pi'^^iSili'^Sf^^^^ pR^LJMfNANV Rt:S\>H^ Utah Conservation Commission 1909 ws irin mm i r'ii[iiiitiiini[iiiiitiiiiiiiiuniiittiiririiiiitii(iiinirirfiiniiniiiiinnninnfriiiriii'iimirin iiiiiiiiiiniiinMn'"TnrniinTi'inn'i'Hiiii''iiinirriininirii inririi 3 1924 013 741 719 A H O MAP OF STATE OF UTAH Shovnn^ Natioinal Forests BY Utah Conservation Commission 1910. The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013741719 ■>: -i.ki^i Preliminary Report OF THE UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION 1909 SALT LAKE 1909 //C 101 (^ /U/ l/ '/ c Word of Governor Spry. |HE wanton waste of our national re- sources; the improvident drafts on Nature's store-houses, carried on for these many years by the voracious few and countenanced by the thoughtless many, have at last been forcibly brought to the atten- tion of the American people. Condemnation of this waste has found utterance in every sec- tion of the country, and scientific remedial measures are being developed in the great National and State Conservation movements inaugurated during the administration of Presi- dent Roosevelt. Rich with the gifts of Nature beyond any other section of the country, Utah should be deeply interested in these movements. Fortu- nately the ruthless hand of the public resource pillager has rested lightly on our State, and restoration is less a problem than conservation. The Utah State Conservation Corn mission is engaged in the task of making an inventory of the state's resources, developed and unde- veloped, and issuing a report which shall establish a sure and substantial foundation for economically drawing on our natural resources for the needs of the present generation, and husbanding them for the needs of future gen- erations. The labor such a report involves is great, and I earnestly urge all State, County and City Officials, and the people of Utah generally to co-operate with and support these public spirited gentlemen in the work which they have undertaken. WILLIAM SPRY, Governor of Utah. Submitted To His Excellency, William Spry, Governor of Utah. Sir: We, the members of the Utah Conservation Com- mission, have the honor to submit the following .preli-m4na#y~ report. It is always m<:>re difficult to make a beginning than to proceed later. We have tried to present a statement of present conditions, with some comments, and such suggestions as have been tendered with a purpose of getting the largest possible measure of utility from these resources for the people of Utah — now and for all time. And while we cheerfully con- cede some of the imperfections to this report, we take the liberty to express the belief that later numbers will more com- pletely answer the demands of the time. Permit us, in this connection,! to acknowledge our obliga- tion to Mr. J. E. Pettit, State Coal Mine Inspector; Mr. Fred W. Chambers, fish and game warden ; Mr. Clyde Leavitt, Dis- trict Forrester ; Mr. Willard Hansen, state dairy and food com- missioner, and' other state and government officials, whose assistance in contributing data has been invaluable. We have the honor to remain, THE UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. UTAH STATE CONSERVATION COMMISSION. GOVERNOR WILLIAM SPRY, Chairman. O. J. SALISBURY, Vice-Chairman. Felt Building, Salt Lake JOSEPH F MERRILL, Secretary University of Utah, Salt Lake. JOHN A. WIDTSOE, Agricultural College, Logan. THOMAS L. ALLEN, Coalville. GEORGE AUSTIN, Salt Lake. LEROY ARMSTRONG, Salt Lake. B. B. MANN, Clerk, Salt Lake. Charter One Hundred and Three The following law, enacted by the Legislature of Utah in 1909, is the charter under which the Utah Conservation Commission operates : SECTION ONE. That a commission to be known as the Utah State Conservation Commission is hereby created, to consist of not less than three members, citizens of the State of Utah over the age of 21 years. SECTION TWO. That the Governor of the State of Utah shall be ex-offiicio a member and chairman o£ said commission, which shall serve for a term of four years without compensation. SECTION THREE. That it shall be the duty of said commis- sion to adopt and carry out such policies and measures as will prevent waste of the natural resources of Utah and to co-operate with the National Conservation Commission and with the conserva- tion commissions of other states in any way that shall have for iis object the conservation of the natural resources of Utah. The Act further provides that the commission is to; 1. Collect and publish statistics and data relative to the natural resources of the State of Utah. 2. To place before the legislative and executive depart- ments of the United States, including the National Reclamation Service, data and facts showing the great value of the arid lands in Utah when subjected to irrigation, and facts and information for the guidance of the legislative and executive departments of the United States in establishing dams, reservoirs and irriga- tion systems for the reclamation of arid land in the State of Utah. 3. To aid the Forestry department of the United States in the protection of the timber lands and water sheds in the State of Utah, and also to procure equitable privileges to the users of national forest reserves in the State of Utah. "WASTE NOT, WANT NOT." The purpose of the Utah Conservation Commission, in the present paper, is to present a preliminary report, a record of so much of the work as has been accomplished along untried ways, and to lay the foundation for a more complete and more helpful paper later on. It has been the aim of the Commission to find exactly what are the natural resources of Utah in soil, in minerals, in water and in wood ; to find if either of these resources has been wasted by the people, either through lack of knowing how best to conserve them, or for any other reason; and to point out how much more rich and fortunate the people would be if the waste were eliminated, and all the resources employed. Both in this preliminary report and in the future activities of the Commission it is the purpose to suggest the reforms that should be adopted, the laws that should be enacted by the legislature of the state ; to more actively and effectively co- operate with such agencies as have been established by the state of Utah, looking to the conserving and utilizing of all the resources of the state. It is also the purpose of the Commission to work in per- fect harmony and large effectiveness with the National Con- servation Commission, and with the Commissions of other states — to the end that the general cause may be promoted ill the country at large, as well as in the state of Utah. For it is the conviction of this Commission that the old adage is true, and that if the people waste nothing of their resources, they will never in the future want for anything. Utah Conservation Commission OUTLINE OF THE BEGINNING AND PROGRESS OF THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION POLICY. Comparison of the natural resources of the present with the natural resources of fift)^ years ago is so significant and the rate of waste so great that it strikes at the very founda- tion of national prosperity and threatens it with destruction. The realization of these conditions and the importance of this question brought about what has become known as the Conference of Governors, called by President Roosevelt at Washington, May 13 to IS, 1908, and attended by the Govern- ors of the States and Territories, as well as by the Senators and Representatives of the Sixtieth Congress, and by a large num- ber of representatives of various scientific and economic as- sociations and organizations. F.rRST MEETING TO CONSIDER CONSERVATION. This conference was the first step taken toward the recognition of the urgent necessity for a National Conservation policy; and so vital is the importance of this movement to con- serve the natural resources of our country that for the first time in the history of our government the Chief Executive officers of the States separately, and of the States together forming the nation, were assembled to consider it. The result, in brief, of the Conference of Governors was the arousing throughout the country of thoug'ht and general interest in the need for proper use of our natural resources, and the recommendation by this conference for the appoint- ment by each State of a Commission on the Conservation of Natural Resources to co-operate with each other and with any similar commission of the Federal Government ; also, a recom- mendation for the creation of a National Conservation Com- mission. 10 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Acting on the suggestions of the Conference of Governors, on June 8, 1908, President Roosevelt appointed a National Conservation Commission, with Gififord Pinchot as Chairman. JOINT CONFERENCE AT WASHINGTON. On December 1-7, 1908, at Washington, a Joint Confer- ence on Conservation between the Governors of States, the State and National Commissions and representatives of na- tional associations was held, the object being to confer on an inventory of the national resources, prepared by the National Conservation Commission, and to discuss means and methods for promoting the work of conservation. At this Conference the report of the committee on organization was approved, one of the principal points of this report providing for the appointment of a joint committee on conservation with Gififord Pinchot as Chairman, and Thomas R. Shipp as Secretary, which should act as a medium of co- operation or clearing house through which the various State Conservation commissions and conservation organizations could be kept in touch, each with the other and with the National Conservation Commission, and to act in a capacity ot suggesting plans for operation of the various state commis- sions. The first National Conservation Congress was held at Seattle, August 26-29, 1909, .the official report of which has not as yet been made. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 11 CONSERVATION AS APPLIED TO UTAH. Creation of Utah State Conservation Commission ; Conservation bill as passed by the Legislature ; Aims of the Utah- State Conservation commission ; Need for co-operation from every department of the state, and every individual throughout the state; The returns which will follow the adoption of legislation tor the proper use of the resources of Utah; The need for general thought and study of conservation policies by the people of Utah, in order that the subject may be intelligently dealt with in commercial and industrial enter- prises, and in securing proper legislation pertaining to same. Agricultural Resources of Utah INTRODUCTION. Utah's claim that she must of necessity become one of the great commonweaUhs of the country rests primarily upon her surpassingly great agricultural resources. Utah is a young state, scarcely yet conscious of her boundless natural resources. Her soils have scarcely been touched ; the limits of production on these soils are not half understood and the crops which, commercially, will make of Utah one of the great agricultural states of the Union are just beginning to be cul- tivated. The period of pioneer life during which were laid se- cure foundations for membership in the sisterhood of states, required, the founders of the State to confine themselves largly, to the more elementary practices of agriculture. This preliminary period in the State's growth has now been passed, and Utah is entering upon its period of great agricultural de- velopment. AREA. Utah covers an area of 54,300,000 acres. Of these, about twenty millions consists of mountains and lakes, and approxi- mately twelve million acres are coal, salt and similar lands. The remaining twenty-two millions are all subject to agricul- tural cultivation. Of this vast agricultural area less than one- tenth is cultivated at the present time. This fact, alone, shows the great possibility for agricultural development. CLIMATE. The agriculture of Utah is determined by the prevailing climatic conditions. The average annual rainfall ov^er the State varies from twelve to fifteen inches. In some places it rises to eighteen and twenty inches, and on the deserts it fre- quently falls to five inches. The distribution of this rain- 16 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. fall is very favorable for the production of crops, for most of it falls during the winter and early spring months when evaporation is low, while the summers are practically rain- less. The evaporation of water within the State goes on very rapidly, for the humidity of the air is very low, the sun- shine is abundant and the average temperature is above the average for the United States. While the somewhat low rain- fall is easily dissipated by the dry air and abundant sunshine, yet these latter factors have an important bearing upon the fit- ness of Utah as a habitation for a prosperous people. The dry air gives comfort in the hot season and is health producing, and the abundant sunshine impresses its cheer upon the State's character. Over a great portion of the State, the win- ter precipitation comes in the form of snow, giving ideal, dry and moderately cold winters. Early and ' late frosts are not of frequent occurrence, though fruit growers have to count on them in occasional years. AVERAGE RAINFALL, TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE STATE OF UTAH FOR 1908. Average Rainfall Average Tempera- ture (Fahrenheit) Average Relative Humidity for Salt Lake City, 1909. (Per cents) 0.79 1.16 1.10 0.49 2.35 1.09 0.96 1.20 1.87 ?.?7 0.62 0.97 27.8 31.2 39.8 49.4 50.7 59.6 71.5 68.1 59.3 44.8 36.0 25.4 63 62 March 58 47 May 45 36 July August 36 45 50 43 65 December ■ 81 UTAH CONSERVATION COMM'ISSION. 17 SOILS. The soils of Utah are intimately connected with the early geological history of the West. The western half oi the State lies within the Great Basin. Most of the eastern half forms the high plateaus of Utah and partakes very much of the character of the soils of northern Arizona and eastern Colorado. The northeastern corner of the State is filled with high mountains covered with trees and nutritious grasses. In the Great Basin section of the State, the soils have been formed by the action of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville, which formerly covered the whole of what is now known as the Great Basin. The washings from the mountains were car- ried down into the lake by the rivers and distributed over the lake bottom to form the soils of the present day. These soils are of unusual depth and fertility. Their lower layers, to a depth of forty and fifty feet are almost as fertile as the surface soils. The soils covering the eastern half of the State, known as the high plateau soils, were formed in early geological days when a shallow ocean covered that portion of the State. From the manner of their formation they are also of re- markable depth and fertility. Like the Great Basin soils, their subsoils are practically as fertile as the top soils. In the mountainous regions the small valley are filled with wash- ings from the mountains forming soils of high fertility. The fact that the rainfall is not sufficient to drain through the soils to wash out the fertiliy, has conserved for untold ages the store of plant food. All in all, Utah soils are of unsurpassed fertility. Every landowner within the State owns virtually not one, but several farms, because of the equal fertility of the layers of the soils to very great depths which is drawn upon by the deep-going plant roots. However, even with this high fertility, the conservation of Utah soils needs to be carefully considered. Improper methods of irrigation and continuous cropping with exhaus- tive crops will tend to diminish the native fertility of the soil. On the other hand, scientific investigation has already demonstrated that by proper methods of tillage the fertility of Utah soils may be maintained indefinitely so that the time 18 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. need never come when we shall have to deal with the ques- tion of exhausted soils which is now the most vital question in Europe and many of the older sections of the country. The conservation movement can probably do no greater service to this State than to make possible an extensive study of the present soil resources of the State of Utah and a determina- tion of the methods whereby the fertility of the soil may be conserved indefinitely. WATER SUPPLY. As already indicated, the water supply of the State is the critical factor in plant and therefore in animal produc- tion. There are numerous rivers within the State, some large, but most of them small. The annual discharges of some of these rivers are indicated in the following table. TABLE "A". Annual Discharges of the Rivers of Utah. Discharge River Year Acre-Feet Bear River 1905 701,900 Blacksmith Fork 1905 74,570 Logan River 1905 146,700 Weber River v. 1906 398,460 Ogden River 1898 6^003 City Creek 1906 13,917 Parley's Creek 1906 18,569 Mill Creek 1906 11,782 Big Cottonwood Creek 1905 40,809 American Fork River 1905 36,270 Provo River 1904 279,900 Hobble Creek 1905 21,650 Spanish Fork River 1906 121,493 Sevier River 1905 96,941 San Pitch River 1905 46,860 Green River 1904 4,261,500 Ashley Creek 1904 92,180 Price River 1905 60,580 Stravjrberry River 1904 54,820 Duchesne River 1902 466,174 Lake Creek 1902 184,271 Uinta River 1903 185,540 Whiterocks River 1903 101,023 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 19 A number of reservoirs for the storage of water for irri- gation purposes are also constructed or in process of con- stuction. The Reclamation Service is working upon the Strawberry Valley project which will reclaim many thou- sands of acres in the heart of the State, and the State itself has constructed a reservoir in a fertile part of southern Utah. There are, besides such reservoirs, hundreds of canals which take their water directly from the rivers. Many of these canals were constructed in the face of great difficulties during the early history of the State. Some of them represent un- told sacrifices on the part of the farmers of the State. The indomitable pioneer spirit is yet manifest even to-day. For instance, in the southern part of the State, in the Rio Virgin district, the Hurricane canal has recently been constructed under the cooperative plan by farmers who were practically penniless except as they owned their little homesteads. For over a decade the community gave its whole support to the construction of this canal which is one of the great wonders of the world. It crawls along the mountain side, crosses ravines and chasms until it finally reaches the arid valley which now, by the magic of irrigation, is being converted into a garden of wealth. The conservation movement in Utah must of necessity have as one of its chief objects the determination of the total amount of water which, flows down the rivers and the investi- gation of the possibilities of storing this water for the benefit of man. It is to be hoped that the time will come when prac- tically every drop of water running off Utah mountains may be held back in great reservoirs to be used on the arid lands as irrigation water throughout the summer season. When such a day shall come, seven to ten million acres of Utah lands may be brought under irrigation as against one million acres which is now the approximate irrigated area. At the best, however, the river waters of the State will cover only a small part of the whole State : not more than one-fifth of the whole area. The maintainance of the canals and reservoirs of the State is also a problem that needs immediate attention, for -much of the work of the past is being destroyed by improper 20 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. care. Moreover, from the various canals there are great losses by seepage and evaporation which should be controlled. The evaporation factor can not well be controlled in canals and reservoirs; but the seepage problem may be solved by the use of cementing materials of various kinds. Not only is there a direct loss to the farm of the water that seeps into the soils from the canals, but this seepage water dissolves a large quantity of valuable plant food which escapes to the lower valleys whrre the seepage water rises to the surface. It is in this way that alkali is formed, and it is a regrettable fact that the alkali problem is becoming a serious one in the State of Utah. In this day irrigation and drainage go hand in hand; whereas, under judicious' methods of irrigation, it should be possible to eliminate almost wholly the drainage question, with the result that the water now wasted by seepage into the low lying lands would be used for the irrigation of the dry high lying lands. These problems of great importance for the consideration of the Conservation Commission also emphasize the undeveloped possibilities of this young State. UNDERGROUND WATER SUPPLY. Since the river waters, if fully conserved,- will suffice to ir- rigate at the most only a fifth of the lands of this State, it naturaly follows that the question of securing more water for irrigation purposes is a vital one among the people of the State. Recent investigation has indicated that the great val- leys of the State are underlaid by water. The Federal Gov- ernment has made some study of this question and has suc- ceeded in locating large bodies of underground water. The State administration, likewise, has spent time, money and ef- fort upon this subject. To the joy