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February 28, 2003 edition

2,000 Flushes

Trespassers abound at hangout
to cliff-dive, shoot, swim, hike

An SUU student shoots skeet at the Blowout Pit at dusk. Students and Cedar City residents use the pit for recreational purposes, even though the area is private property and the owners do not allow such activities.
KEN HANSEN / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL


By CRYSTAL ERVIN
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

The Blowout Pit, commonly known as “2,000 Flushes,” is becoming a dangerous pastime for SUU students.
Located 10 miles west of Cedar City, the Blowout Pit is an abandoned iron mine.
“We’re not sure who the current owner or responsible company is,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Chet Hansen. He said this is because owners have changed and responsibility has shifted.
It was primarily used in the early 1900s. After digging too far into the ground, the miners struck water, and the pit was eventually filled,

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according to a brochure from the Iron Mission Tourism & Convention Bureau.
The Blowout Pit is estimated at 600 feet deep and houses numerous different chemicals and minerals, the brochure reported.
It has gotten its nickname because it is clear in color and looks likea large toilet bowl from above. This miniature lake has played host to many different seasonal activities for students, such as cliff-diving, shooting and hiking, the brochure reported.
“I’ve just gone out there for cliff diving and to look at all of the mining stuff,” said Shelly Saddoris, a senior business major from Elko, Nev.
There may not be any posted signs or fences, but any person who comes to the Blowout Pit to have a good time and relax is trespassing, said Iron County Sheriff David W. “Dude” Benson.
“It looks like a good place to play and it might look like a lot of fun, but it is actually very dangerous,” Benson said.
The Blowout Pit is in a difficult location to reach, which causes problems with local police and emergency crews. Benson said the Iron County Sheriff’s Department is concerned that students may consume to much alcohol and become involved in a variety of different accidents such as drowning, catching a stray bullet or breaking a bone.
“We’ve responded many times to young people who have been injured, and we have had no choice but to cite them for being on private property,”
See PIT, Page 4
Benson said.
LaRee Garfield, executive director for the Iron County Tourism & Convention Bureau, said she cannot promote the Blowout Pit because there is no security, no public bathroom and not enough accessibility for emergency vehicles.
Some students say they do recognize the dangers in going to the Blowout Pit, but think that it should be open to the public.
”Yes, I think there are dangerous risks that students are taking, and there is a potential hazard of not being able to get medical attention,” Saddoris said. ”But until law enforcement cracks down, I will still go out there.”

Judicial Council:
Accept candidacy

By TYLER JOHNSON
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Students who haven’t filed for student office under exigent circumstances may still, even though the deadline was Monday, the Judicial Council said Wednesday.
The Elections Committee mistakenly printed in the Feb. 13 issue of the University Journal the deadline for candidacy was Feb. 27, which contradicts the bylaws.
According to the bylaws, candidates must announce their intent to run for office 10 school days before active campus campaigning begins.
Campaigning may begin on March 17, said Glynn Wilcox, presidential candidate from the Unity Party, which automatically makes the deadline Feb. 24.
“We screwed up,” Eric Kirby, co-director of the Elections Committee, told the Judicial Council.
The Judicial Council said students who would like to declare candidacy can file under certain circumstances.
“If any individual wishes to file a Notice of Candidacy who is unaffiliated with an existing party, they must show exigent circumstances and file a notice with the committee no later than 5 p.m., Feb. 27, 2003,” said the Judicial Council’s ruling. “If they wish to run with an existing party, the leadership must approve, and the potential candidate must not have received solicitation to participate by said party.”