The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-08-07

shrouds thy tragic end, yet we will eve
mourn thy untimely exit. w.
From the N. Y. Farmer and Mechanic.
NEW SALT WELL AND FOSSIL SALT
-, | have received a letter from my CORES
t ponden', Mr. John Mead, dated Lock Pr
Jolly IL, Is u.s. from which make the fol
lowing extracts:
Since last wrolc you, WE have increas
ed the boring OF our we'll 70 feet, whct
makes The present depth 40l feet. w,
still continue in the red sand stone, occo
s'onalIy passing stratum of blush greer
ebay slate, and several strata OF the mlne-
raj salt: these now occur more frequently
anl are of create: thickness. Al The depth
of 375 feet, [ passed a strata OF solid salt,
5 in ches in thickness, and the salt strata
have occurred as oIlen as once in feet
for the last SO feet, and varying from |
10 2inches lnthckness. When we are
passing one of these strata, the waite. at
the Top Of The well foams and frothS like
the strongest brine.
The clay rock, or most of it rha! we are
boring in, adheres 10 the uuger when We
take 1t out 10 clean out the sediment in the
we'll. We have saved the specimens Of
the last boring ol 80 feet. which purpose
TO send you the frs! opportunity, for ex>
animation. do not think we have struck
any veins of water the las, 1870 feet. The
rock appears dry, but the waller from
above follows down, and we are continual
~ cutting u the salt and mixing with it,
which brings The water TO full saturation
We have inserted tin tube inches in d.
ameter, and sunk it 10 within 2 feet OF the
bottom, and attached pump at the top,
aud after pumping about one hour. exhaust
the strong brine, but brine continued to
flow Of a weaker quality, which latter
however will bear manufacturing. We
have bored l6l feet in the saliferous strata
and expected to have got through in $50
feet. The mineral salt which we raised
was in small quantities, mixed with the
clay rock, and Of different coIor$-some
redlsh, and some nearly white, and almost
transparent, and some Of blush green
which specimens we have on hand, and
will forward 10 you. should be pleased,
# you could make it convenient, 10 make
us visit and examine all the specimens,
and this particular locality. When we
RECOMMENDED boring this spring, the shaft
about the subtcrraneous passage, that |
have 10 my tormer letters spoken OF, for
about forty feet was filled with cry:taliz'd
sulphac Of lime, formed so thick on the
sides Of the shalt that had to rim it of,
and drew therrfrom about bushcl OF the
crystals, which are LearIy transparent,
samples Of which will send you:
M Mead has addressed me several let
ters since he commenced sinking this well
IN l843, giving particular and detailed
account OF The slTnla passed in boring. and
to which will BY and by refer.
My friend and correspondent, Alexander
FIndey, Esq. Of SAviIe, Washington
county, Va. in one of his numerous letters
10 me respecting his salt mine, discovered
in 1910, stated in substance, that a, the
depth Of 900 feet, in digging, they struck
upon Sal, Rock. and continued digging
and boring in the rock 100 feet, without
getting through it. when finding no water
they commenced another well a, distance
OF bot 40 feet from the shaft in which the
Salt Rock was found and at the depth of
Ola feet obtained water which is as salt as
1t can be made, being within 2 per cent.
Of foil saluralion-Whch is as much as
cold wafer will lake up of salt--and the
supply OF water is so abundant that it ex>
ceeds he demand for salt. 1t is cheaper
to raise the brine and evarorate it, than 10
raise the salt rcck and dissolve il and az
forwards boil down the solution. MIR
FindIay forwarded TO me bottle of The
water, aud large box of specimens of The
salt rock, and of the Strata which overlay
il. This discovery Of salt was accidental,
and made when deepening an old sal.
we'll, which had partly caved in.
Mr. Mead. in letter 10 me dated Mo-
vcmber 10, l843, says:
My well is situate on the west side Of
the Cayuga Marshes, in the woods, about
Sc rods from the Erie Canal, and The same
distance from tho Canandagua outlet
The strata frs, passed in boring was
mould or muck, fee, deep; next stra-
tum of red mari and clay, As feet, which
contained brackish waller; then red indu-
rated clay rock, with occasional strata Of
plaster, 80 ieet then struck the first vein
Of salt water, which raised and run over
The top of the well. at the rate of about 5
gallons per minute We then continued on
in the same kind OF rock SO feet, and struck
another vein OF salt water which doubled
the quantity over the top Of the shalt. -
Both OF these veins tested by my hydrom,
cler (Which is graduated at 0 for fresh wa
ter, and rs for water fully saturated with
sally 8 degrees, but it soon after fell 10 6
degrees. We continued 10 The same kind
OF rock, occasionally passing a strata of
white mari, which made the water as