of the people the State has' already succeeded in reaching subterranean water that may be used for culinary and irrigation purposes in some of the most desert places of the State. The probabilities are that in the very near future artesian wells and the pumping of wa- ter from deep wells will be important factors in the reclama- tion of Utah. Just what proportion of the lands of the State UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 21 will be irrigated in this manner is difficult to foretell, but cer- tainly it will be many hundreds of thousands of acres. USE OF THE NATURAL PRECIPITATION. The water resources of Utah can not well be dismissed without considering also the recent development in dry farm- ing, which has taught that the natural precipitation of the State, if properly conserved in the soil, may be made to pro- duce profitable crops without irrigation. When it is consid- ered that twelve inches of water, properly stored in the soil, are sufficient to produce most of the ordinary crops, it follows that practically the whole of the State of Utah may be made agriculturally profitable. If enough rainfall does not fall in one season, it has been learned that the rainfall of two seasons may be stored in the soil and in that way crops may be ob- tained every other year. Even this is a great deal better than to leave the land as it is at the present time : lying idly as great deserts covered with useless plants. To teach the peo- ple the possibility of reclaiming the arid lands of the State without irrigation is not the least important work before the Conservation Commission. THE WASTE OF WATER. While water is the critical factor in Utah agriculture, yet it must be confessed that there is a great waste of water in our State. As in the other irrigated states, farmers have come to believe that the more water they apply to their soils, the surer are they of a large crop. The recent experiments car- ried on by the Utah Station as well as by the Federal Gov- ernment have shown the fallacy of this idea, yet the new truth has not sunk deep into the consciousness of the farming population. It may be necessary to secure legislative enact- ment to control the use of water in order to prevent such waste. No man has the right to use more water than is really necessary, for, as explained above, it will ultimately result 22 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. in the bringing up of alkali somewhere in the State in addi- tion to depriving some other piece of land from the water that is thus wasted. CLASSES OF UTAH FARMING. . In accordance with the nature of the lands and the pre- cipitation of the State the agriculture of Utah falls into three distinct classes. First, irrigation farming, which is confined to those portions of the State where artificial application of water has been made possible; second, dry farmmg, which covers those portions of the State where the rainfall is suf- ficient to produce crops without irrigation and where there is no irrigation water available, and, third, the range stock industry which represents the utilization of the vegetation growing on the mountains where the nature of the land for- bids agricultural operations and the very desert portions of the State where the rainfall is not sufficient to produce crops without irrigation. These branches of Utah agriculture are all in a stage of transition, brought about by the recent rapid development of the State and the new knowledge which has come to the West concerning its agricultural practices. IRRIGATION FARMING. The irrigated area of the State it at the present time only about one million acres with a possible maximum of ten million of acres when all the waters in the State shall be held back in canals and reservoirs and used in the best way. There are about 2,200 irrigated farms in the State of Utah, averag- ing 45.5 acres each. According to the Government reports the amount of water used per acre is about 4.35 acre-feet. The crops grown on the irrigated lands at the present time are in the main, wheat, with other grains and lucern, and of the more intensive crops, potatoes, sugar beets, small fruits, ap- ples, peaches and other fruits of that nature and garden truck. The income per acre varies with the crop grown, the care given the land and other local conditions. The personal fac- UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 23 tor is the main one in considering the profitableness of farm- ing on the irrigated lands of Utah. The farmer himself is the first consideration in determining the success or failure of any farm. When the right crops are chosen, and the right care given the soils and) plants, yields representing $100 to $1,000 per acre are not uncommon. It may be noted that these irrigated farms of the State should be cut up into smaller farms. There has been in the past a desire on the part of the people to maintain large irri- gated farms. There are thousands of farms in the State from eighty to two hundred acres. No man can do full justice to such a tract of irrigated land. We are coming more clearly to understand that from five to fifteen acres are quite suffi- cient to maintain a family in comfort and) to provide against old age, providing, of course that the more intensive methods of farming are used. This is one of the directions in which the conservation movement can be of tremendous value to the development of Utah. The people should be taught the best methods of cultivation and the best crops in order to obtain the maximum returns for the outlay of time, money and energy. It should be shown that it is more satisfactory in every way for a man to db the best kind of work on. a small farm than to do slipshod work on a large farm. If the people could be made to understand this, many more thousands of families could be maintained on the present irrigated section of the State. DRY FARMING. The possible dry farm area of Utah is practically all that which is not occupied by mountains or under irrigation canals, with the exception, perhaps, of some of the more des- ert districts where the rainfall is under ten inches. It would appear at the present time that wherever the rainfall is above ten inches dry farming may be made to succeed. While dry farming has been practiced in Utah for upwards of half a century — in fact, Utah is the pioneer dry farming state — ^yet it is only in recent years that dry farming has taken hold of 24 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. the general public. At the present time, dlry farming is prac- ticed in some degree in all the farming districts of the State. It is difficult to estimate just how many acres are being used for dry farm purposes, since the industry is growing so rapid- ly, but the area runs into hundreds of thousands of acres and may at the present time approach one million acres. The yieldfe are very good. The chief dry farm crop is wheat, the average yield of which for the State is about twenty bushels to the acre. Barley, oats and rye are also successful dry farm crops. During the last three years, potatoes have also been found to do well without irrigation in districts that were for- merly supposed to be hopeless deserts. Lucern does well on the dry farms, especially for seed production. Other fodder plants have been tested and almost without exception have been found to yield well. As a general rule it has been neces- sary to grow any new crop for some seasons under dry farm conditions before it has become adapted to arid' conditions. However, plants readily adapt themselves to arid conditions and by a little experimentation successful results follow. The introduction of new plants and the adaptation of old plants to arid' conditions are leading subjects in the reclamation of the dry. lands of the State, which may well be fostered b y the conservation movement. It has been found also that crops grown on dry farms are much more nutritious than are those grown in humid climates. The nutritive value of wheat, for instance, is from one-tenth to one-fourth higher when grown on dry farms, so that one bushle of wheat represents a larger amount of feedSng ma- terial. Potatoes and other crops, likewise, are improved as they are grown with a minimum of water. This fact should not be overlooked by the irrigation farmer who also desires to pro- duce the highest quality of crops. In fact the dry farmers of the West have it in their power to compete most successfully with the great wheat growing districts because of the superior quality of the grain grown under arid climates. Fruit may be grown in small quantities on dry farms. It is somewhat smaller than that produced on the irrigated farms, but it is of very much finer flavor and quality. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 25 No man can foretell at the present time where the end, •with respect to d'ry farming will be. Of one thing we are -certain, that within the State of Utah alone there are several •empires now lying idle as deserts that will be reclaimed by the methods of dry farming. New discoveries by the experi- ment stations are showing how crop failures may be avoided. In fact, deep fall plowing for the conservation of the soil moisture, the fallowing of the land every other year, the planting of a comparatively small quantity of seed, keeping the plants tolerably far apart and the continuous cultivation of the top soil — all combine to make crop failures on dry farms an almost unheard'-of-thing. The discovery that the underground waters may be reached on our Utah deserts makes possible the establishment of homes on our deserts There is no question that millions of people will obtain their living from the now barren deserts covering the larger por- tion of our State. Nor is it to be forgotten that the present crop yields are small in comparison with those that may be obtained as better methods of cultivation are discovered and applied. At the present time twenty bushels of wheat per acre is a fair d'ry farm average; but the various experiments carried on by the State indicate that it may be possible to ■secure from thirty to forty bushels under more improved methods of tillage. In order to facilitate the reclamation of the Utah deserts, the State Legislature authorized some years ago the establishment of six small experimental farms which "have been of great value in showing the farmers in what local- ities of the State dry farming may be practiced and in teach- ing the most profitable methods to follow. RANGE INDUSTRY. The third branch of agriculture in Utah is the range in- * r^O'^"OOO00O"^'^''^Or0VOi0OC.»0■^00^0'OfOlJ^l— I'O'— fOOOiOOroiOOOOcOi— t -^ O 1 r^ 00 10 ro^oo i^^*o oo^o^in in co^o ro^^o Tt^r^ o^^^s.^^s.^co^dq^co^O oj, t^„ ' o 1— ( 4^ ^om^^oooolno^O"OOOooocoomoo^>.m'-H^xr^ ott- o ^,-h't^io Tt^rvf-^ cnTi-h'^ fo'co rsTofoi-roTtio o cvf '<3-'' 4 oooco\t>*o^^-Hl>.ln•^-_\q\qoq\q^>;lot>;0\fOp^^.oq^s. o ot^ ' IT) i-i rsi 00 1-1 VO t-H »— I 1— ( ,-H 1— ( 1-H 04 VH O u oooo^omo^-iocoa^ooco \o c^i o tN.^HOrOLOiOOOi:^0'*{NVOOiOlOOiOO\0*IO\tN,C. o_ -^ -i:^ irj .-H fN. T-H 0^ »-« 0\ »-< tN. eO r-( iW \0 CNl 1/^ Ca 42 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. HYDROGR'APHIC WORK OF THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY IN THE STATE OF UTAH. In the year 1889 the Geological Survey began the study of the water resources in the State of Utah. During this year, gaging stations were established on Bear river near Colliston, and Provo river at the mouth of the canyon. The behavior of these two Utah rivers is pretty well known at the present time, as a practically complete daily record of the flow in cubic feet per second has been kept for a period of twenty years. With the exception of a few scattering records kept by the army engineers, there was very little data- collected bear- ing on the water resources of the United States prior to the year 1889. This work has gradually increased from year to year, as fast as funds would permit, until at the present time a systematic study is being made of the water resources of practically every state and territory in the Union, -including Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands. At the present time, this work is carried on by the Water Resources Branch of theUnited States Geological survey under the direction of George Otis Smith, Director of the United States Geological survey, and M. O. Leighton, chief hydro- grapher of the Water Resources Branch. The United States has been divided into districts ; the work in each district being under the direction of a district engineer. The State of Utah is included in what is known as The Great Basin district, which comprises the states of Idaho, Utah and Nevada. E. C. LaRue, district engineer, has charge of the work in these three states. On account of the small appropriation by the Federal Government; only a small amount could be allotted for the study of the water resources of the state of Utah. Conse- quently, the work has increased slowly. However, the hydro graphic investigations, carriedi on by the Government in the western states, have led to the construction of irrigation works, costing approximately $50,000,000 in the last six years. The construction of these large irrigation projects would no doubt UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 43 have been delayed indefinitely, had it not been for the long- tmie records, showing the vast amount of water running to waste each year in these western rivers. This has directed the attention of civil engineers to the study of the feasibility of hundreds of smaller irrigation projects. There are thousands of acres of land in southern Utah that are practically worthless without irrigation. With the development of the available waters, the value of these lands can be raised to several million dollars. This development could not take place without a reliable record of the flow of the streams. During the last session of the Legislature, a bill was passed authorizing the state engineer to co-operate with and spend dollar for dollar with the Government in order to extend the hydrographic investigations to cover southern Utah. As a result, the water resources of the state of Utah are now being carefully studied under the direction of E. C. LaRue, District Engineer for the United States Geological Survey, and Caleb Tanner, Engineer for the State of Utah. The work in this state has nearly doubled during 1909. At the present time a daily record, in cubic feet per second, is being kept on the following streams in Utah. Bear River at Colliston. Beaver Creek at Minersville. Blacksmith Fork River at Hyrum. Power Plant Race at Hyrum. Box Elder Creek at Brigham. Cottonwood Creek at Orangeville. Diamond Fork River at Thistle. Escalante Creek at Escalante. Ferron Creek at Ferron. -Fremont River at Thurber. Green River at Elgin. Hobble Creek at-Springville. Huntington Creek at Huntington. Indian Creek at Strawberry Valley. Logan River at Logan. Logan Hyde Park and Smithfield canal at Logan. Muddy Creek at Emery. Peteetneet Creek at Payson. Price River at Helper. Provo River at Forks. San Rafael at Green River. Santa Clara River at Enterprise. Santa Clara River at St. George. Sevier River at Gunnison. Sevier River at Marysvale. SpaHish Fork River at Lake Shore. 44 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Spanish Fork River at Spanish Fork. Spanish Fork River at Thistle. Strawberry River at Strawberry Valley. Trail Hollow Creek at Strawberry Valley. U. S. R. S. Power Canal at Spanish Fork. Virgin River at Virgin. Weber River at Devil's Slide. Weber River at Oakley. Weber River at Plain City. The records from these stations are published annually by the Water Resources Branch of the United States Geologi- cal Survey, and may be consulted or obtained by writing the Director of the United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. ; or E. C. LaRue, 307 Brooks' Arcade building. Salt Lake City, Utah. The 1909 records will be published early in the spring of 1910. STRAWBERRY VALLEY PROJECT. The Strawberry Valley Project contemplates the irriga- tion of approximately 60,000 acres of mesa and bottom land lying about sixty miles south of Sale Lake City, on the east shore of Utah Lake. When completed, the irrigation works will consist of the following features : The Strawberry Reservoir, in which it will be possible to impound 110,000 acre-feet of water by erecting a dam 45 feel high across Strawberry river; the Strawberry tunnel, 19,000 feet long, with a capacity of 500 second-feet, by which the water from the Strawberry reservoir is taken through the rim of the great basin; concrete diversion dam and headworks on the Spanish Fork river, the dam to be 16 feet high and 70 feet long; power canal 3 miles long, having a capacity of 500 second-feet; about 40 miles of main distributing canals, with necessary turnouts and laterals; a hydro-electric power plant that will develop 3,000 horse power, the power from which will be used for pumping water for irrigation purposes, and light- ing the towns on the project. To date the following features have been completed: Telephone line, 38 miles long, extending from Spanish Fork to the several prominent features on the project, and UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 45 both portals of the Strawberry Tunnel. This line will be used during the period of construction of the project, and after- wards in connection with its operation and maintenance. As a primary step in the construction of the project, a wagon road 32 miles long, has been constructed from the D. & R. G. railroad by way of the West Portal of the Strawberry tunnel to the Strawberry reservoir site. The concrete diversion dam on Spanish Fork river has been completed, together with three miles of power canal. There are 1500 feet of tunnel on the power canal, and some 8,000 feet of the canal is lined with concrete. The canal has a capacity of 500 cubic feet per second from the Diversion dam to the power house, where one-half of the water will be dropped 160 feet through the wheels of the power plant, and the remaining 250 cubic feet will be turned into the high line canal. A power house containing two 450 K. W. generators ; two 600-horse power turbine water wheels, together with exciters, and accessories ; also a power transmission line extending from the power house to the west portal of the Strawberry tunnel, a distance of 30 miles, has been completed. The west portal of the Strawberry tunnel has been opened up, and' to date 3,700 feet of tunnel has been excavated. Power for the construction of the tunnel is being supplied from the power house on the lower part of the project, and the work of excavating the tunnel is being pursued as rapidly as possible with three shifts. RIVERS AND STREAMS. As nearly as can be stated at this time, the following tables will tell the volume of water in the measured streams of Utah. The list is by no means complete, and can not be until all waters of the state shall have been gauged and re- corded. But the data, so far as secured, comes through the courtesy of Government employes : 46 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. station Rating Table for Bear River Near CoIItnston, I'tah, from Janu- ary 1 to December 31, 1905. Gage height Discharge Gage height Discharge Gage height Discharge Gage height Discharge Feet Second feet Feet Second feet Feet Second feet Feet Second feet -0.55 10 0.40 266 1.40 868 2.40 1,850 -0.50 15 0.60 310 1.50 950 , 2.50 1,960 -0.40 89 0.60 356 1.60 1,035 2.60 2,075 -0.30 47 0.70 406 1.70 1.125 2.70 2,190 -0.20 «8 0.80 4ft0 1.80 1,220 2.80 2,310 -0.10 9i 0.90 518 1.90 1,320 2.90 2,436 .00 ISO 1.00 580 2.00 1,420 3.00 2,860 .10 152 1.10 646 2.10 i,ss; 3.10 2,090 .80 187 1.20 716 ■2.20 ! "SC 3.20 2,830 .30 225 1.30 790 2.30 1,740 Note. — Tlie above table is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It Is based on discharge measurements made during 1904-05. It is well defined between gage lieights 1.3 feet and 2.5 feet. Rating Table for Logan River Near Logan, Utah, tor 1S>06. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height charge height charge height charge height charge height charge Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec. -ft. 1.60 30 2.10 194 2.60 410 3.10 672 3.60 964 1.70 60 2.20 232 2,70 460 3.20 728 8770 1,026 1.80 92 2.30 274 2.80 510 3.30 786 3.80 1,088 1.90 124 2.40 318 2.90 662 3.40 844 2.00 158 2.50 362 3.00 616 3.60 904 Note. — The above table is applicable only for open-claannel condi- tions. It is based upon 6 discharge measurements made during 1906, and is fairly well defined. Rating Table for Blacksmith Fork Near Hyrum, Utah, for 1906. Gage height Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. . Gage height. Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. Feet. 3.20 3.30 3.4t) 3.50 Sec.-ft. 18 29 42 ,W Feet. 3.60 3.70 3.80 3.90 Sec.-ft. 75 94 115 138 Feet. 4.00 4.10 4.20 4.30 Sec.-ft. 163 189 216 ■ 344 Feet 4.40 4. SO 4.60 4.70 Sec.-ft. 273 304 336 369 Feet. 4.80 4.90 Sec.-ft. 402 Note. — The above table is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based upon 7 discharge measurements made during 1905-6, and Is well defined. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION, 47 Rating Table for Weber River Near Oakley, irtah, for 1905-6. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height charge height. charge height charge bright charge height charge Feet Sec.-ft. Feet. Sec.-ft. Feet. Sec.-ft. Feet. Sec.-ft. Feet. Sec -ft. 4.00 46 4.80 209 5.60 490 6.20 917 6.90 1,490 4.10 68 4.90 841 5.60 542 6.30 890 7.00 1,580 4,80 n 5.00 275 5.70 597 6.40 1,066 7.20 1,760 4.30 90 5.10 318 5,80 655 6,50 1,145 7.40 1,940 4.40 109 5.30 353 5.90 716 6.60 1,227 7.60 2,120 4.50 130 6.30 395 6.00 780 6.70 1,312 7.80 2,803 4.60 1S4 5.40 441 3.10 847 6.80 1,400 8.00 2,48) ' 4.70 180 Note. — The above table Is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It Is based upon 10 discharge measurements made during 1904-6 and Is well defined between gage heights 4.0 and 6.0 feet. DIseliarse Measnreinents of Lost Creek Near Croytlen, TTtah, iu 1905. Date February 2.. May 2 a June 28 August 19... Hydrographer W. G. Swendsen . do do W. D. Beers Width Feet 30 27 26 20 Area of Section Square Feet 24 72 16 12 Mean velocity Feet per second 1.00 2.53 1.00 . t age height 2.85 3.50 2.68 2.60 Dis- charge Second- feet 24 181 15 10 a Gaging made at bridge Discharge Measurements of Clialk Creek at Coalville, TJtali, iu 1905. March 8-. May 1 June 16... June 27.. Hydrographer W, G. Swendsen.. do do do Width Feet 34 44 32 Area of section Square feet 21 64 42 Mean velocity second 0.77 2.45 1.58 Gage height charge Feet 1.42 2.25 1.86 1.50 Second- feet 16 154 67 22 Rating Table for Provo River Above Telluride Po-wer Company's Dam, Near Provo, IJtab, for 1906. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height charge heght charge height charg e height charge height charge Feet Seu.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec. -ft. 3.50 100 4.30 442 B.IO 814 5.80 1,146 6.50 1,480 3.60 142 4.40 486 5.20 862 5.90 1,194 6.60 1,526 3.70 184 4.50 53C 5.30 912 6.00 1,242 6.70 1,576 2.80 226 4,60 576 5.40 9.58 6.10 1,288 6.80 1,626 3.90 268 4.70 622 5.60 1,004 6.20 1,336 6.90 1,776 4.00 310 4.80 670 5.60 1,050 6.30 1,384 7.00 1,826 4.10 354 4.90 718 5,70 1,098 6.40 1,432 7.10 1,876 4.20 5.00 766 Note. — The above table is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based upon 5 discharge measurements made during 1906 and is fairly well defined. 48 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Elstlniated lUonthly Discharge of American Fork Near American Fork, Utah, for 1906. [Discharge area, 66 square miles.] Month. January iPebruary.... March April May June July August September . October November . December.. . The Tear.. Discharge in second-leet Maximum. Minimum. Mean. 27 26 »1 97 184 239 104 40 38 29 23 20 U 26 28 56 107 40 27 26 22 17 16 24.0 28.0 29.2 49.9 110 176 65.1 32.7 27.4 24.5 21.5 17.8 50.1 Total in acre-feet. 1,476 1,277 1,795 2,969 6,763 10,470 4,003 2,011 1,630 1,506 1,279 1,094 36,270 Run-off. 1 Second-ft. Depth per square in mile inches 0.364 0.420 .348 .382 .442 .510 .766 .844 1.67 1.92 2.67 2.98 .986 1.14 .495 .571 .416 .463 .371. .428 .826 .364 .270 .311 .759 10.81 Station Ratine Table for Hobhie Creek Near Springvllle, Utah, from May 31 to December 31, 1905. Gage height Discharge. Gage height Discharge. Gage height Discharge. Gage height. Discharge. Feet. 1.10 1.20 1.30 Second-ft. 7.0 14.5 22.0 Feet. 1.40 1.50 1.60 Second-ft. 30.5 40 60 Feet. 1.70 1.80 1.90 Second-ft. 61 73 86 Feet. 2.00 2.10 Second-ft. 99 113 Note. — -The above table is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on nine discharge measurements made during 1905. It is well defined betvireen gage heights 1.2 feet and 1.8 feet. Monthly Discharge of Spanish Fork Near Spanish Fork, Utah, for 1906> [Drainage area, 670 square miles.] Month. Discharge in second-feet. Maximum. Minimum. Uean Total in acre-feet. Eun-ofl. Sec-feet, per-sq. mile. Depth in inches. January February March April May June July August September October November December The Year 100 455 594 907 456 169 148 120 81 88 120 907 48 57 53 122 354 180 101 88 81 74 68 66.4 76.0 168 369 611 304 132.0 99.5 93.6 80.3 81.0 84.7 4,080 4,220 9,720 22,000 40,600 18,100 8,120 6,120 5,570 4,940 4,820 5,210 48 184.0 134,000 0.099 .113 .236 .551 .987 .454 .197 .149 .139 .120 .121 .126 .274 0.11 .12 .27 .61 1.14 .51 .23 .17 .16 .14 .14 .15 3,75 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 49 Rating Table for Beaver Creek Near Beaver, TTtata, tor 1000. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height. charge. height. charge. height. charge. height. cbarge. heigbt. charge. Feet. See.-ft Feet See.-ft. Feet. Set. -ft. Feet. Sec.-ft. Feet. Sec.-ft. 3.10 52 3.60 103 4.10 183 4.60 269 4.90 399 3.20 59 3. TO 117 4.20 202 4.60 297 5.00 439 8.30 68 3.80 132 4.30 222 4.70 328 5.10 482 3.40 78 3.90 148 4.40 244 4.80 362 5.20 528 3.50 90 4.00 165 Note. — This table is based on 4 discharge measurements and is not well defined. Statiou Rating Table for Sevier River Near Guunison, Utali, from Janu- ary 18 to December 15, 1905. Gage heigbt Discharge Gage heigbt Discharge Gage beigbt Discharge Gage heigbt .Discharge Feet Second-ft. Feet Second-feet Feet Second-feet Feet Second-feet 0.40 17 1.20 101 ■ 2.00 254 2.80 474 0.50 24 1.30 116 2.10 278 2.90 506 0.60 32 1.40 132 2:20 303 3.00 539 0.70 41 1.50 149 2.30 329 3.10 573 0.80 51 1.60 168 2.40 356 3.20 608 0.90 62 1.70 188 2.50 384 3.30 644 1.00 74 1.80 209 2.60 413 3.40 681 1.10 87 1.90 231 2.70 443 Note. — Tlie above table Is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on six discharge measurements made during 1905. It is well defined between gage heights 0.4 feet and 1 foot and fairly well defined above 1 foot. Statiou Rating Table for San Pitch River Near Gunnison, January 1 to December 31, 100.?. Utali, from Gage height Discharge Gage height Discbarge Gage heigbt Discharge Gage beigbt Discbarge Feet Second-feet Feet Second-feet Feet Second -feet Feet Second-feet 1.70 10 2,10 49 2.50 123 2.90 227 1.80 15 2.20 64 3.60 146 3.00 258 1.90 24 2.30 83 2,70 171 3.10 290 2.00 35 2,40 102 2.80 198 3.20 324 Tile above table is applicable only for open-channel conditions. It is based on discharge measurements made during 1902-1905. It is well defined between gage heights 1.65 feet and 2.5 feet. 50 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Rating; Table for White River JSear Drason, ITtah, for 1906. Oage Dis- Gage Dis- Qtge Dis- Gap" Dis- Gage Dis- height charge height charge height charge height charge height charge Feet See. -ft. Feet Sec. -ft. Feet See. -ft. Feet See. -ft. Feet Sec.-ft. 3.30 505 4.10 815 4.90 1,200 5.70 1,665 7.00 2,560 3.40 540 4.20 860 5.00 1,265 5.80 1,730 7.20 2,710 3.60 575 4.30 905 6.10 1,310 5.90 1,795 7.40 2,860 3.60 610 4.40 950 5.20 1,365 6.00 1,860 7.60 3,010 3.70 650 4.50 1,000 5.30 1,480 6.20 1,990 7.80 3,170 8.80 690 4.60 1,050 5.40 1,480 6.40 2,130 3.90 730 4.70 1,100 5.50 1,540 6.60 2,270 4.00 770 4.80 1,160 5.60 1,600 6.80 2,410 Nate. — The above table Is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on 5 discharge measurements made during 1906 and is fairly well defined. The high water of May caused a great change In area at the measuring section, but did not materially alter the re- lation of discharge to gage height. Rating; Table for Duchesne River Near Mytou, Utah, for 1904 and 1906. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height charge height charge height charge height charge height charge Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet S9C.-ft. Feet Sec -ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet 5.40 423 6.20 1,005 7.00 1,890 7.80 3,040 9.20 5,610 6.50 484 6.30 1,109 7.10 2,020 7.90 3,205 9.40 5,890 5.60 548 6.40 1,200 7.20 2,150 8.00 3.376 9.60 6,270 5.70 615 8 50 1,305 7.30 2,290 8.20 3,715 9.80 6,650 6.80 685 6.60 1,415 7.40 2,430 8.40 4,070 10.00 7,030 5.90 760 6.70 1,530 7.50 2,575 8.60 4,430 10.20 7,410 6.00 840 6.80 1,650 7.60 2,725 8.80 4,790 6.10 920 6.90 1,770 7.70 2,880 9.00 5,160 Note. — The above table is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on 13 discharge measurements made during 1904 and 1 during 1906, and is well defined. Rating; Table for Strawberry River in Strawberry Valley, Utah, for 1906. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dls- , Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height. charge. height. charge. height. charge. , height. charge. height. charge. Feet. Sec.-.ft. Feet. Feet. Sec.-ft. Feet. Sec.-ft. Feel. Sec.-ft. 1.90 92 2.50 207 3.10 351 3.70 511 4.60 770 2.00 109 2,60 229 3.20 377 3.80 539 4.80 830 2.10 127 2.70 252 3.30 403 3.90 567 5.00 892 2.20 146 2.80 276 3.40 430 4.00 595 5.20 954 2.30 166 2.90 300 3.50 457 4.20 658 5.40 1,017 2.40 186 3.00 325 3.60 481 4.40 710 Note. — The above table Is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on 13 discharge measurements made during 1905-6, and is well defined. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 51 Ratine Table for Indian Creek In Strawberry Valley, Utah, for 1906. Gage height. Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. Gage height. Dis- charge. Feet. 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Sec. -ft. 36 44 53 63 Feet. 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0 Sec.-ft. TZ 83 94 105 Feet. 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sec.-ft. 117 129 141 154 Feet. 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Sec.-ft. 167 180 194 208 Feet. 2.9 3.0 3.1 Sec.-ft. 222 236 250 Note. — The atove table is Applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on discharge measurements made during 1905-6, and is well defined. Rating Table for Price River Near Helper, TJtab, for 1905-6. Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- Gage Dis- height charge height charge height charge height charge [neight charge Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft. Feet Sec.-ft, 3.00 1 3:60 60 4.20 219 4.80 608 5.80 1,145 3.10 4 3.70 78 4.30 260 4.90 563 6.00 1,295 3.20 9 3.80 98 . 4.40 305 5.00 600 6.20 1,450 3.30 18 3.90 122 * 4.50 354 5.20 740 3.40 30 4.00 150 4.60 404 5.40 870 3.50 44 4.10 182 4.70 455 5.30 1,005 Note. — The above table Is applicable only for open-channel condi- tions. It is based on discharge measurements made during 1904-1906, and is well defined. The water power possibilities in Utah are limited in com- parison with other States in the Rocky Mountain region, be- cause of the small supply of water in some seasons of the year. The streams of the State are fed largely from melting snows in the high mountains. In the early summer, May and June, the snows on the lower ranges melt and run off, causing the flooding of the low land near their outlets into the lakes or into the larger streams that run to the sea. These mountain streams are generally small, hence there is not much power in them, due largely to the fact that after the flood season is over, they are fed from the melting snows in the very high mountains, which after melting runs into the ground and per- colates in springs along the banks of the upper portions of the streams, and thus a small supply is continued throughout the year. 52 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. The supply of electricity for lighting and power purposes is not nearly equal to the demand at present, and as the State increases in population the demand for power andl light will increase, and it is apparent that all the power there is in the streams of the State should be conserved and put to bene- ficial uses. So far as the Commission is aware, there has been no systematic investigation of this subject, so that until such investigation is made, only limited information can be given. The following list of a few streams will give some idea of the possibilities. The data is taken from information ob- tained through the State Engineer's office. The tables given are for the year 1906, and as nearly as possible the measurements were taken at points where the stream couldi be utilized for power and not materially interfere with the use of the water for irrigation : .■\merican Fork Creek. (UtSh County.) Drainage area 670 Square miles. Fall in IS miles 2,500 Feet. Maximum flow 907 Second feet. Minimum flow 48 Second feet. Period of 12 months, January to December. Bear River (Cache Junction to CoUinston.) Drainage area 6,000 Square miles. Fall in 7 miles 140 Feet. Maximum flow 7,080 Second feet. Minimum flow 585 Second feet. Period 7 months, January to July. Beaver Creek (Beaver County.) Fall in 32 miles 1,451 Feet. Maximum flow 528 Second feet. Minimum flow 52 Second feet. Blacksmith Fork (Cache County). Fall in 5 miles 1,400 Feet. Maximum flow 304 Second feet. Minimum flow. .' 29 Second feet. Big Cottonwood (Salt Lake County). Drainage area 49.5 Square miles. Fall in 10 miles 3,750 Feet. Maximum flow 288 Second feet. Minimum flow 19 Second feet. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. S3 Logan River (Cache County.) Drainage area 218 Square miles. Fall in IS miles 1,000 Feet. Maximum flow 1,090 Second feet. Minimum flow 60 Second feet. Ogden River (Weber County). Drainage area 360 Square miles. Fall in 10 miles 720 Feet. - Maximum flow 2,178 Second feet. Minimum flow 195 Second feet. Provo River (Utah County). Drainage area 800 Square miles. Fall in 35 miles 1,900 Feet." Maximum flow 1,880 Second feet. Minimum flow 100 Second feet. Parley's Creek (Salt Lake County). Fall in 10 miles 2,750 Feet. Maximum flow 146 Second feet. Minimum flow 4 Second feet. Weber River (Summit, Morgan & Weber Counties). Drainage area 1,200 Square miles. Fall in 42 miles 1,730 Feet. Maximum flow 3,210 Second feet. Minimum flow 140 Second feet. The United States Geological survey and the State engin- eer of Utah are making investigations on the streams in the southern and southeastern portions of the state, which when completed will enable this Commission to make a more com- plete report on the water resources of the state. MINERALS UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 57 MINERAL RESOURCES OF UTAH. It was in the latter part of 1863 that General P Edw. Connor, the commander of the United States troops at Camp Douglas, made the first move toward the opening of the Utah mines. The Mormon pioneers who arrived in Salt Lake val- ley in 1847, fully realizing their isolated condition, had turned their attention to those industries requisite for making the people self-sustaining. Among their temporal pursuits agri- culture was exalted as the basis of their prosperity, with home manufactures next. Iron and coal mining was encour- aged, but- not other mining, although evidences were not lack- ing that the mountains of the Territory treasured much gold and silver, as well as lead, zinc and copper. It was during the first year of General Connor's sojourn in the Territory that he, while enjoying a picnic party in Bingham Canyon along with other officers of Camp Douglas, located the first mine in what was to become one of the great- est mining states of the Union. This mine he named the Jordan. Other claims were soon located in Bingham, and General Connor wrote up some mining laws which were adopted at a miners' meeting held at Gardner's mill on the Jordan river, where the district was named the West Moun- tain Mining District, and Bishop Archie Gardner was elected recorder. Thus was the first mining district organized in the Territory. In the Wasatch mountains the first discovery of ore was made in Little Cottonwood canyon, by General Connor, in the summer of 1864, but it was 1868 before the Little Cotton- wood Mining District was organized. Not much was done in the development of these distficts until the coming of the railroad across the continent. True, much money was ex- pended by Connor and his California friends in exploiting the claims and building furnaces at various camps, but owing to unfavorable conditions, including the inexperience of work- men, the efiforts failed. The first shipment of ore from Utah was made in the summer of 1869. It was galena ore from the Emma mine of 58 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Little Cottonwood, and was shipped to the Selby Smelter of San Francisco. Many rich shipments followed, including a lot of forty tons from the East Canyon, now Ophir District, in the Oquirrh Mountains, shipped west by Walker Brothers, which netted $24,000. The success of these ventures gave an impetus to mining all over the Territory. From the summer of 1869 to the fall of 1871 ten thousand; tons of silver and gold ores, valued at $2.500,000 ; four thousand and five hundred tons of gold and silver bearing bullion worth $1,237,000; and two hundred and thirty-one tons of copper ore valued at $6,000 were shipped from the Territory. In 1868 the number of mining districts in the Territory was two; in 1871 there were 32. The completion of the Utah Central railroad in the spring of 1870, with its extensions later into Bingham, Little Cotton- wood and American Fork canyons, did much toward the de- velopment of the mining industry. From the advent of the railroad until the present there has been a healthy consistent growth in this important industry in Utah. The state's present prominence in mining has been gained gradually, and as a result of extensive development of enormous, medium and low grade deposits. There have been few spasmodic and temporary gains in her metallic output, neither have there been serious losses, as the years of pros- perity and adversity in mining arrived. Her advance has been rapid but regular, and the prospects are brighter now for in- creased output in future years than they ever were before. The dividends from Utah's mines and smelters indicate the substantial nature of these industries. For 1909 the re- ported dividends amount to practically $9,000,000, with pros- pects for greater dividends for 1910. For the year 1908 Utah ranks third in lead, fourth in sil- ver and copper, and fifth in gold among the states of the Union. The. total output of the four metals (lead, silver, gold, and copper) for Utah during the last ten years, has averaged from $25,000,000 to $32,000,000 per year, according to statistics compiled by the United States Geological Survey. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 59 The total output of these four metals in the state up to date has reached $450,000,000. But mining in Utah is yet in its infancy. Mother nature has shown us great favor during the geological history of our state, in the operation of her dynamic forces, that have folded and faulted the rock layers of this portion of the earth's crust, bringing to the surface, and hence within the ready access of man, layers and deposits that could otherwise be reached only by miles of vertical excavation. What treas- ures are stored up in our mountains has scarcely begun to be known. Recent developments in many camps have revealed phenomenal ore bodies, The Tintic district, for example, has long been producing an enormous tonnage of smelting ores ; but ^during the past three years the new mines about Godiva Mountain have discovered extensive bodies of excellent ore. The dividends paid by two of these mines in 1907 amounted to approximately one million dollars. And the older producers of Tintic are showing richer values and larger ore bodies with increased development. Some of- these properties are now worked to a vertical depth of nearly a half mile. But Tintic is no exception, for Park City the famous sil- ver-lead camp was never looking better than now, and as for Bingham — her resources are considered one of the wonders of the mining world. The tremendous ore supply from the three camps above mentioned, along with that of many other important Utah camps, as well as the mines of Nevada, Idaho and even Cali- fornia has justified the building of mammoth smelting plants ill Salt Lake Valley, so that Salt Lake City is at present the most important smelting center in the world. These smelters with their competition for custom ores are giving very favor- able smelting rates to the ore producer. Some of the more important mining districts of the state will be considered in detail. OUTCROPPINGS OF IRON ORK. