Show IN THE CITY COUNCIL The Hydraulic Canal Co Offer to Repurchase Their Water Right TO FAVOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS The Petitions PresentedThe City to Defend the Purchase of City Lot In Plat GOther Maters The city council met in regular session in the council chamber last night with the mayor in the chair and transactsd the following fol-lowing business PETITIONS D Wolstenholme and others called the attention atten-tion of the council to the condition of Firs North street between Fifth and Ninth West streets the said street being almost impassable and therefore respectfully petition the council on to have streets it graveled Referred to the commute I1E WANTS DEED A petition was presented J O Lowe asking that a deed be made to him for a part of lots 2 and 3 block 139 plat A and setting forth that he had occupied the property for twenty years and had obtained a certificate therefor from the probate court Referred to the committee on public grounds TIll WATER MAIN EXTENSION A petition was presented by Joshua Midgley and others representing that several years ago at the petitioners private expense they conveyed con-veyed water to their residences and have since paid regular semi annual water taxes to the city That now it was the intention of the city to extend water mains to their vicinity south on Fifth East and tax them which they objected Committee on waterworks STREET REPAIRS A petition was presented by James Chesaey and others asking that Fourth South street between I be-tween West Temple and Second West street she Traded and put into decent condition and that I flumes be constructed and put in place in the open ditches on said Fourth South street in the locality designated Said street and ditches are In the same condition that they have been for the past thirty years very little i any of our taxes having been spent there Petition received and referred to the committee on streets ELECTRIC LIGHT WASTED The Salt Lake Brewing company and others f g gib asked that an electric light be placed at the 1igfeanJD corner of Fifth South and Tenth East streets Referred ments to the committee on public improve TO CLOSE A STREET A communication was received from Charles H Toll per his a en asking that Second street In Glendale Park addition be closed for eighty rods In order that the land may be replatted Referred to the city surveyor with instruc Ions to report at the next meeting Pile POSITION TO REPURCHASE WATER RIGHT To the honorable mayor and city council of Salt Lake city GENTLEMEN Having been informed that some members of your honorable body have expressed dissatlfactlon with the transaction connected with obtaining by the city from Salt Lake county of a onesixth interest in the Jordan dam and its storage capacitywe herewith make a statement and proposition The undersigned are members of the Hy draulic Canal company which organization was a party t the said transaction On or about the year 1879 Salt Lake county built a dam for the purpose of reserving the waters of the Jordan river that had previously run to waste The interest in the dam and its storage capacity was divided into six parts One of these parts was granted to each of the following canal companies towit Draper I North Jordan South Jordan Utah and Salt Lake and the Jordan and Salt Lake city The remaining onesixth was still in reserve A number of citizens the undersigned among them learningthat this interest was still unap ropriated and bein aware that there were large tracts of lands which could be brought under cultivation I the water right could be obtained and steps were taken to secure it A petition to the county court for the said nosixth interest in the dam and its storage capacity was favorably acted upon the prayer being granted On the basis of this grant of the county court to the Hydraulic Canal company a canal was located and surveyed and some excavations were made on its line lands were entered under the homestead and timber laws ana the usual mounts paid t the government Estimates were made for a hydraulic plant including machinery to pump the water from the river to an elevation of over one hundred feet An expert was brought from California who made plans and specifications all of which involved volved a large outlay While this enterprise was in progress the dry sscl eobV J Irf season of ISSS arrived and Salt Lake city was stressed for water Your honorable body became came aware of the existence of the before men toned onesixth interest and the matter of be curing i was discussed This discussion re curng suIted in the appointment of the following special committee who were directed to inves gate and report Alderman James Sharp and Councilors Bolivar Roberts and John Clark After investigation which w presumed thor ough the committee finding that the Hydraulic Canal company had a claim upon the onesixth Interest in question made an unsolicited propo ition dependent upon the consent of the coun cit t the said company I was in substance follows folows I the Hydraulic Canal company would address the county court surrendering all claim to the onesixth interest in the dam and its storage capacity in favor of the city the corporation cor-poration would reimburse the said company for all expenditures made in pursuit of their enterprise enter-prise provided that the aggregate did not exceed reed 810000 This proposition was accepted and the committee com-mittee reported to the council as follows I SALT LAKE Crrr U T Oct 9 1885 Honorable the mayor and city council of Salt Lake city GENTLEMEN Your special committee appointed ap-pointed for the purpose of negotiating for the mesixth of the Jordan river in addition to the one sixth to which the city is already entitled hrough the Jordan and Salt Lake canal re pectfully report that we have performed the labor la-bor repor us and herewith submit the cost of purchase of said onesixth interest in the Jordan dam and the water of said river and ask speedy action hereon Very respectfully JAMES SHARP JOHN CLARE BOLIVAR ROBERTS Special committee This report was adopted by the said council as will appear on the records of their proceedings proceed-ings October 9 1888 The result was that the transaction was consummated I summated and a deed was made by the county I court for the onesixth interest to Salt Lake city I cty I is stated as Introductory to the foregoing statement that we had been informed that dissatisfaction satisfaction on this subject j had been expressed I by some members of your honorable body Inconsequence consequence we gr following proposition f1 proposi-tion towit I the council of Salt Lake city will authorize the mayor to deed the onesixth interest inter-est in the Jordan dam and its storage capacity to the Hydraulic Canal company on the execu ton of said deed we will cheerfully refund the money received by us as members of said cram parr This proposition will be held open until and including January I IBO Respectfully