at It's present height, the Waterman
Of the pavilion told the writer that
during the height Of the storm the
waves splashed on the dance floor. that
ne spent the night on the highest floor
Of the pavilion. and part ~ that time
he never expected 90 set foot on shore
again Should the lake rise only six