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Show iilG DAMAGE SUIT in Jin f Backing Up of Sewage Northwest North-west of City Is Basis' of Action. DAMS IN JORDAN RIVER ARE CAUSE OP TROUBLE Farmers Allege That Their j .Lands Are Being Rendered Ren-dered Valueless. "What threatens to bo one of the biggest damage suits that Salt Lake City has ever been Involved In. Is browing among the farmers living in the neighborhood of the outlet of tho''Jordan vlver. The -luse of the trouble Is the piling up of swage refuse which Is prevented from going down the river by dams put into the stream to spread the water out over limiting grounds, according to the farm- rs' complaints. The -farmers are considerably con-siderably exercised' over the matter and lay that In one or two years they will 'lave to forsnl;e their farms, which are becoming valueless on account of the r tench, especially during the summer r.onths. Tho farmers say that these dams were put In the Jordan river about three miles below tho sewer outlet. Canals rwe been dug and the water Is raised to the canal l"vcl. through which it spreads out over hunting grounds mado by duck clubs. In onseriupncf. the water In the river Is iucked up to nearly stationary for miles, and holes in the river which wero twenty ) ot deep before the dams were put In nrc now filled with refuse matter; also very bend In that part of the river has aught up tons of sewage. There Is no way for this matter to escape as long as lie river water has no perceptible current, cur-rent, and. .according to the farmers, tho ewage is fast settling toward Salt Lake, it Js said that tho water is at the present time being backed into tho Hot Springs lake, the greater part of which Is In the corporal limits of Salt Lake City. The matter has not been officially Investigated, Investi-gated, to establish whether or not this oul water is forced into this lake which Hob' In the north end of the city limits. Lands Are Plooclcd. -It also is reported that hundreds of ares of good land have been flooded by the overflow, caused by the dams, which farms are of no account at the present time, it is alleged, except for feeding grounds for wild ducks. It appears to some of tho farmers that the duck clubs ure trying to drive them out In order to H iho land for hunting purposes. Councilman F. S. Fernstrom, who owned 200 acres of land' north of Frank ) Rudy's farm, near the river, sold his land 'o Rudy for a song. Fernstrom did not want to get Into any fight, and, with the sewage backed upon his land, he thought the best thing io do was to get out. But there are others in that locality who are not so fortunate, and who must live there jnles's they sacrifice everything they l&ve. and theso arc the people who are going to make a light. Rudy says he 5ms been buying up nil the land for sale ..nd now owns five- miles of territory along hc river banks, claiming that some day 'he river will be-used for commercial purposes, pur-poses, and then his land will become I Two years ago this winter a great deal of water went down the Jordan river, and 'arm after farm was inundated- At that t. me a petition was filed with tho city and county authorities to pull out tho dams in the river to allow the free flow of water into the lake. .V gang of men was sent out by the city, and. with the aid of Frank Rudy, the dams, were blown out and some relief was had. Rudy says he throw in whole boxe3 of dynamite In many of the river hends and loosened up rons of refuse which was carried down the river, n current having been made with tho dams out. Rudy says great bars had been formed in the river by the icwagc. some of -the bard being twenty feet deep. He has known cattlo to get Into the river In these places which wero never able to get out, and says the conditions con-ditions he found while dynamiting the stream ought never to be allowed near a city like Salt Lake. Assisted "by CHty. Mr Rudy cays that after these dams, which belonged to the New State Gun club, were blown out, the latter lat-ter threatened suit against the parties responsible for blowing them out, and it cost Salt Lake City $S0a to put back the dams. Rudy claims that the city should never have put back the dams and that tho sewage should havo been carried Into the lake, where It would disappear, dis-appear, and which, under the existing conditions. Is Impossible. Mr, Rudy also said that he had been consulted regarding- a proposed damage suit, and that all the farmers living in that neighborhood arc getting ready to defend their rights and expect to take tnc matter to the courts some time next summer, when the stench along the river atJts he,sht and when investigation W''I snow i-p the true conditions of the whole affair. Mr. Rudy further says there is no question ques-tion that when tho proper action Is taken tho dams will be torn out to allow the sewage a clear outlet to tho lake, which j condition, if Drought about, will again restore peace among the farmers. |