The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-22
IdahO's Land Board Agrees to
Mackay's Proposal, Then
Breaks Faith.
THE DAM IS UNSAFE,
AND PEOPLE ARE SCARED
Correspondence Showing Agree
ment With the Peoples De-
sire, Then Reputation.
BY G. E. ARNEY.

eously indignant over the fralltlns OF
ofticiaI humanity as IS the town %
Mackay today through the acts OF the
Idaho state land board. Here in Poca.
tello today are three representatives OF
citizens organization Of Mackay,
called here by Governor Brady to give
HIM a chance to explain his conduct.
which the citizens Of Mackay regard as
reprehensible.
This committee of the citizens organ
ization consists of j. II. Green, A. l.,
Fowler and l.. E, Dillingham;. The for
mer is a wealthy merchant; the second,
cashier of the Mackay bank, and the
last named, editor of tho Mackay Miner
No ordinary event or condition of at
fairs could take these three busy men
away from their respective lines or
business for period of three days.
This is an extraordinary situation
and is far-reaching in its illustration of
the incapacity Of the Idaho state land
board to properly perform the functions
of government intrusted to its keeping.
When / left Mackay two weeks ago,
with the data from which j published
a story IN The Tribune OF the Mackay
dam mix-up, the board of state land
commissioners had absolutely refused,
by resolution, to accede to the demands
Of the citizens committee of Mackay
to allow them to name one member OF
a committee of engineers to act on
board with one appointed by the board
and ono by these two. In his explana-
ton TO the citizens, by letter, Cover
nor Brady had justified this course on
the part of the board, and the people
of Mackay were highly indignant at
this conclusion, which they had ex"
planned fully to Miss Chamberlain. who
visited Mackay tho day previous. On
the same day of my departure, George
T. Gagon of Blackfoot went to Mackay
at the instance of Governor Brady to
straighten out matters, if possible.
The Adverse Report.
1t will be remembered that based on
the report of j. 3. Lippincott, the spe-
cial engineer from California employed
by the citizens committee of Mackay,
n copy of which had been sent to the
board, an order had been spread by
the board stopping work on the dam.
This order had been made then for more
than a week. This left the dam in
practically the same shape as when
Engineer Lippincott had made his re-
port against 1T.
A view of the upper half Of the dam
shows core wall in the exact cen
ter Of what is intended to be the com
pleted structure, with lrregularlty and
small dimensions of this concrete core.
~ sUIcdln OF WdIcr Is seen uoWlHS
against and through the core wall. This
stream percolates through and under
the entire upper half of the dam, dis
tance of go feet.
Specifications call for an impervious
puddled core to extend thirty feet on
either side of concrete core wall. The
view shows no puddled core whatever,
but instead coarse gravel up to within
FIVE feet of the core wall itself Of the
concrete core.
Larger stones arc seen falling to the
bottom of lifts through the method of
dumping cars. There would be at least
eight of these lifts in the completed
structure, making eight porous strata
throughout the entire width, designed
to be 500 feet.
Men are seen shoveling gravel di-
rectly from embankment into the
concrete mixer, without screening This
therefore contains no earth or pudding
material as required by the specifica-
tions, when used in the embankment,
The seepage at the time Mr.. Lippln~
colt made his report was twenty second
feet, or 1000 inches of water,
The Governor Comes Down.
Then came the comprehensive story of
the situation in The Tribune, and two
days after its circulation in Idaho the
following telegram from his excellency
Governor Brady;
Hon. A, l., Fowler, Macbay. Ida. Board
today agreed upon action outlined by
Gagon. which. / understand, your people
fully, approve, Send in name at once ii
matter with YOU and the citizens. Plea sc
say TO them for me that they need have
no fears whatever but that they win be
| fully protected. J. II. BRADY.
/ NJ S;l3 a, m, 18th.
To this the citizens of Mackay sent
to the governor the following reply:
Hon. James H. Brady. Boise. Ida: We
told Gagon we wanted to name one
member board; you TO name another
mediate appointment OF board and inn
mediate investigation by them. II they
report adverse TO Lippincott report TO
Is wrong. Was this Gagons outline ap-
proved by you?
CITIZENS COMMITTED OF MACKAY.
The reply of the governor verified
the committees S understanding of theil
as indicated by this reply to their mes
sage:
Citizens Committee OF Mackay, Maokay,
! Ida Gagon's outline. our under
fta1Sins and yours RS the same Please send
4:10 p. IN. J. II. HARDY.
Then came a message from S. Belle
Chamberlain, a member OF the board
who exhibited her anxiety TO square
herself for past delinquencies in the
following language:
Boise. Ida. Aug. IL.
| Hon. A. L. Fowler, Mackay; Cover
nor returned last night from northern
Idaho. Board meeting was held today;
citizens request granted. Governor Will
visit Mackay soon.
S. BELLE CHAMBERLAIN.
Sis a. m: 18th.
| Then Bishop Heber o. Hale, the reg
lister of the state land board, added his
halo to the situation in the form of the
| following message;
Boise. Ida, Aug. IL.
| Mr.. A. L. Fowler. Mackay. Ida: Wire