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 61 BINGHAM. MINING DEPOSITS. As a preface to the consideration of some of the larger mines of Bingham, we quote from the summary of the geology of this area in the Monograph on Bingham by the United States Geological Survey. "Between carboniferous and late tertiary time monzonite intrusives invaded sediments in the Bingham area, metamorphized them, and introduced metallic elements which replaced marbleized limestone with pyritous copper sulphides. After the superficial portions of the intru- sives had cooled to at least partial rigidity, they and the en- closing sediments were rent by persistent northeast-south- west fissures. "Heated' aqueous solutions from below then ascended., producing alterations, and introducing metallic minerals. Later the original sulphide ores, altered by surface waters, were oxidized in the upper layers, and secondarily enriched below by changing to black copper sulphides with the addition of gold and silver." As-a result of this process of mineralization there is found in the camp three types of deposits, namely: (1) the dissemi- nated ore of the monzonite laccolith and the contiguous quart- zite; (2) the sulphide lode or vein ores; and (3) the replace- ment or bed ores in limestone. The first type is known in the district as "porphyry ore," and the others as the "sulphide ores," since they contain pyrite or iron sulphide as the pre- dominating mineral. Important mines are now producing from each of these classes of ores. THE UTAH COPPER COMPANY. THE ORE DEPOSITS. This company owns about 200 acres of ground in the heart of Bingham, besides 1,000 acres near the mouth of Bingham canyon arid 2,400 acres at Garfield. The ore -^.lodies of the property in central Bingham consist of an 62 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. altered siliceous porphyry containing small grains of copper minerals, very uniformly disseminated throughout the mass, both in fracture seams and in the body of the rock. The ore averages about 2 per cent copper, 0.15 of an ounce silver, and 0.015 of an ounce of gold. The primary copper mineral is chalcopyrite, but as a result of secondary enrichment from above, practically all of the copper sulphide minerals are now present, the principal one being chalcocite. The developed area covers 72 acres of ground, and although the thickness of the ore body has not been fully determined, yet existing de- velopments show an average depth of at least 310 feet. This area and depth of ore figures up to the equivalent of 1,000,000 tons of ore per acre. Below the depth included in the above estimate is a zone of lower grade ore averaging about 1.5 per cent copper and containing about 40,000,000 tons of ore as indicated mainly by diamond drill holes. Besides these 72 acres now developed or partially de- veloped, there are 88 additional acres of mineralized porphyry in the company's property that is undeveloped, although a portion of this area is known to contain ores of profitable grades. METHODS OF MINING. Open cut work with steam shovels was employed in the extraction of 80 per cent of the tonnage of 6,000 to 7,000 tons of ore per day, the remaining 20 per cent being taken out by the underground caving system. The caving system, although costing slightly less than 60 cents a ton of ore produced, has been abandoned completely in favor of steam shovel work. In great part the benches of ore need but little shattering by blasting, as much of the ore is already loose enough for direct shovel work. EQUIPMENT. At the mine the company has in operation fifteen steam locomotives, mostly of 100,000 pounds weight; 125 stripping dump cars of six yards capacity; two 40,000-pound electric UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 63 locomotives; three smaller electric locomotives and the neces- sary cars for underground haulage ; six steam shovels ; about _ten miles of standard gauge railway laid with 65-pound rails; a 300 horse-power compressor plant; a completely equipped machine shop, capable of handling and repairing the heavy locomotives and steam shovel work, besides the commodious oflfices and quarters for employees. About 10 per cent of the ore produced by the company is transported by the Copper Belt Railroad to the Utah Copper Company's concentrating mill at Copperton, about three miles down the canyon. This mill has a capacity of 900 tons per day. It was built originally for the purpose of developing the best process of concentration, but has been trebled in its capacity and now is an important unit in the company's com- mercial mills. The Mammoth concentrating mill is located at Garfield, where the company has an abundant supply of water. ORE CONCENTRATION. The ore is transported 15 miles northward by the Rio Grande Western Railroad Company to the Garfield mill on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, and there concentrated, 22 tons of crude ore into one ton of concentrates. The object of concentration is to get ridi of the silicious waste material, which is expensive to smelt, and to collect the values into less Ihan 5 per cent of the original tonnage. It is then only neces- sary to pay for the smelting of the one ton of ore instead of 20 ; and it costs a lower price per ton for it also, because of its higher iron content, than for the original monzonite rock with its high percentage of silica. The process of concentration consists in crushing all the ore fine enough to sever the valuable minerals from the waste particles. With this ore it is necessary to crush everything to 40 mesh before the separation of the heavy valuable parti- cles from the light waste material is commenced. Concentra- tion is carried on with jigs, shaking tables and vanners, and the concentrates average 28 per cent copper, 15 per cent iron and 30 per cent silica, a very desirable smelting mixture. The OUTCROP OF LARGE COAL VEIN, UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 65 losses in concentration, occasioned in great part by sliming, caused by the fine grinding through which all the ore is carried, are considerable, amounting to 25 to 30 per cent of the total copper. But since, under the present smelting conditions, the crude ore could hot be smeltedi direct, concentration even with its attendant losses is absolutely necessary. SMELTING THE CONCENTRATES. The concentrates from the monzonite ore form a very desirable smelting mixture. It may be smelted direct in the reverberatory furnace or roasted preliminary to smelting. The fine concentrates containing high sulphur values are roasted in pot furnaces or in mechanically rabbled furnaces for the partial elimination of the sulphur. If the. pot furnace is used the roasted product is in a sintered but porus condi- tion for the copper blast furnace. Matte and slag are run from the blast furnace continually and these separate from each other by gravity in a large settler. The slag with less than .5 per cent copper is discarded, and the matter is further treated to obtain metallic copper. When the fine ore is roasted ifi the mechanically rabbled furnace (the McDougal) and taken out in a loose powdery condition, the reverberatory furnace is employed to smelt the roasted material. Furnaces with upwards of 2,000 square feet hearth area are employed 3t the Garfield Smelter on this fine, powdery material, and 350 tons of this roasted ore are run through each furnace each 24 hours. The products of the reverberatory furnaces, like the products of the blast furnaces, are slag and copper-iron tiiatte. The slag from both kinds of furnaces is run into large pots arranged on trucks, and transferred by locomotive on tracks to the slag dump, where it is run out in a molten state as waste. The matte from the settler of the blast furnace or from the reverberatory furnace is run intO' ladles of 10 tons ca- pacity, operated by electric traveling cranes, which span the converter .house. At the Garfield works there are two such cranes, each of 60 tons capacity, which run the full length 66 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. of the converter building. The ladles of molten matte are quickly carried to the converter and the contents poured in and the ladle returned for more matte. When the converter has received its charge of ten tons the air under a pressure of 12 pounds is turned on and the shell is tilted back to position When the blow begins there is rapid oxidation of iron and sulphur. The iron having the stronger afiSnity for oxygen is finally all oxidized, forming with the siliceous converter lin- ing an iron silicate slag. The slag is then skimmed and the remaining copper sulphide, after being replenished by the addition of molten sulphide of the same copper content from other converters, is again blown, to oxidize the remaining sulphur and produce metallic copper, 98 per cent pure, known as blister copper, carrying the gold and silver that were in the original ore. The bars of copper bullion cast from the con- verter are 24 inches long by 18 inches wide by 2 inches thick and weigh 300 pounds. The metal is shipped away to the refineries in this crude condition. As the centers of consumption of the refined pro- ducts are at a great distance from the smelting plant, and as the costs of transportation of the refined metals is much greater than that for crude bullion, no effort is made at refin- ing thebullion in Utah. THE BOSTON CONSOLIDATED. THE PORPHYRY MINE. Adjoining the Utah Copper mine on the south is the Boston Consolidated. The porphyry mine of this company covers about 156 acres of territory. A large portion of this area is underlaid by mineralized monzonite porphyry, similar to the Utah Copper ore, but running slightly lower in copper content. This ore is estimated by the company's engineers to average about l.S per cent copper. The capping, or over- burden, to be removed in order to mine the deposit by steam shovel, is about 100 feet in thickness. The profitable ore over this area as indicated by extensive sampling and assaying, is about 300 feet deep. Very extensive equipment employed UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 67 for stripping and disposal of the capping and for the mining of ore for the concentrating mill has been in operation for three years. This equipment is said to be ample for handling 15,000 tons of rock daily. The Boston Consolidated's concentrating mill is located at Garfield, 15 miles air line or 27 miles by railroad to the north. When all the units that are now commenced are in commission the mill will have a capacity of 3,000 tons of porphyry ore per day. At present but eight units are in operation. The concentrates are somewhat lower in copper and higher in iron than those from the adjoining property. They make a very desirable smelting material and are con- tracted for by the Garfield smelter on very favorable terms. Besides the porphyry mine this company operates an ex- tensive sulphide mine, coveriiig 103 acres of the limestone belt. The ore, carrying a high percentage of iron pyrite, is not susceptible to concentration, but is sold to the smelter. The mine is fully equipped for the production of 750 to 1,000 tons of ore per day by square set stoping. As the year 1909 goes out, word) comes that there has been a consolidation effected between the Utah Copper and the Boston Consolidated companies. To an observer this cer- tainly sounds like a step toward conservation. As the benches of the Utah Copper ore advance toward the Boston Consolidated's ground by the steam shovel mining, there must come a time when the latter company's property will be seriously interfered with, or when the former must give up open-cut working, as the Boston Consolidated's claims are directly up the mountain above Utah Copper ground. The consolidation will make it possible to cave even more ground from the lower benches and thus decrease costs of extracting the ore of this wonderful mountain. 68 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. THE OHIO COPPKR COMPANY. DISSEMINATED QUARTZITE. This property adjoins the Utah Copper on the east and the Boston Consolidated on the north, and covers an area of 120 acres. The ore is quartzite, mineralized with copper and iron sulphides. The quartzite merges into the lacco- lithic mass of monzonite porphry of the two adjoining prop- erties. The ore is much shattered and broken. Disseminated throughout the shattered rock, and especially along tlie cleav- age planes is the copper ore in the form of a clean chalcocite, a.ssoeiated with chalcopyrite and pyrite. Many crevices in the shattered quartzite have been filled by the metalliferous minerals forming stringers and veinlets of rich copper sulph- ide. Larger fissure veins traverse the deposit and these con- tain much ore of higher copper content, due to secondary enrichmenlt. In these veins, along with the predominanit chalcocite, there is found much red oxide as well as some me- hc copper. From careful and conservative calculation of ore reserves there is estimated to be 13,500,000 tons of ore in the mine above the present transportation tunnel. The average copper content of the ore, as obtained from abundant sampling, is 1.6 to 1.75 per cent copper, with some 10 cents in gold and 3 cents in silver per ton. The concentration of this ore is a simple matter, as the copper minerals are not so finely disseminated through the rock as they are in the porphyry of the neighboring properties. The absence of any clay or talcy decomposition products of the rock make this quartzite an exceedingly favorable ore for concentrating. The mill tests have given an extraction of 75 to 80 per cent of the values. A concentrating plant of 2,400 tons per day capacity is now built at Lark, three miles to the east, for treating this quartzite. Two sections of the mill are now in operation. The main features of difference between this plant and those of LTtah Copper and Boston Consolidated plants are due to the UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 69 difference in the ores. This mill will crush all ore to 12 mesh only, and will make its principal savings with the copper min- erals in larger pieces, using jigs and shaking tables, but -no vanners. It has, however, provided a slime plant, with set- tling tanks, slime tables and buddies. The ore is extracted by the caving system and dropped through winzes to the ore Ibins, 400 feet long, built 1,000 feet underground, just above the transportation tunnel, which reaches the property ! ,000 feet below the bottom of Bingham canyon. This tunnei runs eastward 13,000 feet to daylight on the east base of the Oquirrh mountains, where the concentrating mill is located. The ore is transported at a cost of 15 cents per ton, mined for 50 cents and concentrated for SO cents per ton. With copper at IS cents, the net income per day on 2,400 tons of ore is estimated at $3,864, or an income of $1,400,000 per year. The company has built the present mill with the idea of enlarging its capacity to 4,000. tons per day in the future. THE UTAH CONSOLIDATED. The Highland Boy mine of the Utah Consolidated Com- pany was one of the early producers of the high grade sul- phide ores. The ores of this company were smelted for a number of years at their own smelter at Murray, Salt Lake county. The ore averaged high in copper and the output of the smelter in copper bullion was large for the ore ton- nage treated. The high grade ore and the favorable condi- tions of mining and smelting were indicated by the dividends disbursed. These amounted to more than one million dollars per year. Since the closing of the Murray plant by the in- junction by the farmers of the valley, the ore has been treated by the American Smelting and Refining Company's plant at Garfield. The Utah Consolidated has let a contract for smelting its ore for the next ten years to the International Smelting Company, who are building a modern copper smelter at Pine Canyon, just over the Oquirrh range to the west, in Tooele county. The smelter is to be ready to treat the ores of the 70 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMsiSSION. company by April, 1910. The mining company, in the mean- time, are constructing an aerial tramway from the mine over the mountain range and down Pine canyon to the smelter, a distance of six iniles. Eight hundred to 1,000 tons of ore per day will be transported from the mine over this aerial tramway when completed. THE YAMPA MINE AND SMELTER. One of the large producers of the sulphide ores of Bing- ham is the Yampa mine. The ore is practically self-flvixing v/ith the exception of needing a small amount of limestone. The mine is now putting out a tonnage of 700 to 800 tons of ore per day which is transported about one and one-half miles to the Yampa smelter, in Bingham canyon, the cost of transportation being 7 cents per ton. The smelter treats the total tonnage of the mine, besides about 200 tons daily of custom ore. The furnaces of the plant consists of nine McDougal roasters, three reverberatory furn- aces, two having dimensions of 17 feet by 55 feet, and one 17 feet by 45 feet ; three blast furnaces, twO' 42 by 160 inches and one 42 by 184 inches ; two converter stands, with six converter shells of 84 by 136 inches dimensions. The production of metallic copper by the Yampa smelter with its present capacity is slightly over 10,000,000 pounds per year. THE UNITED STATES PROPERTIES. The extensive properties of Bingham canyon owned by the United States Mining Company are producing a large output that is all smeltedi at the United States smelter at Eingham Junction, in Salt Lake county. Their ores are trans- ported by aerial tramway to the Rio Grande Western Rail- road cars at the Bingham terminus and then hauled to the smelter, 12 miles away. The properties described are the most important in Bing- ham from the standpoint of present development. Neverthe- less, there are many other important producers of copper as UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 71 well as of lead ore in the West Mountain district, in which Bingham is situated. THE TINTIC DISTRICT. Tintic has achieved and still holds the enviable distinc- tion of having more dividend paying mines than any other district in Utah. Eighteen of her mines are credited with hav- ing paid dividends of $17,000,000. The exact figures of bread nioney distributed are hard to ascertain, as many of the mines have been operated by individuals and close corporations, concerning whose income the public has learned little or nothing. The Centennial Eureka, one of the richest mines of the Lfnited States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company, has of late years been the heaviest shipper. The Bullion Beck, one of the oldest producers of the district, has recently gone into the hands of the United States Company, and will be exploited even more actively in the future. The Eureka Hill leasers have been very active during recent years and have produced large quantities of good grade ore. The Mammoth and Grand Central seem to show no limit to the depth at which they obtain very profitable ore. East Tintic, around Godiva mountain, has shown great- est activity during the last two years. The May Day and ITncle Sam have both benefited by the union they effected during 1907. During 1908 there have already been paid out by these companies near $150,000 in dividends. The Knight properties, consisting in the main of the Colorado, Beck Tun- nel, Black Jack, Crown Point and Iron Blossom, controlled by Mr. Jesse Knight of Provo, Utah, have made a phenomenal record since their exploitation cornmenced some three years ago. The Colorado has taken the lead by producing nearly a million dollars' worth of ore in 1907 and paying an aggre- gate of nearly $800,000 in dividends during that year. Her ore avelrages from $75 to $100 per ton in lead, silver and gold. The Beck Tunnel has been a close follower with ore values averaging somewhat less, but with a total dividend recoui near the $700,000 mark, but distributed over a considerably 72 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. longer period of time. As evidenced by the miniature dumps at the shafts of these two mines, there has been very little deadi work. Practically everything taken out has been ship- ping ore. This lime formation of East Tintic has responded so abundantly to the efforts of the miner that now a circle of dividend paying mines is found around Godiva mountain, in- cluding the above mentioned properties, the Yankee Consoli- dated!, the Gemini, the Giroux Consolidated and some others. PARK CITY. Owing to the recent very unfavorable metal market this lead and silver camp, during the last two years, marketed less ore than usual. But d'uring this period much develop- ment work was done, which opened up ore bodies that make it possible for some of the largest companies to ship, when metal prices improve, even better ore and larger tonnage than ever before. Little stir is made as the develop- ment opens up new bonanzas, but that such are opened up i-s always shown as the metal market warrants big tonnages. The persistence of the rich ore in the Park City mines as depth increases makes it important to provide proper drain- age. The Ontario drain tunnel, three miles long, was con- structed for this purpose. The caving in of this drain tunnel a few years ago caused the lower levels of some of the large mines to become flooded. By intelligent and untiring effort this tunnel has, during the . lasit year, been again opened. It has also been extended back under the Daly and Daly West mines. The tunnel will cut the Daly West shaft at the 2,100-foot level, giving this mine 600 feet additional vertical depth. The Daly West main shaft is being deepened to meet the tunnel and is now near the 1,700-foot level. The Silver King mine has made important strikes of high grade ore during recent developments that put it in possibly better condition than ever before. It, with the Daly Judge and Daly West, is shipping fair tonnage at present. The new developments of the Park City district have been made recently in Thaynes canyon, toward Brighton. