Show Yachting on Great Geat Salt Lake Captain Davis L 11 Recalls Early R. R Reviewed UY by First C Commodore Days r Gr Great Salt Lake a bod body of or water In Inthe inthe I the northwestern part of or Utah the principal drainage center of oC the Great Basin bounded on tho east by tho the Waatch Wa Wa- a atch satch mountains on the west by the Great Salt Snit lake lako desert It is 18 about feet tet sea level SO miles long and from 20 O to 3 32 miles wide vide Its I chief Inlets are tho the Hear Bear O Ogden Ogdon and WiTher rivers and anti tho the Jordan which brings tho the fresh tresh waters from Lake Lako Utah Grout Great Salt lako lake has no apparent outlet save t evaporation Of f course courso an any child In Sail Salt Lake Lako just out of or school could tell as all much about the lake lako a few miles west of or tho the city und most nn any youngster would add I I know cause cc I see Hee It most every da day In tho thu summer Go a II little more moro into nto details and add to the thc opening paragraph ot of tho de- de of the Great t Salt snIt mice lake as 08 given in the tho encyclopedia and how many residents res rae could odd add the tho details accurately It would bo ho an Interesting experiment to ask a n. dozen doon sons cons of ot Utah twenty quos ques lions tione about the vast Inland sea almost at our doors and no note to tho the difference In their answers Ask a geologist or nn any scientific man who has made mado a study of or this country and he lie ml might ht toll toil enough h about tho the ancient an an- dent clent history of or tho lako lake to fill nil a volume hut but If It one wants to know lenow about tho the Great Salt Snit lako lake n a 08 It is III today and as ns it has haA been since tho the early GOs ask Cap Can fain tain D D. I L. L Davis commander of or tho the Cambria II and first commodore of or tho the Salt Lako Lake Yacht club organized In 1867 31 tInT ny Puncture Traditions Incidentally Captain Davis will punt pune- ture turo a few en of oC the traditions about the tho Inland sea eca and substitute somo some Information tion based on more than n 40 years of personal a observation atlon t Ion It mo may be bo the tho statement that the tho Great Salt lake Is an unusually treacherous body of oC water which Is governed ho In Its storms and calms by no known laws Captain Davis ls will answer that althou although h tho the water rater la is s heavier and of or greater density there Is tb no n need ed for special construction construction construe construe- tion of ot boats bonts except that they thoy bo be strong stron and Jr ho be will vili maintain that storms are aro storms whether they thoy bo on fre fresh h or salt Fall water and the they aro governed Ornell l II by bythe j I tho the same weather elements Make Mako the statement that tho water viator contains 23 3 3 per cent cont of ot solids mostly salt nIt and the captain will produce a a. package o of or salt weighing 3 pounds which was left lett after r distilling 1 tO 10 pounds of water showing a proportion of ot per cent of or solid which Is h practically a saturated solution If TI one could ask Captain Dax Davis Is 1001 questions about Great Salt lake lako ho lie could conic probably answer them thom but th they thoy might not make a more Interesting story than tho ono one he told yesterday esterday da morning down at his store stora In South Temple street between First and Second West Vest streets Tho story was Interrupted by customers customer er c every few tow minutes and the paragraphs were score punctuated by sales of or pickles and lace or It might have hit been beena a pair of or shoes or a n. postage stamp for tor or orthe the tho captain has hns n a sub station connected with his stock of general Jeneral merchandise which is ono one of ot the tha few row of ot its kind left within the limits of ot the city Few Ien Dangerous Incident Captain Davis was asked to tell of ot some sonic of ot the tho rescues of or shipwrecked mariners on the lako lake in which ho he had figured but this was not a a. prolific sub sub- There Thero have been very ry few fow dan dangerous danger danger- er ous one Incidents on Great Salt lake he said sold probably fewer than han on an any bod body of or fresh water ot of its size and I bellr be- be Hero e that statistics would bear out the statement that on Utah lako lake have havo been boen greater than on the Great Salt lake lako during tho the last 60 GO years earB The Tho accident of or this week when hen four Cour men were stranded on Island Island let let- and was as not near nearly as serious as ns the victims them themselves and their friends believed be bo bo- bo It Jl to havo have been ben Of or course they thoy W were ro hungry and all an that but bul when a aman aman man Is III laid up ip on tho the of Antelope island liland all OU ho has haa to do IB is to work his hia way along 1 tho the chore h hf in J. opposite opposite site tho pavilion and then It Is only a n matter of r three or four tour miles pad pad- dung Of ot course there thero havo have been other othor times when parties have been out and with a heavy sea sen they thoy havo have not been ablo able to land Just when they thoy wanted to to but such things happen on an any body of or w water ter as largo large as Salt lake Take