Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1858-06-08
Salt, and Its Manufacture,
AZ SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

Below, we give our readers an account,
taken from !" TIE Country Gentleman. =
Of the ,aodus operank in the manufac,
ture Of the mineral substance known as
|. the Chord Of sodium, !" orSalt, in COM
mon parlance. as pursued at the celebra-
ted Salt Works, al Syracuse. New York.
It will PROVE especially interesting in this
community, where Sal: has 50 long been
the commodity Of exchange.
\ Our readers areI doubtless all aware Of
the large scale on which the salt manu-
facture Is conducted at, and ii the vicin-
ity Of Syracuse lib this State. 1t is a
matter Of considerable interest to one who
has never seen the process as actually
carried n,sto visit tile works. We were
indebted to the polite and efficient Super
intendent, ". W.HSMITH, Esq, an old
friend and correspondent of the Co.
IGENr., for much interesting information
during an hour spent with him a few
weeks since. We+found anumber Of the
salt blocks = idle, owing mainly, we be-
lieve, to large accumulations Of the man
iufaetured article on hand. Others, how
ever, were busily at work and that Of
the first gentleman on whom we called,
Deacon Thomas SPENCER. was one oil
particular interest," las il nearly doublethe
Ordinary size. and the owner is making
|experiment with coal instead OF wood as
fuel, while he ranks, moreover. as one 81
the most careful and successful makers.
Toyan extensive wooden building is at
tached for The sakaof draft, a high chims
ney, aud atthe opposite end the coal Is
shoyeled into long straight fues. running
its wholealength, beneath double row 81
kettles. When the freis up, and tile ket-
ties all a-boiling, one can easily imagine
that it don't require a temperature of 900
Hin the shade without, to make it tolerably
warm within. On either side of the ket-
ties are large deep bins-between them,
runs pipe of bored logs, from which the
brine is obtained BY d spigot directly over
each kettle. The kettles will each con-
tain 100 gallons, and l08 of them will
boil at once over Deacon Spencer's fires.
On j. framework projecting little over
the kettles are baskets into which the
salt is put, and 1t is really pretty sight
to see 81 Of them III a row, each crowned
with a large pyramid Of the purest white,
and every minute crystal cleaning, on
near inspection, like the crisp snow in
moonlight, ola cold night.
"a kettle full Of brine can be boiled il
three orfour hours, and will yield two
bushels of salt, which is taken out with
II scoop and put III the baskets to drain
for while, when lit is thrown into the
bins and left to drain there still longer
before disposed of. The State furnishes
the brine, and inspects the salt receiying
as toll cent bushel. The cost of wood
for fuel, Is estimated at about ] / cents d
bushels eoallit Isl hoped will proye cheap
er. The labor Of boiling costs about two
cents, and packing two more, in barrels,
which cost 80 cents, and hold FIVE BUSH
els. So that the actual cost of d barrel of
salt ready for market, may be stated as
about s1Io. 4 The price this year is
$1.25+-so that the margin for profit is
but a small one. The business IS regu-
lated BY an association among the salt
dealers; which decides on the amount 10
be boiled each season, and the price at
which it shall be sold, to prevent ruinous
competition and secure a fair return. II
is fine salt which isEproduced by boiling:
coarse is tile result of solar evaporation.
Leaving this establishment-which is
u beautiful place to perspire in I'VE drive
among the solar works. There are three
sets Sc shallow tanks in which the evapo-
ration is carried on, required to perfect
1t. In the first the water takes . red
color and deposits The iron. which it holds
in solution. It is then drawn ofinto q
second range, when other extraneous
matters are similarly disposed Of. and
lastly, into third, where il appears per-
fectly clear to the eye. and after. due ex-
posure dries away, leaving the pure
white crystals in its place. Roofs are
made on rollers BY which these can all
Be covered during storms. In the salt
boiling establishments, the brine lays in
tanks outside the building until it'll ex.
traneous matters are settled. II s<dis-
tributed through Ill the works, BY aque-I
ducts Of bored logs, Of which there were
over eight miles either wholly new. Or
old ones relaid, put down during last
year.
Il The brine is pumped from the wells,
which are from $50 10 800 feet deep, By
machinery carried by water power, into
4 reservoir sufficiently high to distribute
sc. The foundations Of new pump
house, on = larger scale. are now being
laid. The superintendent during last
year. also completed q new and very val
liable well, and large reservoir the lat
liter originally undertaken as an expert
ment, at q period when great tears were
entertained TINT the supply sof brine iof
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