The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-01-23

We take the following notice of the Salt
Uorks at Syracuse in the State Of New York,
from letter in the Boston Courier.
But the great attraction Of Syracuse, to the
curious traveller is the Salt Springs, in SYRIA
cuse and Salina. Three hundred and sixty gal
Ions of sea water, at the least, yield, upon evap-
Grafton, seventy five pounds of salt; fifty fire
gallons, at Salina, and in not the most profita-
bic springs, yield the same quantity. The brine
from some Of the springs is strong, nearly to sa-
turation. Mr. Spencer, the State superintend-
ent, kindly accompanied me to one Of the houses,
in which they were still boring. The pipes in
this well had already been sunk 10 the depth Of
two hundred and sixty feet, and the workmen
were boring still deeper AT night, they cease
their operations, and pump in a neighborng
building, connected with the well, pumps up
about eighty thousand gallons from this one
spring, to be boiled down for salt. When we
entered, the workmen had just concluded that
they had struck upon solid rock, but the super
ntendent babe them take heart and believe it
was gravel. They drew up the long drill, two
hundred and sixty feet long, unscrewing tpiece
by piece, at every sixteen feet and let down up
on a rope an iron bucket, made at the top like a
wire mouse-trap, and with piston and valve
above, for the purpose of pumping up the gravel
or stone which they had loosened.
After worhing the pump for ten or fifteen mi
nutes up they drew the bucket, and cmptied
from it, as the fruit of some hours labor, pint
Of gravel Thus the work is very slow, advan-
cling by inches only. Pipes are sunk as fast as
the well is bored foot or two in external diane
ter, and sometimes Of iron; those which | saw
were of rock maple. The whole house in which
the spring is opened, say fifteen feet square by
as many in height, rests upon an iron chain, OF
course of large size, and that chain upon the top
of the ascending pipe, so as to force it downward
as fast as the earth is bored away. The boring
/ was an interesting process. One man lifts the
long drill by lever like pump-hande, and SO
| great length Of pole is sufficient IN weight to
strike downagain with requisite force.
/ Two wells have been opened this last season
The State has tried the experiment of sinking
a well TO the depth Of six hundred feet, for the
purpose OF finding FOSSIL salt, which it is suppo-
sed must be found, as il is found in localities in
other countries, where salt springs abound, and
where the strata OF the soil and its composition
are the same as at Sana The experiment al
Sallna has as yet been without success. Still il
may prove successful for in Europe boring.
have been made to the depth Of seven hundred
and fifty, and in one place TO nine hundred feet
and at these depths the salt was found
Il The springs AT Salina and Syracuse are the
property OF the State The State bores III,
wells, pumps the waterupto elevated reservoirs
and supplies il TO any who may wish TO max,
salt; receiving IN return three or six cents pc
bushel after the salt is made. Thus is received
an income by the State OF more than two hun
dred thousand dollars a year. The salt is mad,
\ by solar evaporation, and BY boiling Acres o
ground are covered with watts, The water con
tains, besides murate of soda, Common salt) /
little sulphate and carbonate of lime, and som,
magnesia, so that il is possible that other pro
ducts, by anb by, may be made from these llea
sures from the bosom of the earth