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 73 Prospects that are showing great activity there are the Cop- per Apex, Keystone, Uintah Treasure Hill, New York, Wa- bash and Silver King Consolidated. MERCUR. Utah's famous gold producer, the Consolidated Mercur Gold Mines Company, is the leading gold producer in the state. During the past fifteen years there have been many millions in gold produced by the properties of this company. The total dividends to date paid by the present company and by the old De La Mar and Mercur Companies run up to the handsome sum of $3,385,312.97. This amount shows the suc- cess that has attended the persistent efforts of Mr. John Dern and his associates. The ore was early known to contain gold, although the prospector was unable to even get colors by the use of the gold pan, and the prospector often had difficulty in interesting the investor in the properties of the camp because no gold showed up in the pan. Mr. Dern and his associates from Nebraska took hold of much of this ground, but found great difficulty in extracting the gold values. The ore refused to give up its wealth by any metallurgical methods, although the owners systematically and persistently experimented with all the commercial methods of extraction then known. At that time the cyanide process was just being developed and the Mercur operators quickly took up with this new process and had their ore carefully tested. The results showed but meager success at first. The oxidized ore gave fair extraction, but much of their higher grade sulphide ores gave little promise of ever responding. By careful work with the roasting furnace under the efficient direction of Mr. D. C. Jackling, now general manager of the Utah Copper Company, the sulphide and arsen- ide ores were brought into a condition for effective cyaniding. Still another difficulty remained to be solved. The slimes were large in amount and no method for successfully treating them had been perfected. This problem the present owners have solved, and the tailings of sands and slimes now carry over 74 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. the dump but slightly over 50 cents in gold per ton. The Con- solidated Mercur mill has a capacity of 800 tons per day, and the Holderman Filter Tank Company is now operating by sliming and vaccuum filtering at a daily tonnage of 200 tons on the Manning dump of the early Mercur tailings. The Boston-Sunshine Gold Mining Company have re- constructed the mill of the old Sunshine mine ot Mercur and are adding much new equipment preparatory to cyanid- ing the very clayey refractory ores of the once famous Sun- shine mine. The mill will have a capacity of 200 tons per day and was put into commission during the month of April, 1909. Time will not permit of more than passing mention of other important mining districts of the State. Alta, Big Cottonwoodi, American Fork, Deep Creek, Beaver County, Kimberley, Park Valley, Gold Springs and others have pro- duced much ore to increase the yearly output of the state. SALT LAKE CITY AS A SMELTING CENTER. Salt Lake City is at present the most important smelt- ing center in the world. The tremendous ore supply of the three gresit mining camps so near at hand, namely, Bingham, Park City and Tintic, giving a combination of easily smelted mixtures, and the unlimited confidence in the continuance of the supply, has justified the building of exceedingly large smelting plants in Salt Lake valley. The favorable position of Salt Lake as a railroad center enables the smelters to draw large supplies of ore from all parts of Utah, from Idaho and even from California. With the galena and lead carbonate ores from Park City, Tinitic, the Coittonwoods, from Idaho and Nevada; the copper iron sulphides of Bingham and Beaver county, the siliceou.s copper, gold and silver ores of Tintic and scattered camps, and horn Nevada, the ore supply is more diversified than anywhere else in the United States. Large custom^ copper smelters and lead smelters, with their competition for custom work, have brought very favorable smelting rates to the ore producer. Nowhere else in this country can the producer dispose of his ores at so favorable figures. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMiISSION. 75 The smelters now in operation, with their capacities, are as follows: Tons Daily Murray Plant, American Smelthig and Refining Co lead 1,500 Garfield Plant, American Smelting and Refining Co. . . copper 3,000 United States Smelting Company, Bingham Junction, .copper 1,500 United States Smelting Company, Binghaifi Junction lead 1,000 Yampa Smelter, Bingham Canyon copper 1,000 Utah Smelting Company, Ogden copper 2St) Tintic Smelting Company, Tintic lead 350 Tintic Smelting Company, Tintic copper 150 Total Capacity Daily 8,750 SMELTER SMOKE. The decision of United States District Judge Marshall in favor of the farmers of Salt Lake county against the smelters ot Murray and Bingham Junction, whereby the smelters were not allowed' to smelt or roast any ore containing over 10 per cent sulphur, seemed a severe blow to the smelters. The de- cision'did not affect the plants at Garfield or Bingham canyon. Two of the smelter companies abandoned their plants. These were the Highland Boy and Bingham Consolidated copper smelters. The former immediately took options on land about 20 miles west, just over the Oquirrh mountains, in Tooele county, and the latter negotiated for land somewhat farther west. The American Smelting and Refining Company came to an agreement with the farmers, whereby they would remain at Murray, by installing a bag house to filter all solids from their smoke, and by instituting some minor changes. The United States Smelting Company, as a result of untiring experiments with its smoke to determine a method of abating the nuisance, apparently succeeded, and now are able to run all the smoke, not only from their lead furnaces, but also from their copper furnaces,' through bags, and collect all solid particles. As a result of this success they have been given opportunity to resume their entire plant and continue so long as no bad effects are suffered by the farms. The com- pany seems to have perfect confidence that they shall be able- to go on in the future undisturbed, for they are remodeling 76 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. their plant and increasing the capacity of their bag house at a very great expense. It is anticipated that no further trouble will ensue between smelter and farmer. UTAH'S IRON WEALTH. The Iron Springs district lies between longitudes 113 deg. 10 min. and 113 deg. 26 min. 30 sec, andl latitude 17 deg. 35 min., 2>7 deg. 47 min. 30 sec, in Iron county, southern Utah, about 250 miles south of Salt Lake City and 550 miles from the harbor of San Pedro, Cal., on the Pacific Ocean. The San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad runs within 22 miles of the district on the west, Lund being the nearest sta- tion. The district can also be reached by way of a spur of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad running down to Marysvale, 80 miles northeast of the district, thence on by stage. The elevation ranges from 5,300 to 8,000 feet. The drainage is through small creeks leaving the moun- tains and hills and soon losing themselves in the desert. The tops of the Harmony Mountains retain snow until the middle of summer, and consequently have an abundance of vegetation, such as yellow pine, fir, cottonwood, quaking aspen, and mountain mahogany. The tops and slopes of the other mountains are dry and are covered with a growth of scrub cedar and pinon. Shrubs, sagebrush, and several species of cacti are also aboundant, but grasses are lacking. The sur- rounding desert presents the variety of sagebrush, rabbit brush, greasewood, and shadi scale characteristic of the desert elsewhere in the Great Basin. DESCRIPTION O'F THE IRON ORES. The iron ores occur in disconnected masses within a gen- eral area about li^ miles wide by 20 miles long, running north- east and southwest. They lie for the most part on eastern and southern slopes or foothills of The Three Peaks, Granite Moun- tain, and Iron Mountain, between elevations 5,600 and 6,700 feet, but some of them, as on Iron Mountain, appear at or UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 17 near the tops of the mountains at elevations between 7,000 and 8,000 feet. Some of the iron-ore exposures stand out as much as 200 feet above the surrounding country as black, jagged ridges. Others, including several of the larger deposits on the lower slopes, do not stand above the surrounding rocks, but are known by isolated exposures and black iron-formation frag- ments disseminated in the loose detrital material at the surface. Some of the ore does not appear at the surface at all, being covered by andesite detritus woshed from the upper slopes, though, even here, fragments of ore are Hkely to appear in the detritus farther down the slopes. In such places the exact shape and distribution of the deposits can not be determined without trenching or pitting. Fortunately such work will suf- fice fairly well throughout the possible, ore-bearing areas though there are places where areal extensions of iron-ore belts may be found by underground exploration, or where belts, mapped as continuous on the basis of the surface fragments, may really be discontinuous. The deepest pits in the district, 130 feet, have not yet reached water level. KINDS AND GRADES OF ORE. The following description applies to the ores as they ap- pear above water level. Pits have not yet been sunk below this depth. The ore is mainly magnetite and hematite, usually inti- mately intermixed, but locally segregated. So far as present information goes (and it does not go far below the surface) the magnetite constitutes about 70 per cent and the hematite 30 per cent of the whole. As hematite appears more abundant- ly below the surface, it is thought likely that deeper explora- tion will develop a higher percentage of hematite. At the sur- face the ore is ordinarily hard crystalline magnetite and hema- tite in porous, gnarled, and contorted masses, with coarsely crystallized quartz and fibrous chalcedony as the principal gan- gue mineral, filling, wholly or partly, cavities in the ore. Other gangue minerals occuring in small and practically negligible amounts are apatite, mica, siderite, diopside, garnet, pyrite, 78 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. chlorite, calcite, barite, galena, amphibole, copper carbonates, llmonite, and amethyst. Of these minerals barite and galena are more closely associated with the limestone than with the ore. Melanterite, associated with pyrite, was found in pro- cess of formation in the long tunnel on the Duncan claim. Beneath the surface the ore is usually softer and contains a larger proportion of soft, bluish, reddish, brownish, grayish, and greenish banded hematite, limonite, and magnetite in greatly varying proportions and relations. The gangue mater- ials are more abundant than near the surface, an4 calcite is in relatively increased proportion as compared with the quartz. The banding in the contact ores partly represents the bedding of the limestone, which, as will be showji later, the ore re- places. Banding in the dike or vein ores in the andesite is of unknown origin, possibly the result of original deposition. Some of the softer ore at lower levels entirely lacks this band- ing. Locally, as on the west side of Lindsay Hill, the contact ore contains parallel streaks of a yellow clayey-looking mate- rial. On examination this resolves itself into a mixture of iron carbonate, iron sulphate, and glass, and probably some resi- dual clay. Some of the narrow ore veins in the andesite pos- sess a comb structure formed by the meeting and interlocking of apatite crystals projected from the walls sometimes not entirely closing the vein. In the ore breccias the cements are magnetite, limonite, calcite, and quartz. At the Milner mine and elsewhere the magnetite has been deposited first about the fragments, here consisting of quartzite, then hematite, then limonite, but ex- ceptionally in the same locality the reverse order appears. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 79 The texture of the ore as a whole is good for furnace use. The harder ores will need crushing. Iron Springs Lake Su- perior ores. Alabama hema- tites. Iron (metallic) Silica Phosphorus Lime and magnesia . . Alumina Water, above 220 deg. Copper Sulphur Manganese Carbonic acid 56 7 4' 1 3 .200 .027 .057 .196 59.6 7.5 .067 1.3 l.S 4.0 .019 37 13.44 .37 16.2 3.18 .50 "'.67' ii'.u It will be noted that the Iron Springs ores are intermediate in compositiori between the two other great classes of ores. size:, AND QUANTITY O'F ORE DEPOSITS. The iron-oFe deposits vary from mere stringers to those having an area of 1,670,000 square feet. The aggregate surface of all the ore deposits of the district is 5,430,000 square feet or 0.2 square miles. The aggregate tonnage of all grades of ore in the district, determined by multiplying the known area by the best avail- able information as to depth in pits, drill holes, and erosion sections is 40,000,000 tons. The largest single deposit, figured ■on the same basis, has 15,600,000 tons. It is altogether likely that the figures are much too small rather than too large, be- cause the depths used in the calculation have been those ac- tually observed, and observation has not yet gone to the bot- tom. <; 5! o iz; I— t m H <; w w PL, o u E H •trt < Pi U <: P3 U H I— i en Q < o m u iz; w Ph C UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 81 UTAH'S STEADY ADVANCE. Utah's prominence as a- mining state has been gained grad- ually as a result of the extensive development of enormous medium and low grade deposits. There have been no spas- modic and temporary gains in her metallic output, neither have there been serious losses, as the years of prosperity or adver- sity in mining arrived. No decline in lead and silver or slump in copper has caused collapse. Her advance has been rapid but regular. The prospects are brighter now for increased output in future years than they ever were before. The dividends from her mines and smelters indicate the substantial nature of these industries. For 1907 the reported dividends amounted to more than $5,000,000, and this was no exception, as the bread money distributed for a number of years has hovered around this flattering figure. SECURITY OF INVESTMENTS IN UTAH. There have been fewer labor troubles in Utah than in' any mining state in the West. Seldom have the mining and metallurgical operations in the state been interfered with by conflicts between capital and labor. The sentiment of the people of Utah is against strikes and lockouts. Laborers have never demanded exorbitant wages. Mine and smelter mana- gers have acceded to the request for increased pay during es- pecially prosperous years, and the workmen have allowed this increase to be taken off at times of depression. Capitalists are now appreciating this favorable relation between capital and labor in Utah, and are showing a preference for our state as a place to invest their money. During the years 1874 to 1876 a small furnace, with a daily capacity of 5 tons, was built and operated at Iron City, 5 miles southwest of Iron Mountain. The product was taken to the then prosperous silver mining camp at Pioche, Nev., and to Salt, Lake, Utah. Later the old stack was torn down and a new one, projected to take its place, never rose higher than the foundation. The coal was derived from the Harmony Moun- tains, 5 miles to the' southeast. The ore used in this furnace 82 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. was taken out of the Duncan claim, one of the southernmost exposures of ore in the Pinto groups of claims, from shallow pits and short tunnels near the surface. From time to time since the discovery of the deposits, pits and tunnels have been sunk in the ore, principally to meet assessment requirements, but partly to show up the ore bodies. Some of the more vigorous exploration was conducted during the years 1902 and 1903. The total number of pits sunk to date has been approximately 1,600, of which 30 have gone to a depth greater than 50 feet. The maximum depth has been 130 feet. COAL. The estimated coal area of Utah is ^13,130 square miles, with an additional 2000 square miles that may contain work- able coal seams, divided into three coal regions; the Uintah region, embracing Carbon, Emery, Grand, and Uintah coun- ties on the East; Southwestern Utah region, embracing Iron, Kane, Washington, Beaver, and San Juan counties on the south ; Weber region, embracing Summit and Morgan counties on the north. The estimated tonnage in these three regions, easily ac- cessible and accessible with difficulty, is 196,458,000,000 tons; the total approximate amount of coal extracted from the Utah coal fields is 28,000,000 tons. Carbon county takes the lead of counties in coal produc- tion, and up to the present time has furnished more than 90 per cent of the entire coal output of the State. In this county are the Sunnyside coal mines, with an output of 2000 tons per day, which can readily be increaed to 3500 tons per day. Here are located some 640 coke ovens, prodhic- ing a high grade of coke, all of which product is used in the Utah, Nevada, and California smelters. The coal measures at these mines are from five to eleven feet thick; the Clear Creek mines Nos. 1 and 2, with an out- put of 2200 tons per day, vein eleven feet thick ; Winter Quar- ters mine, output 1800 tons per day, vein twelve to sixteen feet in thickness ; Castle Gate mines, output 1200 tons per day, UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 83 working three veins, from four to eleven feet in thickness. There are 204 coke ovens'at this mine. These are all owned and operated by the Utah Fuel Co., and are equipped with electric haulage. Pleasant Valley mines, Nos. 1 and 2 with an output of 1800 tons per day, two veins, one 26 feet in thickness, the up- per vein 9 feet in thickness, operated by the Union Pacific Coal Co. Kenilworth mines Nos. 1 and 2, output 900 tons per day. These are new mines, not fully developed. Two veins are be- ing worked. The lower vein is 22 feet, and the middle vein 9 feet thick. These mines are owned and operated by the In- dependent Coal and Coke Co. The Consolidated Fuel Company is developing mines in Miller Creek, on the southwest edge of Carbon county, and have the grading done, two bridges in and some five miles of rails laid on the Utah Southern railroad, that is being built from the Denver & Rio Grande railroad at Price, some twenty miles to the mines. These mines will be opened on two veins of coal, one twenty feet and the other 6-6 feet in thickness. The People's Coal and Coke Company at Hales is working a small force of men, developing a four-foot vein. Drilling for a lower vein is being done by Gomer Thomas and associates in Hales Canyon. The Utah Collieries Company has recently been organize^; to operate a six-foot vein of coal near Scofield. A company headed by Mr. Frank Cameron is opening up a vein of coal in Panther Canyon, into the same vein worked by the Independent Coal and Coke Company. They are also constructing an 8000-foot tramroad to connect their mine with the Denver and Rio Grand railroad between Castle Gate and Helper. There are eight other small mines that supply the local trade in the winter months, that are not connected with a railroad. The mines worked in Carbon county are all working prac- tically the same "veins which has been demonstrated to be the best and most expensive body of coal in the West for steam, coke, and domestic purposes, being clean, hard, bituminous coal. 84 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. These coals are situated in the Laramie formation of the Cretaceous Age, and underlay practically the whole country. Emery county, like Carbon county, has large deposits of coal, but being remote from railroad connections only small mines to supply local trade have been worked. The Castle Valley Coal Company has been organized by Salt Lake and eastern parties to open up a large body of coal situated in Cedar Creek Canyon. A spur some eight miles in length will be run from the Utah Southern railroad to Cedar Creek Canyon, connecting at Price with the Denver and Rio Grande railroad. There are five veins of coal on the Cedar Creek Canyon property from five to twenty-five feet in thick- ness. The coal is of the same age and formation as that in Carbon county. There are some forty coal openings on the veins in this county, where the coal is mined in winter time to supply coal for family trade. Reports have been made from time to time that much of the coal in this county can be made into coke. But a small per cent of this coal has been filed on or acquired. In Uintah county, there are eight small coal mines in operation. This vein is six feet thick, and by geologists is listed in the Colorado age. The present operations are some six miles west of Vernal, with a total yearly output of two thousand tons. The area of the coal field in this district covers some ten square miles, andl not more than four hundred acres have been secured. This coal is of a sub-bituminous grade. Grand county has a large area of coal, but is practically unprospected. One opening near Thompson's Springs has been made, from which opening some coal is hauled to Moab for winter use. The Uintah region contains a total of 9,900 square miles of workable coal. The southwestern Utah region, containing 3000 square miles of coal land, is practically untouched. These coals occur in the Colorado group, and the nearest railroad point is the Salt Lake, San Pedro and Los Angeles railroad at Lund, some thirty-five miles from the coal cropping in Coal Creek, just east of Cedar City, Iron county. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 85 There are a number of openings on the vein in Iron county, which averages five feet six inches in thickness, from which winter coal for nearby settlement is secured, each claim or filing averaging sixty acres each. There is the Jones & Bullock, the Cluiif, Wood & Taylor, all in Coal Creek Canyon, Leyson, Lunt, Corry, Culver, and Kanarraville. mines on the Colob Plateau between Cedar City and Kanarraville. There is an area of semi-anthracite about four miles from New Harmony in Washington county, that is owned by Los Angeles capitalists who are trying to organize a company to build a railroad from the Salt Lake, San Pedro and Los Ang- eles railroad to their property at New Harmony. A fair grade of cannel coal has been found on the Virgin river in this region, the vein running about seven feet in thickness. In fact, but little is known of the mineral resources of this region. The Weber region embraces some forty square miles, and belongs to the Colorado age. This coal is a sub-bituminous grade, well adapted for steam and domestic uses. There are two veins of coal, averaging nine and four feet. Four mines are being worked in this region, three in Summit county and one in Morgan county. The principal mines in Summit county are the Wasatch and Grass Creek mines. The Wasatch or Weber mine is owned and operated by the Weber Coal Company, which is a part of the Ontario Min- ing & Milling Company, of Park City. This mine is located _ about two miles northeast of Coalville, and is working a vein of ten feet in thickness. The output of the mine is about 300 tons per day. This property is composed of some two hundred acres of coal land. The Rees-Grass Creek Coal Company is developing a mine one mile west of the Union Fuel Company on a lease from the Union P'acific Coal Company. The output is about one hundred tons per day. The market for the Weber region coal is mainly Park City, and the cement plant located at Devil's. Slide. The upper, or small vein of this district is not being worked. Several openings have been made, and the coal proves to be of a fair quality, but the size of the vein is against 86 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. it, when it comes in competition with the larger vein. The Utah Steam Coal Company's mine, known as the Dexter mine, situated two miles southeas't of Coalville, is not at present in operation. The output for last year was two hundred tons. The Superior Fuel Company has been recently organized to take over this and adjoining properties for the manufacture of bri- quettes. This company has been organized by Kansas City and Utah capitalists. The Lost Creek mine in Morgan County owns eighty acres of coal land and is operated by W. H. Robin- son of Morgan. This coal has" not been developed, though small openings have been made to extract coal for winter use. Only two hundred tons were mined last year. Sanpete County has three small mines in operation during the winter months: The Cove Creek Coal Company, located at Sterling. The property shipped 1,500 tons last year. The Wales mine situated at Wales, operated by H. L. Thomas, mined 275 tons last year for local use. The Utah coals are of excellent quality as is indicated by the following analyses : Carbon County. Moisture 3-20 Volatile Matter 45.67 Fixed Carbon 47.22 Ash 3.35 Sulphur 0.56 Total 100.00 Scofield. Moisture 5.00 Volatile Matter 45.37 Fixed Carbon 45.23 Ash 4.40 Total 100.00 Sulphur 73 Clear Creek. Moisture 3.42 Volatile Matter 43.56 Fixed Carbon '. 48.38 Ash ■ 4,64 Total 100.00 Sulphur 68 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 87 Castle Gate. Moisture 1.68 Volatile Matter 44.29 Fixed Carbon 48.65 Ash S.38 Total 100.00 Sulphur 47 Sunnyside. Moisture 98 Volatile Matter 39.54 Fixed Carbon 57.84 Ash 1.64 Total 100.00 Sulphur 55 COAL PRODUCTION IN UTAH FROM 1876 TO 1908 INCLUSIVE. YEAR. Tons Produced GAIN LOSS. 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 J 895 1896 J 897 1898 1899 1900 J901 1902 1903 J904 1905 1906 1907 1908 50,400 50,400 67,200 225,000 225,800 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 213,120 200,000 180,020 259,501 236,651 318,159 371,045 361,314 418,049 447,276 172,958 503,243 582,092 673,297 878,122 1,233,978 1,382,470 1,641,436 1,782,178 1,563,274 1,602,528 1,839,219 1,967,651 1,844,849 16,800 157,800 800 25,000 79,500 81,505 52,886 ' 56,735 59,227 '330,285 78,849 91,205 204,826 456,856 148,492 258,966 120,742 39,350 236,691 128,432 36,880 13.120 19,980 22* 850 9,731 274,328 218,904 122,808 88 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. NONMETALIC MINERALS. SALT. There has recently been explored a most important salt deposit in the form of an immense salt bed in the Great Amer- ican desert, about 110 miles west of Salt Lake City, and 15 miles east of the Utah-Nevada state line. The Western Paci- fic Railroad has built its track directly through these beds. This salt covers an area of 60 square miles. The deposit varies in depth from six inches to seven feet or more, in places where poles were set. It is almost perfectly white and ab- solutely free from dirt, rubbish or growth of any nature. Pro- viding the deposit only averages one foot thick, the amount of salt to the square mile will amount to more than one -million tons, or sixty millions of tons in the whole deposit. The United States Congress, by the provisions of the Enabling Act for Utah, gave to the University of Utah all saline lands of the state. Notwithstanding this fact, prospec- tors have staked out their claims over the deposit and are con- testing their rights in the courts. The Supreme Court of Utah, recently, gave its decision in favor of the State Uni- versity, but the case may not be finally disposed of until- the United States Supreme Court gives its decision. With this immense deposit of pure mineral as an asset the Univer- sity will. be well provided for as the market develops. There are billions of tons of salt in the waters of Great Salt Lake, and extensive deposits of rock salt in the mountains of the state. From these sources the state is producing yearly about thirty-five thousand tons. With the increased facilities for transportation now promised by the advent of the num- erous railroads throughout the state, this output can readily be increased, in the near future, many fold. The Inland Crystal Salt Company of Salt Lake City, is harvesting almost the entire salt output of the State from the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Their works are located near the famous Saltair resort. The water of the lake is pumped by centrifugal pumps into shallow pounds, where solar evap- UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 89 oration in the dry summer months carries off the water, leav- ing the crystal salt behind. The evaporating season lasts about one hundred days, during which time there is constant pumping of the brine into the pounds, the aim being to keep the evaporated solution from becoming so concentrated as to deposit other solid matter with the crystals of sodium chlor- ide. When the season is over, the mother liquor is flushed out of the pounds, leaving a layer of soft crystals from three to six inches deep, covering the entire area of the shallow ponds. An average crop is four and one-half inches thick, amount- ing to 700 tons of salt per acre. Each pond has been previous- 1} lined with a thin deposit of salt by this same process, and the salt lining has become very densely caked, so as to form a firm bottom to the regular salt crop. Thus the crop can be readily shoveled up into windrows and from here into cars and barrels, and then dumped into piles of about one thousand tons each. These piles soon be- come covered with a very hard crust, 'l^he outer layer partly dissolves with the rains, and the crystals become cemented together very firmly around the outside of the pile. These piles may be left with safety for years, if need be. Much of this crude salt found a market in the past for chloridizing, roasting and leaching of cires. At present there is little call for salt for these purposes, but with the advance of metallurgical experimentation on wet methods, there seem-; to be promise of a revival of wet methods, wherein much sodium chloride will be required. UTAH HYDROCARBONS. The chief hydrocarbon field of the state is the Uintah Basin, in eastern Utah, with an area 170 miles long by 100 miles wide. This basin is bounded on the north by the Uintah range of mountains, on the south by the Book Clififs, and on the east by the Danforth Hills and Yampa Plateau. The general elevation of the basin is five to six thousand feet. The whole of the formation of the Uintah basin is of sedimentary origin of the Eocene-Tertiary period. The hydro-carbons occur a-; 90 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. true veins, that is, as fillings of fissures which cut through the sandstones of the region. These veins range from one to twenty feet in- thickness, of solid gilsonite or Uintahite, as it is called. The depth to which these veins extend is not, known as they have not been fully prospected and no work- ings have yet reached their lower limit. At one point on the White river the vein is seen to be 3000 feet deep. Much of the limited amount of work- of extracting the black hydro-carbon material has been done by open cut meth- ods of mining, as it was considered dangerous to use under- ground methods and employ the ordinary candles or lamps of the coal mines in the work. Of late years electricity has been brought to the mines, and now considerable exploiting is being done by regular underground methods, using the incandescent lamp for lighting. The vein substance is in most instance'? pure gilsonite with almost no pieces of wall rock or other im- purity contaminating it. It has but to be loosened by picks, and shoveled into sacks, then taken to the surface readly for shipping. This mineral brings a price of $40 to $45 per ton. ABUNDANCE OF GRAPHITE. A very superior quality of graphite is found at Perry, Utah, about five miles south of Brigham City, Boxelder coun- ty. Mr. Hoyt S. Gale, of the United States Geological survey, recently made a careful examination of this deposit, and said that it is the best deposit of graphite in the United States. This country produces but one-half of the graphite it con- sumes, hence the importance of this valuable discovery. A well developed ledge 27 feet wide and 4,000 feet long is in sight. Tests have proven an average of 90 per cent pure graphite, and running as high as 98 per cent. The develop- ment of this property and' the manufacture of the product means much to the State, if the manufacture can be kept with- in the State. It is one of the industries that merit the sup- port of home capital. Mr. A. S. Burrit of Salt Lake City, is president of the company owning the property. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 91 GILSONITE DEPOSITS. (From the Mountain Empire.) Of the hydro-carbons occurring in the Uintah Basin, and in Utah as a whole, by all means the most important under present conditions is uintaite, heretofore specified as the gil- sonite of commerce and trade. This mineral is a black sub- stance, of brilliant luster and conchoidal fracture, suggestive of solidified pitch. On exposure it loses its brilliant luster and becomes dead black, but the change ordinarily extends to an insignificant depth only. In the vein the mineral is of columnar structure, the long axes of the columns being at right angles to the inclosing walls, thus indicating a heated injuncture subsequently cooled. Uintaite (gilsonite) occurs as true veins, that is, as fil- lings of fissures which cut through the sedimentary formation of the region. In one sense these veins should be. regarded as dykes, inasmuch as the filling has resulted from injection of material in a molten or plastic state, and not by slow de- position from solutions. It is not within the scope of the present article to discuss the probable mode of deposit, or to deal with the theories of origin of these occurrences, however interesting and attractive such a topic may be. The fact is that we find within the Uintah Basin true veins or fillings of pre-existing fissures, the contents of which are hydro-carbons of value and use. Of these deposits uintaite (gilsonite) is in such demand that it can be mined, sacked and shipped at a profit, in the face of strenuous competition in Eastern markets. Chemical analysis shows typical uintaite to consist of : Volatile matter 56.46% Fixed residue 43.43 Ash 10 99.99 Ultimate analysis reveals as the components : Carbon 98.30 Hydrogen 9.96 Sulphur 1.32 Ash 10 Oxygen and Nitrogen (undertermined) 32 100.00 92 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. While uintaite (gilsonite) as it occurs in nature is brittle, by proper treatment it becomes sufficiently coherent to serve as the chief ingredient in prepared varnishes and japans. For these purposes it is heated with linseed oil and thinned with turpentine. The uses of the material, as enumerated in the United States Government reports, are as follows : For coating ship bottoms to prevent electrolytic action ; for coating barb wire fences, etc., for coating sea-walls of brick or masonry ; for covering paving brick ; for acid-proof lining of chemical tanks; for roofing pitch; for insulating electric wires, for smokestack paint ; for lubricants of machinery ; for preserving iron pipes from corrosion and acids ; for coating poles, posts and ties ; for teredo-proof pile coating ; for cover- ing wood-block paving; for the manufacture of cotton garden hose, as a substitute for rubber ; for the manufacture of brick- ette and compressed coal slack, as a binder pitch. It is generally known that the principal supplies of hydro- carbon minerals for use in the United States are derived from Trinidad. Water transportation is so' much cheaper than ship- ment by rail that the foreign product has been imported at a lower cost than that required) for the delivery of the Utah min- erals at the centers of consumption. This is the sole .and suffi- cient explanation of the comparatively small demand for the Western hydro-carbons. Gilsonite (uintaite), however, is of a quality to command recognition even in the face of cheap importation of the inferior materials. The principal occur- rences of this mineral in the Uintah Basin are as follows ; The Duchesne vein, located within three miles of Fort Duchesne. This is a nearly vertical vein, traceable by surface outcrop for about three miles on its strike, with an average width of one and one-half feet, reaching in places a breadth of from three to four feet. The Culmer vein, averaging fourteen inches in thickness, has been prospected for a distance of over two mile^, on its strike. The Seaboldt vein, parallel with the Culmer, and averages a foot in width. To these must be added : The Bonanza and Cowboy group of claims, which are to be counted among the most important and promising of all the UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 93 deposits of unitaite in the region under description. The out- crops may be traced for miles, and the product is of the high- est quality. Tlie Bonanza vein attains a maximum width cf ten feet, and on the Cowboy £f breadth of eighteen feet haa been observed. From this point of greatest width it maint;iins a breadth of ten to twelve feet for a distance of about throe miles. The Black Dragon vein shows a width of from eight to nine feet. This is located near Upper Evacuative Creek. The enclosing walls, which are practically vertical, are impregnated with the hydro-carbon deposits to a distance of from a foot to three feet from the vein proper. The Utah Refining company and the Lubra Oils Manu- facturing company, located with an extensive factory at North Salt Lake, provides a sure and constant market for all the oil products of the state, and is already actively and exten- sively engaged in manufacturing commercial products of various character from the raw material of adjoining states. Their products are gasoline, kerosine oils, lubricating oils, transformer oils, waxes, candles, greases, high-fire test materials, paints, and is supplying the city gas company much material from which the illumination of homes is secured. The company is equipped to take care of all oils, and is in every way encouraging the development of oil wells in the state of Utah. Gilsonite (uintaite) and its hydiro-carbon allies occur elsewhere in Utah. The former is profitably mined in Wasatch county, and bituminous limestone is produced in paying quan- tities in Utah county. The production of uintaite alone aver- ages in amount from one to two thousand tons per year. It is profitably shipped to the railway by the otherwise light- going freight teams plying between Vernal and Price. Demonstrated facts warrant the statement that the hydro- carbon deposits of Utah surpass in variety, purity and extent all other recorded occurrences. They outcrop in a manner conducive to cheap mining, and transportation facilities alone are lacking to make deposits a bonanza of wealth to the owners and a cheap source of valuable and most desirable material to the consumer. Of the companies operating on the gilsonite and elaterite deposits the last biennial report of the state coal mine inspector remarks as follows : 94 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF HYDRO-CARBON MINES. The Gilson Asphaltum Company, located at the terminus of the Uintah Railway, in Uintah county, is the largest pro- ducer of gilsonite in the west. The mine at Dragon, known as the Black Dragon, is work- ing a true fissure vein of gilsonite, and is operated by a drift and two shafts, on a seven-foot vein. This mine employed an average of fifty-three men during the year and produced 15,916 tons of ore, at a cost of $7.15 per ton. A water system has been installed at this mine, which is a great benefit tO' the miners, as the vein being dry, very much dust is made while mining. Electric lights are used throughout the mine. The Bonanza, Operated by the same company, produced 1,161 tons of gilsonite, and is situated on White River. The Norvill Mine is located on the same vein as the Black Dragon, about ten miles northwest of Dragon, and is owned bythe American Asphaltum Association of St. Louis, and is worked by lease, the ore being hauled by team to Dragon. This property is worked under the supervision of Max E. Smith, producing 4,135 tons of ore. The mine is worked by a cut in the vein, no lights being used. The Raven Mining Company has been working a few men on a claim of gilsonite near Fort Duchesne ; also an elaterite claim in Lundley Hollow, but as yet have no report from them for 1907. The Pittsburg-Salt Lake Oil Company's mines, situated in Wasatch County, at Castle Peak, or Indian Hollow, have been shipping the product of their mines to Salt Lake, via Colton andl Price. They mined 250 tons of gilsonite, employ- ing forty men ; 125 tons of Elaterite, and 100 tons of Tabbyite. These products were nearly all used in their own factory at Salt Lake City, where they manufacture paint, varnishes, rub- ber, oils, rubber fillings, and insulating compounds. The cost of these ores, f. o. b. cars at Colton and Price, was from $21 to $26 per ton. West of the gilsonite fields some fifty miles are the elater- ite (mineral rubber) deposits of Lake and Indian canyons. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 95 Here the Raven Mining Company is operating on the narrower veins of this more valuable hydro-carbon. The production from these mines varies in dififerent years but has amounted to 2,000 tons per year. The product brings a higher price than the gilsonite, selling for $65 per ton. Along the divide between the Green River and the Great Salt Lake drainage basin, near Soldier Summit, there occurs valuable deposits of ozokerite, or mineral wax. The latest report of J. E. Pettit, coal mine inspector for Utah, refers to two companies operating on this ozocerite as follows : The National Ozocerite Company, situated two and half miles east of Colton, has extracted 1,565 tons of ore during the year. They have also erected a leaching plant for their ores; have also put in a pumping plant, by which water is pumped 6,820 feet from Colton River to the mine. Cost of improve- ments at the mine was $18,323.21. The refined product was shipped to New York. The United States Osocerite Company, located at Midway, five miles east of Tucker, Utah County. This company has shipped no ores during the past year, but have installed an electric lighting and power plant, a milling plant and an aerial tramway, connecting mine with the leaching plant, at a cost of $5,000. ASPHALT IN UTAH. An interesting and also commercially promising occur- rence of asphalt in Utah is found along the bed of the Great Salt Lake ten miles south of Rozel, on the Southern Pacific Railroad. "The occurrence of this asphaltic substance appears, so far as riow known, tO' be restricted to the shallow littoral por- tion of Great Salt Lake, one-fourth to 1 mile out from the pres- ent short line, immediately southeast of the Rozel Hills. It there exudes through the unconsolidated material on the bot- tom of the lake and bubbles up into the water in the form of hollow spherical or tubular masses 1 to 2 inches in length, and 96 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. of threads and hairs 6 to 18 inches in length. These small masses spot the bottom in great numbers throughout this area. At certain points the emissions are concentrated into consider- able seepages or "pitch springs," 1 to 2 feet in diameter. The source of these seepages appears to those who have prospected this ground to be a bed of asphalt 2 or 3 feet thick, which was encountered 80 feet below the present lake bed, and an under- lying series of asphaltic beds 3 to 5 feet thick, which alternate with beds of clay to a depth of 140 feet, at least. In the vicin- ity of these seepages the asphaltic matter cements the calcar- eous oolitic deposits of the lake bottom into a bituminous lime- stone. This forms numerous low islets, 1 to SO feet in diameter, which are distributed in rough alignment. This alignment and the presence of intensely brecciated zones in the limestone on the mainland suggests the possibility that the seepages may be along zones of fracture. These may have served merely to open exits for the fluid asphalt in unconsolidated lake beds, or may have also delivered it from deeper reservoirs in underlying bed rock into its present position. In brief, the asphalt occurs either in bituminous oolitic limestone, as the cement, or in springs, as liquid asphalt from beds 3 to 5 feet thick, inter- calated with clay beds at a depth of 80 to 140 feet. In character this substance is opaque, brownish-black, oily, viscous, and strongly asphaltic in odor. Its consistency varies readily with the temperature, from a thin, semiliquid state at body temperatures to a rigid, brittle state in outdoor winter temperatures, which permits it to be chipped with a pick. The composition has been studied and numerous analyses have been published in current mining magazines, which show high per- centages of asphalt and oil." — Boutwell Bulletin 260 U. S. G. S. p. 474. BUILDING STONES. The term "building stones" as used in trade and commerce is of wide application, including all materials of structural util- ity, such as stone used for building purposes generally, and materials for fences, monuments, bridges, etc. It is by common UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 97 usages in statistical reports intended to comprise clays, cement material and ornamental stones, exclusive of gems. But few building stones in the world are utilized in their raw state for other than local application. Practically every section of our own country produces its local supply. How- ever, material of particular excellence may be and is utilized beyond its limits of occurrence. Utah is rich in structural materials of superior quality, and in abundance to meet all demands. Granite in a general sense comprises not only the rock of that name, as classified by the lithologist, but many allied spe- cies such as diorite, diabase, syenite, gneiss, and even dolerite and gabbro. The widely known occurrences of granitic rock in Little Cottonwood Canyon are of first importance. This rock is es- sentially a syenite, or more specifically a dioritoid granite. It has been designated as Temple Granite by the official geolo- gists, in reference to the great Temple in Salt Lake City, which is constructed of this material. The rock constitutes the greater part of the colossal mountain mass, andl its abundance is be- yond computation or estimate. Granite rocks of allied composition and similar quality oc- cur in Beaver County and elsewhere to the south, while the gneiss of Farmington Canyon and the dioritoid rocks of Ogden Canyon and vicinity on the north are of great and growing im- portance. Sandstones of special excellence occur in Salt Lake, Utah, and adjoining counties, and in smaller quantity in practically every county of the State. The bright colored sandstone oE Red Butte Canyon, near Salt Lake City, and the gray Kyune sandstone from Spanish Fork Canyon, have been used in many of the most imposing buildings of the metropolis and other cities. Limestone constitutes the main bulk of the Wasatch Moun- tains and other Utah ranges. The variety specifically known as Wasatch limestone is an excellent building material, and is used also as a flux in smelter processes. It is so rich in cal- cium carbonate as to be in demand for the production of car- 7 98 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. bonic acid gas in the sugar factories of the State. A variety of limestone occurring in San Pete County and elsewhere is oolitic — that is, composed of small globular particles resemb- ling fish eggs, hence its name — oolite. Some of the most pre- tentious residences of Utah cities are constructed of this beau- tiful stone. Marble, really a crystalline variety of limestone, is found in Cache, Box Elder, Salt Lake, Utah, and southern counties. Utah Onyx, also a calcium carbonate, but of such beauty as to preclude its use as a building stone proper, and to insure its popularity as a material for interior decoration, is found in great quantity. Box Elder, Salt Lake and Utah counties are the principal producers. The elegant wainscot in the corridors of the City and County Building, Salt Lake City, is of Utah onyx from the Pelican Point deposits on the shores of Utah Lake. Concretionary Marble, otherwise known as nodular lime- stone, occurs in quantity incalculable at the head of Hobble Creek Canyon, near Springville, Utah county. This rock is of surpassing beauty as a building material, being made up ot concentric nodules, from the size of a pea to that of a walnut, firmly cemented together. It takes a superb polish and is in demand as an ornamental stone. Slate of excellent quality is quarried in Slate Canyon, near Provo City. It promises to displace the time-honored shingles, so common in the West, as a roofiing material. LIMESTONE. The important market for limestone in connection with the smelting industry of Utah along with the market for the burned lime for building purposes, makes the immense forma- tions of our mountains seem more than mere crust-making rocks of the earth. Throughout the state pure limestones are found in abundance for burning and for fluxing purposes. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 99 PHOSPHATE ROCK. The discovery of extensive phosphate beds in the State has opened up a new and important industry in Utah. Although the home market for the raw or manufactured product of these beds of fertiHzer is limited, there seems to be no reason why, with the favorable rates of transportation that the railroads can give, the market may not extend rapidly to Honolulu, Japan, and Australia, as well as to the Middle and Eastern States. The phosphate series occurs within the Carboniferous rocks which outcrop over considerable areas in eastern, cen- tral, western, and northern Utah. They consist of alternat- ing layers of black or brown phosphatic material, shale and hard blue and gray fossiliferous limestone. While the series is about 90 feet thick, the beds of phosphate material vary in thickness from a few inches to ten feet. The main phosphate bed is five or six feet thick, oolitic in structure, and high in phosphoric acid, (P^O^). These beds have been the most fully prospected in Weber canyon, near Peterson and Croydon in the Wasatch mountains, where they outcrop along the sides of the canyon. They also appear in canyons several miles to the north. Another occurrence near Woodruff, Utah, is largely con- cealed by heavy wash and therefore has not been fully pros- . pected. It occurs as a bed five feet thick. In many other localities in the state phosphate material has been reported, but this industry is new in the west, and but little has been done to develop it. FIRE CLAY. (See Page 172, Am. Mln. Cong., 1906.) Utah is at present producing many kinds of refractory fire clay products, including fire brick, sewer pipe, drain tile, hollow partitions, assay crucibles, and muffles. The superior- ity of these products has developed an extensive market, until the present manufacturing establishments are scarcely able to supply the demand. 100 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. The fire clay deposits of the state are of excellent quality and man)' are of enormous size. The Utah Fire Clay Company controls extensive deposits in Utah county. The Western Clay Products Company is working deposits in Utah and Salt Lake counties. Other companies are operating on de- posits of local importance over the state. CEMENT. The Utah Portland Cement Company has for many years done a flourishing business at its works in Salt Lake City. The cement rock is brought in from Parley's canyon, Salt Lake county. The Union Portland Cement Company of Ogden, Utah is now operating a 2,000-barrel plant near Croydon, Weber canyon, where it secures its calcareous shales and lime- stones for a very high grade cement. The plant is modern in every detail, and the Red Devil brand cement is being sent over the country for use in the many industries where cement construction has become so important. There is an abundance of rock formations over the state suitable for ce- ment making as the country develops. GYPSUM. Immense deposits of rock gypsum occur in Utah, in the" following counties : Juab, San Pete, Sevier, Millard, Wayne, Emery, Kane, Grand, Iron, and Washington. Those of Juab, San Pete, and Sevier are at present the ones being exploited. The Nephi Plaster Company of Nephi, Utah, is operat- ing on the Juab county deposits one mile east of Nephi. This gypsum bed is claimed to be the largest and purest natural deposit of gypsum ever discovered. The company has re- cently equipped it plant with the most modern machinery and is now producing the highest grade materials including finishing plaster, fibred and unfibred hardwall, casting and moulding plaster, dental plaster, and land and grain plaster. The Robinson Plaster Company and the Jumbo Plaster UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 101 Company, operating on the deposits of Sanpete -and Sevier counties, are putting out high grade materials from their ex- tensive beds. The market for this plaster material extends northward to \ancouver and Victoria, through the Pacific States, and throughout the intermountain region. SULPHUR. Native sulphur occurs in extensive deposits at Cove Creek, Millard county. The crude ore averages 20 per cent sulphur, although masses of pure sulphur are often encountered. The product from these mines is exceptionally free from arsenic and other deleterious substances. The beds are owned and operated by the Utah Sulphur Company, who have complete refining works at the mines. The production of recent years has been around 1000 tons per year. The products of the refinery are crude sulphur, obtained by melting the sulphur from the rock by means of steam ; powdered sulphur ; sub- limed flours of sulphur, and roll brimstone. At present the market extends over- the intermountain states, Arkansas, Texas and California. The material finds use in sheep dipping, tree spraying, fruit and hop bleaching, and sugar refining. VANADIUM, URANIUM, RADIUM, ETC. These rare elements often occur together. The principal source of these minerals in the state is an extensive area in southeastern Utah. The vanadiferous minerals of Richardson, Utah, are the richest deposits of vanadium ores yet discovered in the United States. These are associated with carnotite, the scientifically interesting radio-active mineral from which the radium chloride, so much written of, is obtained. Fort table use the salt is refined at the works. The process consists in crushing, drying and winnowing while hot. The efficiency of the fans is separating the efflorescent sulphates 102 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. from the crude salt is abundantly demonstrated by a compari- son of the analyses of crude and refined products. The refined salt is ground and sifted to give products of the proper degree of fineness, as required for packing, table and dairy use. The salt so prepared is of exceptional purity, as the following analy- sis shows : Per Cent. Sodium chloride (pure salt) 99.927 Calcium sulphate 058 Insoluble matter 007 Moisture 008 Calcium Trace Magnesium Trace 100.00 The dense brine of the Great Salt Lake constitutes a vast mine of chemical riches, offering a vast variety of chemical products, other than salt, at the minimum cost of preparation. The total solid matter in solution in this water amounts to about 18 per cent, or more than five times that of sea water. The solid consists principally of sodium and magnesium salts. The chlorides and sulphates predominate. Next to salt, sodium sulphate claims attention. This min- eral, known as marabilite, crystalizes from the lake water in the winter, when the temperature reaches 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Hundreds of thousands of tons of this material are deposited in the lake bottom and are washed upon the shore whenever the temperature reaches the low point given. This sulphate is of importance in the manufacture of soda. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. , 103 Manufactured Food Products The dairy and food laws of the state cover a very large field, embracing the sanitary condition of all dairies, manu- facturing plants of food products, hotels, restaurants, and all rooms thereof, and all other places where food is prepared, stored, or offered for sale. Also the taking of samples for an- alysis that impurities and adulterations may be detected, and also prosecutions for the violation of the above requirements. DAIRYING. The dairy products of the state are increasing continually, but not sufficiently to supply the demands of our increasing population. This is especially true as to the supply of butter and cheese, which we are importing from other states during the winter months, in quantities that equal the production in this state. A good deal of the scarcity of butter and cheese is due to the fact that the production of condensed milk is con- tinually increasing. This, of course, makes a heavy demand for milk that heretofore was manufactured intO' butter and cheese. The demand for sweet milk and cream is continually increasing in the larger cities. This, would also have a ten- dency to cut down the production of butter and cheese. BUTTER. It is estimated that Utah has produced in 1909, between five and six million jpounds of butter, valued at about $1,800,000. It is estimated that this amount is nearly sufficient for our own consumption. In addition, about four million pounds of butter was imported into the state, while a like amount was exported to adjoining state. The location of Utah being in the center of the Rocky Mountain region, makes it a fine distributing point. 104 , UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. Some of our larger creameries are now shipping butter into Colorado, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The demand from the above mentioned states varies with the different seasons of the year. CHEESE. The production of cheese in the state is very limited, not being sufficient to supply the demands. The estimated produc- tion in 1909 is between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 pounds, valued at about $250,000, with an importation of about 1,000,000 pounds, which is required to supply the demands of the state. CONDENSED MILK. Cache Valley has two flourishing condensed milk factories, which are the only ones in the state at present. They are located at Logan and Richmond. There is another under construction at Smithfield, and prospect of still another being built at Wellsville. These factories, during 1909 produced about three hundred thousand cases of evaported milk, valued at $1,200,000 of which three-fourths was exported. The milk is of a very excellent quality, and the demand is continually increasing, a.vr\ should, within the next few years be at least doubled. The value of our dairy products, including sweet milk and cream sold in the large cities of the state, is estimated at about $5,000,000, which is a very small amount, when taking into con- sideration the splendid facilities the state affords for dairying. An abundant hay crop is raised in the state, most of w^iich is alfalfa, which makes the best food that can be found for the production of milk ; the price of which hay is so low that it can be fed to good cows with large returns. The climate is especially adapted to dairying, the cool summer nights, and dry atmosphere, mountain streams^ also mountain pastures and meadows — all of which are ideal condi- tions. UTAH CONSEkVATION COMMISSION. lOS INSPECTING DAIRIES. The dairies of the state have all been inspected and scored according to the government score-card system, which has been adopted by this department. We find the score card a great help in improving the sanitary conditions of the dairy, as it readily shows where improvements can be made. Dairies are in a good sanitary condition, with but a few exceptions. A great deal of good could be accomplished if there were sufficient inspectors to visit every farmer in the state, that is selling milk to our creameries, or to the public, at least two or three times a year. At present, in a good many cases, there is absolutely no care taken in the handling of milk on the farm. The milk is finding its way into our butter andl cheese, and being used on our tables. By making these inspections, bad conditions could be remedied. Utah is continually increasing in the manufacturing of various kinds of food products, of which there is a surplus above home consumption. The sugar industry is the leading one among them, turning out an excellent product. The fruit canneries are also turning out an excellent qual- ity of goods. The canneries have all^been inspected for sani- tary conditions, and in most cases were found in excellent con- dition. The manufacturing of candy is continually growing, and an excellent quality is being turned out, and is finding its way into nearly every state of the union. The sanitary condition of these factories is satisfactory, and improvements are continu- ally being made. The pickle and vinegar industry is growing, and the cli- mate is especially adapted for the raising of onions, cucumbers, cabbage, cauliflower, and other, vegetables, used for this pur- pose. This may be said of the various manufacturing plants of food products in the state. They are all growing, and mak- ing improvements along sanitary lines. The rules and regulations of the U. S. Department of Ag- riculture on food products has been the means of a great deal 106 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. o/ good for our state. Section 5, of the Pure Food laws makes the standard of quality, purity and strength for foods, liquors, and drinks the standards of purity,' quality and strength for the State of Utah. This is as it should be, and such laws should be enacted that would conform with the Federal laws in every detail, that all manufacturers could ship their goods anywhere in the United States, without having to change their labels. The laws of some of the adjoining states have made it impossible for some of the Utah goods to enter with the same labels that are accepted in this state. The commissioners of the state of Wyoming, and Idaho met with the Utah commis- sioner in November, with the object of becoming more familiar with each other's laws and regulations. This, it is believed, will shortly bring about a better understanding, and the difficul- ties heretofore encountered will be removed. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 107 Fish and Game in Utah In line with this great movement of Conservation, the fish industry of Utah should have special attention. In the pant if has received but little if any consideration, for the reason that but little was known as to its benefits or profits. In the past three years some fifty or more private fish industries have been, started in the state. Some are yielding good profits, and before the close of another year all will be revenue producers. Last year the Legislature appropriated about $18,000, "the money collected by the department from the sale of licenses, ' for the erection of new hatcheries and the repairing of the old one at Murray. Hatchery No. 1 at Murray, Salt Lake County, Utah, has been remodeled and now has a hatchery capacity of 2,000,000 ; Hatchery No. 2 at Spring Creek, Utah County, has just been completed with a capacity of 2,000,000, and two others will be built in the early spring in the southern part of the state. The department is now assuming proportions that will in the near future make it one of the greatest revenue producers of the state, not only for the maintainance of itself but as a commercial industry for the people. We cannot afford to ignore any longer the fish and, game interest, as the following table will show the number of trout hatched in the past nine month : Eastern Brook'Trout 750,000 Rainbow Trout 600,000 German Brown Trout 300,000 Native Trout .4,200,000 Total .5,750,000 While the above table shows 'that 5,750,000 trout' fry was successfully hatched and planted in the different streams of the state, it is only a beginning, as in the year now before us we expect to hatch and plant not less than 10,000,000 trout fry. Thus our streams will be teaming with the beautiful speckled trout as they did in the early days. i o « H M u t- UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 109 OPEN SEASON ALL YEAR. The screening of our canals is the one important subject before us. The Fish and Game department is not producing enough revenue to do this work itself. The Legislature will be asked next year to make an appropriation for that specific pur- pose, or pass a law requiring every irrigation power and water company to properly screen its ditches and canals, and thus help to save thousands of our fish from perishing upon the mea- dows and fields. Our state abounds with pure water. The rivers and lakes are the most desirable for fish culture. In passing we cannot help mentioning Utah lake, situated in Utah county. From the fish-interest standpoint this grand body of water has noth- ing superior in any of our inland states. It is full of the choic- est of fish foods, and will in the near future produce the major portion of our game fish. This year by the protection given the bass not less than 10,000,000 were hatched in this lake. It is very noticeable in Cache, Box Elder, Weber and Utah coun- ties, where bass are on the increase, that the carp are on the decrease. It is the desire of the Fish and Game department, when the streams and lakes are properly stocked and hatcheries sufficient to keep up the supply which should be in the next three or four years, to have an open season the year round for fishing, for all kinds of game fish. WILD GAME BIRDS. The law passed by our last Legislature closing the season for four years for the hunting of game birds will materially in- crease them in our state, and wijh the importing off the Hun- garian pheasant and other birds by the department this season, should presently make Utah a paradise for hunters, in the open season. Some one has defined ornithology to be the study of birds from the standpoint of dollars and cents ; and it matters not whether the birds be classed as a game-bird, a song-bird, or an 110 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. insectiverous bird, its value living far exceeds its value dead. Think of what this means to the state, and to you. Consider the worth of fish and fishing or hunting — the pleasure, experience, recreation, with consequent better health and improved ability to meet all demands made. And in addi- tion think of the cash value of the many tons of fish and game taken. Our laws must as nearly as possible be drawn to meet the necessities of the entire state. The uniformity as near as pos- sible of the state laws throughout this intermountain country would be a mos t excellent thing. Some amendments to our present law will be necessary, and probably will be made at the next session of the Legislature. The all-important thing to do in our state is to give full protection to all the Fish and Game interests, as far as it is possible. And with the aid we are receiving from the people of the state at this time we are sure of success. •Bj'Ea •Jieai T3 s ■UOTI^OajTQ ■;C:H00I3A ■ai'ea •8 a a a s h V ai ■j-eai •UinUITX'BUI •8:^'Ba •a-ESi uiumiuTjij P. B •a^Ba ■i^ax ■EunuiixB])\[ o (0 CO CO CD 0» C0 00 OS 0» iH Ua CO ei iH cq f-t iHDaiHeq BOB ^O:0OOO3iHOlt-tAeDCDiH ETOOOiOSOOOOlOOO ^A0)ooooo30ia»ooa>o>o> "rH»-lrHiHiHTHiHi-HHiHTH O'4*OG0CfiLf3e>3O(MAOOU3 ca CO Cq e^CO ■ rHiHr-t I 1 1-1 I I U3 Oi OO ■* (N ci iH i-t eorH-^cqooiaAoocdCAiaoo O00t-000000)0>0000t-00 0)OOC»000)OOOOCX)OOCOCOOO ■ H rH tH t-l iH iH T-l iH iH T-HH l^r-if-lT-i T-CP3 O iH tH tH iH rH CO'^OCOOSOOCq^'^OOtDOi ooooesosojoiooo^t-ost- OOOOCOOQCOOOO>00«'OOCOOO iHi-lTHrHrHi-li-l'-l-^rHi-liH Ot-t-CX)OOOOOC-t-OOOSt- Oioooocxtoooaoooooooooooo ■wSggs 112 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. BAROMETRIC PRESSURE. Mean, 30.02 inches. Highest and date, 30.64 inches, on January 29th. Lowest and date, 29.43 inches, on July 5th. TEMPERATURE. Highest and date, 101°, on July 1st. Lowest and diate, 4°, on December 18th. Extreme yearly range, 97°. Greatest monthly range and dates, 51°, from 95° on June 30th, to 44° on June 10th. Greatest daily range and date, 35°, on September 11th. Dates when 90° or above, June 3, 4, 26, 28, 29, 30; July 1, 2, 3, 5, IS, 16, 17, 24, 30, 31. Dates when below zero, none. Dates when below 10°, January 10, 11. PRECIPITATION. Longest period without precipitation, 21 days, from Octo- ber 8th to 28th, inclusive. Longest period of rainy diays and amount, 7 days, from February 7th to 13th, inclusive, 1.26 inches. Dates of hail and sleet: hail, January 9; February 8, 17; March 4, 30 ; April 8 ; May, 10, 29. No sleet. FROST AND SNOW DATA. From January 1st to June 30th: Last killing frost, May 1st. Last heavy frost, May 17th. Last light frost, May 30th. Greatest depth of snow on ground, 6 inches, on February 8th. Greatest snowfall in 24 hours, 5.5 inches, on February 8th. Fmm July 1st to December 31st: First light frost, September 23rd. First heavy frost, Sep- tember 13th. First killing frost, October 31st. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 113 Greatest depth of snow on ground, 5 inches, on Decem- ber 12th. Greatest snowfall in 24 hours, 5 inches, on December 12th. GENERAL SUMMARY. The marked feature of the weather this year was the ex- cessive precipitation which averaged much above the normal amount. January, March and August were unusually wet; while April, June and October were drier than usual, but there was no period of dtought during the entire year. The great- est precipitation in 24 hours was 0.79 inch on ihe 22d and 23d of May. Other heavy 24-hour precipitation were 0.76 inch on the 13th of February and on the 6th and 7th of March. The temperature for the year as a whole averaged nearly normal. The first month of the year was the warmest January on record, its mean temperature being about 10° above the normal. On the other hand, the last month of the year was the coldest December on record, and its mean temperature in marked contrast to January was nearly 10° below normal. No other month exhibited such marked temperature variation from the normal. TIMBER Eh o h4 w 03 :?; Eh H w O I* UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 117 FORESTS AND FOREST RESOURCES. Utah has. never been considered a lumber producing state in comparison with the great timbered areas of the North- west, yet there is nO' other one natural resource with 'which the future development and prospe-rity of our state is so close- ly allied and is dependent upon, as the forests and forest-cover which extend in more or less degree along every mountain range in Utah. This forest land embraces an area of 7,808,000 acres, and of this 7,436,000, or 95 per cent of the total, is included writhin National Forests. This is exclusive of the great grazing ranges which for the most part can be considered as forest cover. The greatest and most prosperous nations, states, and cities have always been those whose resources have been greatest. Just so, the future prosperity of Utah, as well as of other states, will depend upon the lasting value and revenue which the natural resources of the state can be made to pro- duce. The principal resources connected with forest lands in Utah are timber, water, grasses and other forms of forage; and directly dependent upon and allied with the timber and water are the immense power, manufacturing, mining and agricultural industries, while the very life and health of the people of our cities, towns and communities are dependent upon the quantity and purity of the mountain streams. The grasses and grazing lands are indispensible to the continuation and prosperity of the live stock business, which i.= one of the most important industries of the country. In the development and operation of a project or an in- dustry it is policy to profit by the experience of others who have had the same problems to meet, and the force of this, as applied to the conserving of our forests, can be readily ap- preciated when one considers the results obtained in Germany jnder careful and practicable use and regulation of the for- ests, on one hand, and the lawless and wasteful methods which 118 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. have prevailed in the United States on the other. The Ger- man forests are in better condition, and IS per cent more tim- ber can be safely marketed from them now than 75 years ago ; while in this country we are taking from our forests each year, not counting the loss by fire, three and one-half times their yearly growth; We use 260 cubic feet per capita; Germany 37 cubic feet, and France, 25 cubic feet. The condition of the forest lands in Utah is much more encouraging than in most states, since 95 per cent is under the management of the National Forests, or Forest Reserves, and with the advancement already made and the plans for re- forestation now under way by this department, the future is decidedly bright, and the opportunity excellent for the indus- tries dependent upon forest resources within the state. STOCK RAISING AND GRAZING INDUSTRY. But the spirit of the West seems to be "Show Us!" And one of the missions of this report is "To Show." In the par- ticular case of the conservation of the forest lands of Utah through the administration of the National Forest service, it can be shown that range wars have absolutely ceased. If no other result had been accomplished, the elimination of this source of constant strife on the forests, with the attendant loss of life and property would go a long way to justify the policy of National Forests. That the regulation of grazing on the National Forests is beneficial to the industry is now almost universally conceded, and the proper handling of stock, by keeping it off the ranges until the forage crop is fit for use, has resulted in the im- provement of range conditions to a marked degree. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 119 NUMBER OF STOCK ALLOWED TO GRAZE IN THE NATIONAL FORESTS IN UTAH DURING THE SEASONS OF 1908 AND 1909. FOREST CATTLE & HORSES ALLOWED SHEEP ALLOWED 1908 1909 1908 1909 *Ashley . 12,000 7,000 6,000 9,500 6,100 26,000 9,900 11,000 11,000 27,000 4,250 9,000 12,450 15,000 14,000 12,500 15,000 26,000 17,550 11,000 11,000 19,300 7,800 105,000 2,200 38,000 40,000 15,000 194,000 3,120 62,500 120,000 341,000 16,000 87,500 ^ \. 103,000 Dixie 3,000 Fillmore ,.... 48,000 FisMake . 55,000 La Sal 64,000 Manti 190,000 Nebo 6,120 Powell 67,000 Sevier ', 121,000 *Uinta 275,100 Wasatch 15,500 Totals 129,750 170,600 936,820 1,035,220 ♦Ashley Forest created July 1, 1908, from lands taken from the Uinta Forest, which accounts for no allowance in 1908 for Ashley Forest, and also the reason why the number of stock allowed to graze on the Uinta Forest in 1909 is less than allowed in 1908. An additional way in which the forest service grazing administration has greatly benefited the livestock industry is ill connection with the extermination of predatory animals, particularly coyotes, wolves, mountain lions and bears. It is the opinion of many wool growers throughout the west that 10 per cent of their flocks are killed annually by predatory animals, and the losses in cattle and horses also are large. To reduce and ultimately eliminate this loss, the forest service has spent many thousands of dollars in the employment of pro- fessional hunters, and in detailing forest rangers for the pur- pose of exterminating predatory animals. FLOO'D DAMAGE LESSENED. The value of the forest as a conserver and regulator of stream flow is generally recognized. This is especially true 120 UTAH .CONSERVATION COMMISSION. in Utah, where many of the national forests were created upon the petition of the people affected, in order to secure the regu- lation of grazing and protection from fire upon important water sheds, and thus check the immense damage being done by floods. Two of the best examples of this are the Manti and Fill- more Forests. In the case of the former, as a result of un- regulated grazing the water sheds were stripped and severe floods occurred annually early in the spring. These floods caused severe erosion and washing in some places, and in others considerable areas of agricultural land were deeplj'' covered with material carried down from the mountains. The value of the streams for irrigation purposes was greatly de- creased, owing to the fact that the melted snow in the moun- tains went off with a rush early in the spring, thus greatly shortening the irrigation season, and lessening the amount of late water available for that purpose. It was practically impossible to make use of the water for domestic purposes, on account of the great amount of silt and impurities held in suspension, and the befouling of the water due to the existence of too many sheep upon the head- waters of the streams. Practically the same conditions existed upon the Fillmore National Forest. Since the creation of the national forests, according to the testimony of the settlers, conditions have steadily im- proved. The Manti Forest was created in 1903, and since that time the number of stock has been greatly reduced, and better methods of handling brought about. One of the first acts in the administration of the forest was to totally exclude all stock from the forks of Manti canyon; and as a result the area is now well covered with vegetation. Since stock has been kept out of the forks of Manti canyon, no serious floods have occurred. On the other hand, in the canyons immediately north, south and east, in which stock is improperly grazed, destruc- tive floods have followed heavy rains. During August this past summer, a great amount of rain fell over the entire area of the Manti Forest, continuing intermittently during the whole month. At this time terrific floods, carrying with them UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 121 large quantities of mud and boulders, occurred in the canyons north, south and east of Manti canyon. No conclusion seems possible other than that the immun- ity of Manti canyon from flood damage was to a very con- sid'erable extent due to the fact that the practical exclusion of stock had allowed the growth of a sufficient amount of vegetation to prevent the severe erosion which occurred in the neighboring canyons. As a direct result of the floiids, damage was done amounting to approximately $30,000. In many places roads were totally destroyed, and the transporta- tion problem on the Manti Forest became so serious that it was necessary for the forest service to contribute $1,000 to assist in repairing the roads in co-operation with the settlers and other forest users. Is it not plain, therefore, that from an economic, and practi- cal point of view conservation of our forest resources is es- sential, and that a well-defined plan for the protection and perpetuation of our forests is necessary? FOREST CONDITIONS, AND THE TIMBER SUPPLY OF UTAH. In years past the damage from forest fires has been ex- ceedingly great. While only in the southern and northeastern parts of the state have there been extensive forested areas, still through the high rnountains there were once large tracts of splendid commercial forests. There are comparatively few localities which have not been visited by the destructive axe of the lumberman, and practically none of which have not been burned over at least once within the last forty years. We find traces of great fires which occurred before the coming of the pioneers, but these burned areas are of insignificant size as compared with those of the past forty years, which are the result of careless burning by the settlers. The towns and ranches in Utah's populous valleys have been built almost exclusively from timber secured from the adjacent mountains. Until the advent of the National Forests — or as they were first called, Forest Reserves — the majority 122 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. of the people seemed to have little thought of the exhaustion of the local timber supply, or of the ruinous effects which inevitably follow the denudation of mountain slopes. Every summer brought its fierce forest fires in the mountains, which burned on undisturbed until extinguished by the fall rains. A great many fires started in the slash resulting from logging operations. Fed by this debris, they raged unchecked, and killed all vegetation on such tracts, thus precluding the pos- sibility of natural reproduction. As a rule, on such tracts a heavy growth of brush has come in. Since the establishment of the National Forests, destruction by fire has been reduced to an almost negligible quantity, through the system of ranger patrol. RESTORE FO'RESTEiD CONDITIONS. It is the object of the Forest Service to eventually bring these one-time forested lands back to their primeval forested condition, and then to manage them so that for all time they will yield timber to supply local demands, and at the same time exert all the indirect benefits accruing from the presence of forest cover. In the sale of timber the live trees are marked for cutting according to sound silvicultural principles, and every effort is made to encourage natural reproduction. It is planned to conduct very extensive planting operations in this state during the next few years. A forest nursery, where seedlings of the principal forest -trees of the region are grown, is located on the Wasatch National Forest near Salt Lake City. This nursery has an annual capacity of 4,000,000 seedlings. Forty thousand seedlings were taken from it this spring, and planted on Utah Forests. The majority of the planting was done on the Wasatch National Forest. This fall and next spring several thousand pounds of tree seed will be planted by broadcasting on National Forests throughout the State. The planting work is still to a large extent in an experimental stage. As soon as definite knowledge is gained, through the many experiments, as to the conditions under which planting operations may be carried on successfully, the reforesting of denuded forest lands will be undertaken on UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 123 a large scale. For many years to come the planting should be done on areas which once contained forest cover, rather than on those which have never been forested. Detailed plant- ing plans have been prepared for several Utah Forests cover- ing periods of several years. Work under these plans will in most cases be started next spring. The principal tree species occurring in the northern part of the state are Engelmann Spruce, Douglas Fir, Lodgepole Pine, and Alpine Fir. In the central part of the state, Lodge- pole is not found, but White Fir is added to the list. On the forests in southern Utah the chief species is Western Yellow PINE FOREST DAMAGED BY FIRE. •124 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION-. Pine. This tree forms extensive forests, and is accompanied usually by a small percentage of Douglas Fir. The following table shows for each National Forest in Utah — First : An Estimate of the living merchantable timber ; Second: An estimate of the merchantable dead timber standing and down; Third : The maximum amount which it has been decided, after a .careful study of conditions, should be cut during the fiscal year 1909-1910; and Fourth : The actual cut in sales and free use in board feet during the fiscal year 1907-1908. FOREST Estimate Living M. ft. B. M. Estimate Dead M. ft. B. M. Limitation of Cut 1909-1910 M. ft. B. M. Amount Cut 1907-1908 M. ft. B. M. Sales Free Ue Ashley . 1,776,963 52,000 165;00O 92S,D00 180,000 167,000 113,490 45,100 1,100,000 972,420 1,666,000 17,480 21,817 21,000 ,^^- -* 31,620 15,063 21,512 1,450 7,000 > 2,000 4,000 1,000 500 2,000 . 250 10,000 6,000 10,000 * 761 2,273 1,340 377 82 3,939 856 Cache 3,500 219 Fillmore ". Fishlake . ." La Sal 5,520 124 121 1,111 Nebo 48 Powell 410 786 Uinta . 2,361 Wasatch 4 *Sales dead timber, no limit. This stand of more than seven billion feet of timber is worth from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. This is in addition to the value of the large areas of burned timber and of Juniper and Pinon, which serve an exceedingly important and useful purpose by providing the adjacent settle- ments with fuel, posts, and poles. Under scientific manage- ment, and with protection from fire, the condition of the forest area of the state should steadily improve, notwithstanding the heavy demands that will necessarily be made upon it in con- nection with all the lines of development that are being and will be carried on in the future. These demands will be enor- mously increased through the construction of railroads tap- < H n o Eh O D EH CD H « O fe. ft H Eh <1 H ►4 Ph Q 126 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. ping the great undeveloped natural resources in and about the Ashley, Uinta, Sevier, and Powell National Forests. These forests contain the bulk of the timber in the State, and when once their resources are unlocked, through proper transporta- tion facilities, Utah will have no further need of drawing on the Pacifiic coast for her lumber supplies, as she is compelled to do at the present time. Fire Statistics for 1908, National Forests in Utah. MANTI : $2.85 spent in fighting fires on public domain which threatened the Forest. NEBO : Ten acres of land burned over. No timber de- stroyed or money expended fighting fire. WASATCH : 140 acres burned over : $7,000 worth of tim- ber destroyed; cost of fighting fire, $12.50 for range labor; $2.50 for supplies; Total, $15.00. There were no fires on any of the other National Forests in Utah. UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. 127 13N puiipH Ie;ox asQ lEioadg 2UIZVXO ■S33^ 13S jaquiix ajBS jsqiutx VOQN^HrOVOCOVOt^ONy^'OCVlOOOO CM 00 mvooqTfCMfom^o\'^c\i'! CM i< CO o .-H 00 ^ t< y-H ,-H »-H U^ C<1 i— ' coco ^ C> O Tf iri CO a\-^r-iO-^coa\^omcot^cMO Tj-inOoor^ooqcoONC^icMCsicooN iN;vdco*-JintN!cDod*-Hr>icoodocjod ot^o^co^O"^'-'C^^c^lCM\oc^^o■^ ^_0 S VOIO poo -* 00_CM ■*■*■*_ 0<3 \Oirf ^-^^s^o^"oc^*-^^'^ rCt-HrCcNf CM --ICM COOO OCM OOO r^io P"^ P'^ tHK <:>■* odco t^ o CO lo cKcM lOOO lO vo CM^^OOCMO^^t^OOtO'efOOf^O ■^cor^t-no^oooOOioiooot^CM .-!'>^'coC>Ttvdt^odCM^CMvdtv;'* ^^■^^hCTxOOCM'— tcOt^^nrxVOt^O CO '-J^CM CM^-^^^io lo CM 00CM»-H^»/^ T-Tl-T r-H"CM" »0" , ^T^" . n! ■ O IM) c T3 w (1 CJ U en n •o m rt nj 1— 1 n HH a to O, i3 5 o Pi •o J3 0\>n O C cbCM 3 00 T?fe C rn r/> ' ' (U (U >>'0'0 3 P fj {> 0, 1— I 1 — 128 UTAH CONSERVATION COMMISSION. WOOD PULP SUPPLY. It has been reported to the Commission that there are large quantities of timber in the-mountains in the eastern part oi: the State suitable for the manufacture of paper. The time fixed for the publication of this preliminary report would not permit of an investigation of this subject for this report. It is the purpose of the Commission to make a full investigation of this subject, and make as full a report as the facts will justify.