Show ORTn BENCH WATER The Dry Canyon Supply Insufficient Insuf-ficient It is Als o Said to be Unwholesome Unwhole-some SALT LAKE CITY June281SS4 Editors Herald I would respectfully thats tne way it 13 generally written I believe suggest that we who have inhabited inhab-ited the dry north bench tot including in-cluding the east tench or any other benches surrounding ncd contiguous to Salt Lake City have within the last sixteen yeara been in the habit of forwarding pelitiou to our City Council praying in the most humble jorm as dutiful children of a moet august pBtenc for the great privilege of having a portion of the immense cola e of surplus waters flowing from City Creek Canyon down to the vast pool of the Great Salt Lake yearly to the advantage or nothing Jiving that we know of tut have been refused We ask how why for we can fcrm no sensible reason rea-son and never had one formed for us by our City Fatherswhy are things thus and so What harm can it i do to those who in a city of 30000 Inhaoitanta whoe City Council declare they have the vested rights to control all the waters which flow into th s city V Why I again ask cannot the City Council agree to allow a small portion of the diurnal millions of tons of water escaping through their outkt to Ihe Great Salt Lab instead of doing some good flow onto on-to the very dry bench SJ that the poor and severely toiling hundreds of inhabitants may be saved from death and misery and exc ssive unnecessary toil We the citizens of Salt Lake City who have been compelled to choose the benches for our homes because there was no other place we could reach have repeatedly and humbly petitioned our City Council Coun-cil until petitioning has become a thing of the past and patience no longer a virtue for some eupply of water to make our homes bearable but the only reply I as an individual indi-vidual and my tolling thirsty neighbors received from them is ffif we give you watec j ou w 11 plant tieea I Suppose we should BO far depart from the rules of strict propriety to plant some trees en tha beLch lands who would receive am injury in-jury through the impropriety Would it depreciate the value ot the property of those who have proclaimed pro-claimed through the City Council that they only had the vested right I to the waters flowing into Salt Lake City they cannot use the surplus We do not seek and as far as i know never have sought J to deprive de-prive anyone of his rights vested or otherwise but the question with us is water or nothing Plnce any fme who opposes our earnest cry for water in our place and see how soon indeed he would change hIs tactics The time may come when Borne of those unjust ones may call for a single drop of water and fail to receive a response This brings to my mind such a flow of Scriptural texts that I must refrain from mentioning more than one The man who lived as never man lived who has been declared by all the Christian world to be the Son of the Almighty God said Love cne another and not to infidels infi-dels deists atheists pagans etc No but tfl thosb who believed on him and resolved to do his work I Had I a thousand tongues to tell with or the voice of thunder to make our City Council hear I do not think my mind expansive enough or my oratory good enough to proclaim in their ears with sufficient suffi-cient force the need of the inhabitants inhabit-ants of the dry north bench because be-cause there are none so deaf as those who will not har What have the reople suffered in the many 5 ears that are gone and what would they suffer in the years which are to come if they have to be wholly dependent for the lifegiving fluid provided for them by the City Council of Salt Lake City But our kind and indulgent City Fathers have given 85000 to supply I the north tench of the Twentieth bishops ward with water for do meatic something permanent perma-nent not surplus never to be taken away until deith does us part but if we drink the water of that Dry cDy ° n from its Impure fountain we shall not have long to live unless the really Injurious portion of it be excluded Astounding news How do we know By our going and attending to our own businees ourselves and not trusting to our avowed and ex pressed enemies excepting those honorable 1 members of the City VUUUU wuo nave humanely and wIth a desire to do their duty ex erted themselves to reply favorably to our petition they are all well known to usr fe have as Delegates from the I north benchjgone to Dry canyon and I nare personally inspected with care and attention for the benefit of the I fupiic the several sources from which are amalgamated the waters proposed for our use and do declare from our inspection the injurious water esckdedj the balance owned Yn y the city is wholly insufficient the use of the inhabi tants of the ThIS noth bench ca7pfnncluElon is arrived at after 11 to careful the consideration and referring earns SUpply of Past years from the oil mesourceJ and although the Coun may blast the ncks and tunnel anywhere there they cannot Putthe water re with h all theIr ° united if It is there powers it can be brought one But they can easily bring the surplus surp-lus waters of City Crtek on the north bench by a mild expenditure from the 13000 yet remaining that we voted for out of the 250000 which included water benefits and supplies for the bencho We know from good authority that the surplus waers of City Creek which are not injurious can ba brought to our homes for a sum witnin 2OOOJthat is all we ak and all that w have aked We could then put in our Jots reservoirs which would bold water for our ire during the short time it would be needful to close our gate an J withold from us the very much needed element to cleanliness and health Do not run over eo much with such false statements state-ments as that there Is plenty of water wa-ter in Dry Canyon it is not so and the people ought all to know it There is one source of supply in the left fork of that canyon that we would not like our worst enemies to be compelled to use because it would produce death and if the Council are not aware of it let them apply honestly to efficient l analytical chemists and prove if possible those waters fo be harmless Now let the City Council go to work put in the ditch and give it to us or we Will do it ourselves and go on with every other good work and have the blessings and votes of the people Again cat off this injurious stream and you diminish half your volume of water cast off again the water claimed by vested rights and also allow half of the remainder for reepage from this unusual season and fullest time of the sesscn and you will have no more water than will flow through a two inch pipe for domestic purpcre9 for a populaton of 2500 souls Hand probable increase But it may be urged you aie goIng go-Ing to adopt the reservoir system Then WA would urge you to try that system where it would be more practicable than in Dry Canyon where the waters are known to be pure Do not attempt to fill our bodies with disease and cruel lingering ling-ering death Extiacts from the gocd old book might be offered to you in order to induce you to be merciful during the brief time you rosy have the chance by being in office to show the leading traits by which you are controlled but if you choose to be tyrannical and overbearing pursuing the course which has been applied throughout the long past years rejoicing in the knowledge that hundreds of men women and children have to bear heavy burdens bur-dens because you persist In wasting the waters under your control in preference to permitting them to be applied where they will do the most good and prove a blessing to the I people j yon must expect and certainly cer-tainly will have to endure the Ills will of all who suffer through your misdeeds Trees piantea on our bench lands would shade the ground from the excessive heat protect from the bitter blasts of winter bear superior fruit to sage brush and with the land full of surplus water live on as they now do in places There would be no chance of members mem-bers of the City Council laughing because we should have to water our lots with our telrs as has been I told to us by one of the leading members or having to give up our los to the rich when we bad pulled up the sage brush I mention these words not because they are worth repeating but to show the satire and malice encouraged by the late Council and the leaven is there still I ask forbearance for taking up so much spa e but our grievance is EO great and our minds are so full that we need to utter our complaints BO that the public may hear our cry and aided by God extend their sympathy sym-pathy AQUA VITEA |