East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-09-16
SAGINAW SALT RESOURCES.

Railroad Gazette, published at Chica-
go, in communication dated East Sag
inaw, Aug. 80, gives an extended ac-
count of the salt operations and other
resources of the Saginaw Valley, from
which we make the following extract:
No section of Michigan has given
greater evidences of substantial, and
Ak the same time rapid progress, than
the Valley of the Saginaw River. IIs
great clements of wealth, salt and lum-
Der, are prime necessities; the one for
proper growth of the physical man,
provided with especial reference 10 his
physolo ical constitution; the other, re-
quiste for the proper fostering and
care Of that body 1t is no idle, capt
ious taste of the bon rirant that sug-
gests the use of salt as continent for
fooG, but an absolute tewant of the sys-
TEN as essential to its healthy develop
mcnt as water and many other natural
products, and its consumption is found,
moreover, to increase in the direct ra.
ito of the average refinement and cult.
walton of people, or of the world.
The Saginaw River, formed by the
confluence of the Cass, Tittabawassee,
Flint and Shiawassee rivers, discharges
its waters, after flowing some thirty
miles, into Saginaw Bay of Lake Hu.
ron. The valley of this river for dist.
ance of about II miles, to beyond the
city of Saginaw, has for the last two or
three years, been the scene of much
activity, and of successful and protita.
Gle enterprise brough about 10y the de
velopment of its ssldiferous rocks. -
Long before the admission of Michigan
into the Union as a State, had the oc.
currence of salt been known, and indi.
viduals had attempted its manufacture;
but It's production as a staple article
for home consumption and foreign trade
was unknown previous to the year
1859. Since that time numerous ex-
plorations have been made which have
resulted in the development of basin
of brine, which for extent and strength
is not excelled in the world. Tho salt
rocks of Michigan are omprised with
IN the corbon'ierous series of gcolog.
lists, and have the thickness of some
lS4 feet, made up Of alienation of car
bonaceous and clayey slales, limcstones
aud thick beds iof gypsum. The area
of the coal rocks of the State may be
assumed as that of sailerous rocks of
maximum production. Hence, other
sections of the State may be expected
to and do yield superior quality of
brine; but as the district already men
ton thus far presents the best oppor
tunities for study, we shall confne our.
selves, it this, to its full consideration.
Furthermore, the rocks equivalent To
those of the Onondaga Salt Group of
New York. belonging to the Silurian
age of the geologist,( who are known
to undcrle the saltbearing series prop
er Of Michigan. BY deeper borings
these would also be reached, and al
tempts have also been made toward
their development in some sections of
the State, as at Grand Rapids. To un
dorstand the position Of the rocks Of
Michigan, 1t is convenient To llken them
to series or nest of sauccrs. the inte.
rior or smallest one representing the
coal bearing strata, and the exterior or
largest being the lowest member of the
Sllurian strata-the various rims repre-
senting the outcrop of the different
rocks which dip from all points of the
compass towards the centre of the Pc
ninsula. The outcrops or rims of these
basln.like masses of rock, collect the
meteoric and surface waters, which per-
colate the strata aid run in any layer,
confined between two impervious beds.
BY penetrating the superlncumbcnt
rocks, the water will rise in any part
of the State to level equal to that of
the point of outcrop; in other words,
all the phenomena of artesian wells OBJ
tain at the salt borings in various parts
of Michigan.
The saliierous rocks are accessible
by boring the depth of from GOO to
500 feet. The average cost per foot is
about two dollars, the borers furnish
lug everything but motive power. The
wells are about three inches ir diane,
ter, and require but little tubing. The
specific gravity of the issuing brine is
about l,lS7, containing about GLIB
per cent of solid ingredients, consist.
ing OF,
chlnridc sodium m.'''''.''.......' .l6 81