Tako an nn average of 1000 bathers a aday aday aday day and on some days das and then compare comparo It with the number of bath bathing Ins accidents reported in this lake There Thera was was' tho the farmer who was blown out Into tho lake lako while bathing at Black BlackRock Rock nock about 30 years ears ago and then about five years ago two bo boys were blown out from tho the present pavilion Besides these thero there were two or three In Instances Instances Instances In- In stances where bathers were strangled led near Garfield In the early days and at Syracuse there thero was waa a yachting accident many years cars ago In which three lives were lost Comparisons Comparison Are Arc Made These are about all the fatalities In 30 years cars and where is there a lake Jake or summer resort In tho the country that c can n show a smaller record True there have been a few fow accidents such Buch as that of ot two weeks ago alO when a man dived from tho the platform and broke broko his neck but hilt If It a R. man jumps head first from any foot 20 platform on lan land or Into any shallow water tho the result i is likely to bo ho about tho the same samo Captain Davis was born In Vale Wales 67 7 yours years ago and came camo to Salt Lako Lake In 1864 several years after his parents and tho the roat rost of t-if the tho family arrived rt Ho Un went behind the tho counter unter as i. i he he ex ex expressed expressed ex- ex pressed It Il when he was 14 years yeara old and has been selling goods in ono one store or another ever since To see sec him him to today to to- day a though there thoro Is no evidence that Captain ln Davis has 53 years In tho the Close atmosphere of ot a store storo for ho he looks hardly a a. day over 56 55 and Is as aa strong and sturdy JIB ns many a man under GO CO The Tho merchant captain started work in Salt SnIt Lake Lako in the tho Z C M M. 1 I. and then was with the tho William Jennings Storo Atoro for three years Then 1 l IS- IS ISwaR was waR Day Co for ten tea or twelve years and then Barnes Davis for as many moro more until Mr Davis put his own namo name over the thedoor thedoor thedoor door alone about 14 years ago ngo Life was wan not all given to selling sugar and salt sail I though for Captain Davis for one year ear after his arrival In Salt Lake Lako was as I captain of the tho bravo brave sloop Eureka Cureka which was among tho the first pleasure craft Clart on tho the Great Salt lako lake Aquatic sports In this country be began hegan he- he gan in tho the earl early flOe OOs said the cap cap- tam tain as ho he finished registering a pack- pack ago an and took up the thread of or his story At first most all at tho sailing was on tho the Hot lIot Springs 9 lake lako out north of ot tho the city Of Ot course you OU dont don't re remember ro ro- member r that lake but there aro are lots of or ortho tho old ota boys who do remember it well wel This lake lako was about tho safest proposition eltion for tor yachting that ever happened for although It was waR about two miles I long by nearly ono one milo wide thore there worn few tew places whore It was over a aman's amans amans aman's amans aman's mans man's head and most of or tho the lake lako was about four feet teet deep Luke Lake Grows Grown Smaller Hot Springs lako lake began soon to get got too small for us and soon coon all nn our yachtIng yachting yacht yacht- Ing was wan done in Great Salt Snit lake In Inthe tho the early carly days wo we drove out with wagons wag ons and in a a. few Cew years we wo could go out outon outon outon on Old narrow gauge gause Utah Central that Is now tho the San Pedro Tho The salt Lake Yacht club was organized organized organ organ- zed a year car or two t later and I was com corn commodore and J. J M. M I. I Barrett Darrett vi vice co com con There were v some ton or twelve yachts and sloops In tho the fleet et that wo we kept moored near Lake Point a a. mile beyond the tho old Garfield Garnold Beach and we held regular races and annual outings for man many years It was along In tho the late Into VIe when S Syracuse resort was built bunt up near noar Og- Og den There Ther was a a. branch road from the theold theold theold old Utah Control Central at Syracuse Junction and tho the resort was wen well patronized during dur ing tho the old high water days das It might havo have b been en fIve AVO years or longer that the Syracuse resort held hold Its Us popularity and then the lako lake went down a a. few tow feet and left tho the old pavilion and bath houses in ina a a. sea of at mud Following this thin thero there was a a. little resort at Lake Point and another at Garfield B Beach ach before tho the present pi pa pavilion villon at was projected These all an had lied their bl big flays days but tho the re receding ro ro- ceding waters finally left them high and anCl dr dry Great it Salt Lako Lake had be boon rising slowly and steadily until 1878 and anel the farmers tanners along tho the shore hall hail watched tho the waters encroach on their until un un- un til they thy almost almont t pl They could see oco where In past ages x Ot 6 L t 1 n S t I h J PIONEER YACHTSMAN OF SAt T LAKI rT r l r i 4 r a b 1 l 1 4 1 ri I- I CAPTAIN D. D L L. L DAVIS DA tue shores of ot tho lako lalo had been high upon tho the mountain sides and it was the general belief bollor that the tue lake lako would keep kep on rising until tho the whole valley would be Inundated Reports I From Just about this time lime some sonio stray camo in with a report that tho great desert to the west of or orthe the lako was really lower than the tao lake lako There Thero wore a dozen different plans proposed Immediately to drain off oft the waters of or tho the lake lako onto the desert desort and savo tho the farms Some Somo of or these plans looked good so 80 an nn investigation was started with witha a view to finding tho the best place to dig Immense trenches from tho the lake to the tho desert First wo we wont ont to toe Deseret Museum and procured copies of the tho original e survey of oC tho the lake lako made mado by Captain Stansbury In 1843 1849 Toen tho the surveying sur party part was made mado up We Ve took took- ook the Water Witch Itch a n. largo large yacht o n owned 1 b by tho the Salt Lake Lako Yacht club In n tho the party were Charles Hardy count surveyor II n A A. A Tuckett Harry Emer Emery John P. P hurdle Hardic an and Levi LovI Reed leed It was a two da days days' 8 sail flail to get over to the place where the tho west end of or ho tho off cut Is now but it took toole less titan than one da day to find that thoro there was no chance for spilling Great Salt Lake out on tho the desert desort and relieving tho thio farm farmers farmer ore Tho The lake shore at that point was about 10 miles further vest than the tho nil shore horo oro linn line as Indicated by Captain chart chort Wo We 0 ran a 0 line lino across th the desert for about bout 10 miles miles' and found that there thoro was a 0 rise o or of about I H 18 inches to tho the mile After I this brief survey sunoy Charles hat county county coun- coun ty surveyor reported that there was 10 no chance to make mako an artificial outlet out out- let et for tor tho the lake off Cut Infringes on R flights tN Here There Captain Davis is stopped to pass passa a few remarks about abou the Lucin cutoff cutoff cut cut- off oce which ho lie characterized as tho the meanest piece picco of or effrontery ever practiced on the American people b by an my any railroad or corporation Hero Here wo we had iad a great t lake valuable for tor sport and commerce and tho the Southern Pacific Pa Pa- dOe steps In and builds a trestle cutting cutting cut- cut ting Ing tho the lake lako Into three parts with no communication by boat possible bo bo- tween them Of or course courso the tho ol olho of ho tho state will bo be robbed of their right to o use tho the lake until tho the railroad is Js compelled by tho the courts to put In iii a adraw adraw draw bridge Regarding tho the commercial tram transportation por tation on Great Salt Lako Lake Captain Da Davis said Ono One of ot tho the first projects though not the earliest was tho the steamboat built h by men connected with the thc old Contral T that was vaa us used d for Hr v. st-v. V. V ci eral fy years t to carry carry oro ore ore-Crom from near Garfield Garfield Gar Gar- field to tho the city elty of ot In those days there thieve was waR no railroad through Salt Snit Lake and tho the PacifIc peo- peo plo had harl an idea that by building a city at tho the point whore where tho the old line lino of or the Central Pacific crosses Bear Deur river near Brigham City Salt SaIL Lake Ialo would fade ado awa away and all aU business would bo be transferred to tho the now new town A A. smelter was waR erected und tho the steamboat steamboat steam steam- boat City Cily of Corinne Corinn was used in carrying oro ore from Garfield The ore was hauled b by wagon from tho the district and from rom Stockton and then thon b by boat boot across Groat Salt Lake Lako and then 20 miles up tho the Bear river to the tho old smelter This was profitable for Cor only a few years yearn however cr am and the City of oC Corinno- Corinno was put to other othor uses S Railroad Projects t. t In those days It looked as though tho the Utah Central Contral Intended to build a road from rein Echo to Salt Lake Lako by way of oC Park Pari City and many Salt Lako Lake people put up good money for stock Tho The Union Pacific obtained control however and ton the building operations at Park Parle The Tho were stopped City completion com con of or the tho railroad to Park City meant more moro ioree for tho the lake lako though for tor It opened a a. demand for tor salt The Tho old salt beds heds wore a n few fow miles north of oC Garfield beach and the City of ot Corinne and a sailing sloop that was built hullt Inter later used to carry carry car car- r ry this salt to tho the railroad for Cor shipment ship ship- ment mont to Park City Tho The wreck of or the theold theold old schooner r now jiow low lies within slight of or tho the tracks at Salt Saltair air but tho the ribs of oC the City of oC Corinno have havo long Ions since sunk In the thus mud of oC tho the Jordan river where tho hulk was taken for tor burial after the tho boat was dismantled The first steamboat on Great Salt Lake was tho the Katie Katlo Connor owned by the late General Connor to whose memory a a. statue ha has been erected atthe at atthe atthe the fort rort I believe tho tie engine of or this boat was built by William J J. J Silver SIl and It was tho the first |