The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-21
FLOOD MENACE
THING Of PAST
Surplus Canal Will Be Drcdged
to Garry Of Destructive
Overflow.
AMERICAN PARTY AGAIN
SHOWS UP DETRACT0RS
Important Improvement Is Re-
futation of Unwarrantablc
Attack by "Gimlet."

The big city drcdgc which is destined
To relieve the overflow of the Jordan
river and, II necessary. 10 change corr
pietcly the entire course OF the rlNcr, Was
launched Thursday afternoon at VEIN
South and Twelfth West streets, ,dt,, nc
| S Bransford and City Engineer George
| T. Mc(;onagle. The big craft foatcd
| lightly OF the surface Of the low Wafer
! in the surplus canal 'and Wiihlh t"o
weeks tho work OF widening and deepen
| ing of the surplus canal by means OIL liils
drcdgc will have begun.
AS 1t noatcd on tho water OF Tho uii-
| used surplus canal, tho drccsc was az
most an animated rcfutation oi the artl-
Gle appearing in the Snont organ TO ti'
effect that the city had q cosby P,,c
| OF Junk now rustlng OIL tho banks OF the
Jordan river monument 10 tho cM-
! travagaucc OF the American party ad-
| mlniSiratiOu. g..
That tho dredgc viii bc decidedly hye
| monument Will be testified by every rosi-
dent Of the west side next spring "hen
| IL IL found that by the widening ana
! deepening OF the surplus canal IN" nood
situation that -imperils the property and
| health OF the people OH the west Slde
| is successfully solved. The company
that constructed the dredgt. which rs INC
same company which has built the steam
! shovcls for tho Utah Copper company,
| has guaranteed that the drcdgc WIN be
| successful. and that means that INC dI5-
astcr caused by tho overflow OF fhe Jor-
! dan river each spring is a thing of the
| past.
Tho surplus canal was originally
pannrn and constructed under the old
! Liberal party administration. IL taps
| the Jordan river at Twelfth South and
| Twelfth West streets and flows III a
! straight line for twelve miles, through
White lake and into Great Salt Lake at
| the Black sloughs. The canal has 1al'
| OF twenty-five feet. which is ample 10
care for the overflow of the river.
Neglect by Church Administration.
Under Mormon administrations tho canal
has fallen into dlsuso and the residents
OF the Second and Third wards have been
the sufferers. The downpour OF water
| from the hills and mountains each spring
has made the river a swollen torrent; !;
| The stream left It's banks and flooded
| hundreds Of acres Of land on all sides.
| The water in the canals has backed up
| tho streams. Homes have been Hooded
| and property subject TO tho river floods
has been damaged materially. In the
wake OF the spring floods the staGnant
water provides n breeding ground for
millions OF disease germs and typhoid
| fever dphthcria. scarlet fever, pncu-
| monia and other forms OF malignant dis
eases have been the result, Sanitary
conditions on the west side have long
been bad and it was agreed that only
somc method to relieve the floods Of the
Jordan river would remedy the condi-
| tioDs.
Councilman NJ. Il. Mulvey was the
father OF the idea 20 restore the old sur
plus canal. After several meetings OF the
| council committees IL was decided, that
tho old canal could be dredged and placed
| into service once more. The council then
| appropriated $4,000 60 buy the machin-
cry for dredgc for the old canal. City
| Engineer George L. McGonaglc was sent
east 10 buy machinery for the drcdgc.
| Mr. McGonaglc secured the necessary ma
chincry for 1850, or S23j0 less than the
| council estimate.
Saved Money on Barge.
| The board of public works then advcr-
| tised for bids for the construction of the
| barge on which the dredee was to float
| ding on the construction OF this barge and
IT was not until the second call for bids
that a bid was received, The silver
| 70 build the barge. The estimate OF the
| city engineer as 70 the cost of construct
ing the barge was $500, and go the bid
works was instructed by the council -o
| build the barge under the direction of
the city engineer and special council
| committee consisting of Councilmen NJ
| L. Mulvey l.. j. Wood and Mark Rec
dali.
Under the instructions OF tho council
the work was carried out by the board
Of public works and the city engineer
as carefully and yet as economically as
| possible, 'with tho result that the barge
was built for $500, $685. less than the
only bid received and sI100 less than the
estimate OF the city engineer.
The machinery for the dredec was spc-
clally constructed for the city by the
Marion Steam Shovel company of Marion,
O., The same company which furnishes
the steam shovelS for the Utah Copper
company. The hull OF the dredge is 60
feet long and its width is II feet II
has two auxiliary pontcons. 80 feet long
and six feet wide, which are attached 10
The drcdSe when IL is in operation. The
capacity OF the dredgc Is 500 cubic yards
| IN ten hours 1t has boom forty feet
in length which permits OF it depositng
the dirt forty feet on either side of the
place In the canal in which the drcdgc is
operating.
The dredsc is of special design. With
tne t..., machinery in the bottom of the hub.
which permits the. dredgc 10 pass under
| the bridges of which there are SIX along
the route OF the canal. The weight OF
the dredge with the machinery Is 10000
pounds. The drauSht of the barge is
only about two and onc-half feet. so
that 1t floats easily In the four feet of
water now in the surplus canal.
Danger Of Floods Past.
With the new dredGc It Is the purpose
OF the city to widen the canal to eighty
feet and TO make II q depth OF ri,.h,
feet This with the straight channel
OF M the surplus canal and the fan of
,men,y.tWo ,Mo ~. iEet In the twelve miles to
inc overflow of the Jordan river and will
be sufficient I'm case of necessity IN
chamge the entire course of the river
,,.,,. -. IL "tvNs VIC orepSe VIII be at
work and In short time the canal will
pc In a condition 10 relieve the west side
Hood trouble for all time 10 come. Re
Tore next spring tho canal win have rc-
Claimed an incstimabc amount of nron
erty and VIII have doubled In yaIIie all
.mc .mc property now adjoining The Jordan
Ihc Herald Republican declares thnt tho
drcdge is a costly piece Of machincrv In
ono year the drodgc will have naid for
llscli ono hundred fold In The Increase
oi west slide property. 10 say noihinr
vi 'hc great Improvement of the wcsi
The =" Heidelberg" makes a speciaI.v
OF supplying private families with oen.
uine imported Muenchner beer. quarts
and pints. Both phones.