submitted Councilor Roberts said he claimed from the star that the county had no right to the water purchased by the city Councilor Uooly I voted for the purchase of the water right and I thought it was a good thing at the time but we have received no water and I dont think we have purchased anYlhing md would move that the city redeed to the Hydraulic canal company blfl the interest it re eived from them on condition that they refund the money Councilor Sharp I would move to amend the motion and refer this matter t the same special committee who had it in charge before I I understand the question the canal company had nothing to deed but the county conrt gave us the deed direct on their dire I Jon Alderman Rlter I am willing to vote for the amendment I well remember the time of the purchase The council was all out looking for water and I believe were putting on considerable consider-able style and when we found that we bought we had found I good thing I understand that there have been some mutterings and rumors that there has been some crooked work going ou bent there rasl knew nothing of it When the purchase that the was made the general impression was city had done a fair thing Now i any of you gentlemen have been doing anything crooked I would like to know it I think the Hydraulic Canal company are doing a smart thing when they offer to repurchase the water right While It is a debatable question yet I believe wo have a sixth interest in the dam and the water it scores and I am not willing to give it away Councilor SowlesI remember It was during inv early days in office and I was not posted I had a great anxiety to furnish the city with plenty of water and I voted for i but I believe we have purchased nothing Councilor Sharp I wish to say that in endeavoring eavoring to secure the water our officers went too far and attempted to take the water all from one place and this i 4be reason we did not sell any Mayor Armstrong wish to make a statement state-ment During dry seasons every drop of water lad in earlier years had been appropriated and the company then built the dam in order to store the water in the lake and it was then that the county got their interest I see Mr Fox Sr in the room and as he was here in early days I would like to hear from him Mr FoxAs early as 1853 the legislature passed a law authorizing a dam legslature structed and appointed a committee of which I was one to locate n canal to west mountain Ground was broken but the grasshoppers came and work g About ir upon us 011 was suspended Abut i 1S78 the county court constructed the dam and authorized me to locate canals Subsequently petition from the canal companies was presented pre-sented asking an interest These petition were granted for fivesixths andonesixth still remains and the Hydraulic company asked fm it and it was granted We turned over our Interest to the city for about CO per cent 01 what we have ep l and as our integrity is impeached im-peached we are willing to buy it back We had a grant but did not yet have the deed Councilor Young said that he was away dung the time the matter was brought up but happened hap-pened to be present when a vote was taken and thought they had found something rich when the test came and tried to secure witnesses and could find none after talking with about flfty residents While It was true that they would testify that the iriginal appropriator held that portion of the dam yet they claimed i I have had no time to give this matter and have not fully considered ge The Draper people say they have onefifth and It cant be taken away from them I think we had better take our wrong back A vote was then taken and the question was referred to the special committee which had it 1 in hand previously Alderman Sister then offered the following RESOLtrriox nELUIO Whereas Public buildings for use of the vari ous departments of the federal government have long been a necessity and whereas the growth and progress of this city bids fair to make it the greatest or the inter mountain cities Therefore resolved that this council petition Congress representing the above facts and pray for an appropriation of not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the erection of public buildings In this city and as an evidence of our faith in the future greatness of the city and as an earnest of our own liberality liber-ality in the matterthe west half of the Eighth ward square worth at least two hundred and fifty thousand dollars be offered to the govern meat as a site for said building on the condition that the amount of 2130603 be appropriated for the purpose aforesaid Alderman McCornlck think it is l right idfn itd to ask for the new building but I dont think we should make an offer of ground I should object to giving any part of the Eighth ward square Councilor DoolyI object on the ground that the city has not the ground to spare and the government can well afford to pay for it and I would offer an amendment that they be asked to appropriate 500COG Alderman Riter I disagree with the gentleman gentle-man and 1 am surprised that he should make r ee tt Y suelf such a statement We might just as well ask for a million We have no political inlluence and we willnot get it unless we offer them something some-thing None of you will claim that we Jo not need public buildings Alderman McCornlck Let us ask for an appropriation ap-propriation 1 dont think it would be sense t ro to Liberty park for a postoffice I we have a public building we want It in the centre of the cityCouncilor Councilor RobertsI shall oppose the proposition proposi-tion on another ground We need all the parks we have The government can just as well purchase pur-chase the ground Sharp 1 am inclined to favor the resolution to ask for a larger appropriation McCornick moved to strike out that portion of the resolution with reference to the offer to donate do-nate the ground Carried Dooly moved that the governor be instructed when he goes to Washington to act with the delegate to ask that an appropriation be made Cared Dooly I understand that there is a death just opposite the Twelfth ward schoolhouse from diphtheria and there is no flag there I think the matter should be referred to the mayor to see why the quarantine physician does not attend to his duties Alderman McCornick stated that he thought It advisable to extend the time of receiving plans for the joint county and city building from the 15th instant to January 1 in order to give Architect Mendelssohn of the new hotel a hotel chance to send in plans There was consider able disiussion on this point after which the council went into executive session When it was determined that the city would defend the suits Instituted by J H Linck and other to the linal termination at its own expense and would expnse give warrantee deeds guaranteeing the return of the purchase money and legal interest from the date of payment The council then adjourned for one week |