, 1861-11-26
THE SALT MINES OF nITCHIEANs
PTodoets and Prospects Of East Sag
iHAVE.


tFrom the Detroit Free PresH.1
On the sskinaw River the explorations hsve
End kt1ergth IS to promise e1t1aordinary
EroEth aud development to thst section Of the
State. The East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing
Company Is entitled to the credit of develop
icE the existence Of thts Pasl9: :o IaeIf @ opera.
Prosecuted In the face OF many M adve-se er-
cumetances. till, in March, 1860, they On.
noupced the discovery OF supplgo1 oEae, q.
the depth Of 670 feet, OF the unus1ai strength
Ess 50 unexpected that it found the company
uupfepaied 10 avail themselves Of the treas.
ura, and It was not till July that they wers fur
Il shed with machinery for rais1ng the b1ine
ard strnstures for conTesnpg Il INTO SAL. II
chemical analyses OF the brine, which vera 30
far satisfactory IS to justify extensive prepare
tons for manufacture. Thstf opsrn:ioas tkat
season established the fact that pure aurt-
their brine, and the fuI IttheF experience Of this
5easop, with the successful efening Of wells
At Bay City, Portsmouth, ZlWaukle, Carol
ton and Saginaw City, gives authority fer the
assertion tlat the value OF this discovery to
the State Of Michigan Is -incalculable. Not
even the mineral wealth Of tha Upper PENN
sula ca1 be allowed to outrank In Importance
: productie1 th4t 10 necessity for al1animate
creation. If it sRal1 be proved, ~ the State
Geologist has stated TO be bis own conclusion,
That the 6aliferous basin extends from Grand
Rapids to ssnl(ac couHty, ard An unknown
distance towards the north, complete reyo.
luton will be effected In the northern portion
OF Michigan within the next ten years. Even
with the present well established Traits Of tue
basin, On the Saginaw alone, noverng
an area Of two By eighteen mle5,
within which brine, Of d m.ximuR strength,
il constantly flowing, In quantity only limited
by the capacity ,ef the pumps employed, we
have the elements Of yaet wealth, The past
si1 months hare already foreshadoned the
magnitude Of the interest in the Investment
| Of Oyer goo, and preparations are being
made tor e1tenAlEe addlaipas dur;ng the COM
ing Je1r.
| There are NOW eight Hel1a in operation in the
Valley. After passing through abont one
hundred feet Of soil OF various kinds, thay
tfons OF strata OF clay shale=, limestone and
| sandstone, with occasional thin seams Of coal,
they enter the salt.beazing sandstone at depths
! ranging from 4S0 feet at Bay City, near Sagi'
naW Bay, to I'll feet, at Saginaw City, e!shtsen
miles distant, indicating dip Of the rock to
the southWard. Thefrst appearance Of brine il
found at from 70 to 80 feet, in braekish taste
BY the ealometer at 211 feet, Il degrees a. 294
leet, 26 degreea at 4S7 feet, 40 degrees. at 516
fee, A degrees It 531 feet, 50 degrees at $50
feet, 60 degrees 1t SGT feet, 64 degrees 3: $50
feet, So degrees at 636 feet, aud 90 degrees at
G52 feet These figures sire from the nleno-
ISL da Of the East saginsw Works, where the
salt rock vas struck at 652 feet, and the
changes in strength are noted at the precise
depths where they occurred The temperature
CT brine from the salt rock IS 81 degrees Fab
rcnheit.
An analysis Of the brine by Prot. Gasrge q.
Cock OF Rutger5' College, New Jersey, q high
authority In chemistry, shows as fellows: