East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-10-21
NUMBER Is.

quality of the brine; il contains impuri-
ties, but, it is believed, no more and
none different from those found in Kan.
awha or Onondaga brines 1t will be
admitted, therefore, at once, that though
the market may not be affected greatly
Immediately by the Saginaw salt, there
10 no reason to fear that there viii not
be salt enough produced in the North
for use in the North, and enough also
for the South. The timely discovery of
The Saginaw salt deserves to be regard
ed as providential.
The only know ledge oil Saginaw, and
the northern part of Michigan until re-
Gently possessed by the writer OF this,
was derived from reading De Tocquc-
yille's charming sketch of this region,
which is to be found 10 that great au.
thor's "Memoir and Remains" Tho
sketch referred to is entitled "a Fort,
night in the Wilderness"--aDd the dis
trict traversed through lying between
Detroit and Saginaw. 1t seems now
one OF the straugest facts of our West
err history, that no longer ago than
ls48 one could not go from Detroit to
Saginaw in less than fortnight, dis,
tance that is in 1862 made easily aud
comfortably in about nine hours. And
that the path then was only for foot
travellers or horses moving 10 Indian
file, is fact that it is hard fer one TO
| realize, where now one passes nearly
the whole distance through finely inn
proved and richly productive farming
country. The only forest that deserves
the name between Detroit and Saginaw
is not over twenty miles deep, aud Is
close behind Saginaw. The enterprises
of capitalists has penetrated, and passed
through, this forest with railroad. So
the entire Appearance of this region is
wonderfully changed since the illustri-
Gus Frenchman passed this way. K. Sagi-
nav, which, at that time, had not sn-
gle white inhabitant, has now 1000 in
habitants, number of substantial busi-
ness buildings, a spacious and splendid
hotel, shipping on the river, and COM
mercc in lumber and salt that | will not
attempt to state the sum of in figures.
There are three towns Called cities)
of importance in the Saginaw Valley
Bay City, on the bay, East Saginaw,
sixteen miles above, on the river; Sagi.
nav, two miles above again, and on the
other (north) side of the river. All
these towns We're built up principlly in
consequence of the lumber manufactures
that are carried on all along the river
on both sides. Now the manufacture
of salt has become powerful auxiliary
to enrich the immediate locality and to
benefit the whole country. Salt docks
alternate now with lumber yards for
twenty FIVE miles on the rivers banks.
For the manufacture of fno salt, we
have nineteen blocks that boil day and
night-Sunday not excepted-an aver
age of sixty kettles each. About twenty
more blocks are nearly completed, which
will be at work in few days-all will
be run to their utmost capacity through
the winter. AT present the best blocks
turn out an average of forty barrels per
day. During the year Saginaw has pro.
duced about 5000 barrels. know of
no reason why she may not produce, in
the next year, 100000 barrels--or
why she may not, in ten years, produce
100000 year. The supply of brine
is absolutely unlimited. The demand
for manufactured salt is too, Just now,
unlimited, but it cannot long remain so,
and of course the profit of manufacture
ing, at present very large, will become
very small. La any event, however, in
consequence of these discoveries of salt
large and prosperous population must
be rapidly induced in tie Saginaw Val.
ley.
The owners Of the blocks now in on.
Grafton are mostly men from Central
New York; and the Ononda.a salt
works have furnished most of the labor.
crs employed in them. Indeed the great
majority of settlers in this valley arc
from New York and Northerh Pennsyl.
vania.
The Saginaw salt is exciting an inter.
est in New York, which is seen in ac.
tion taken by the present Legislature Of
that State. At its recent session an at
tempt was made to increase the tax on
Onondaea (at Syracuse) salt. The On.
ondaga company resisted the attempt.
ON the ground thatSaginaw would prove
a powerful competitor A committee
OF the legislature was asked for to visit
Saginaw and examine, and report to tho
session of the legislature this winter
The request was granted; and the com.
mittcc was composed, on the part Of the
senate, of A. Hutchinson (chairinan) of
Orleans county, and Ralph Richards OF
Washington county, and, on the part of
the House, of Thomas G. Alvord Of
Syracuse, and Daniel Waterbury of
Delhi. Tins committee was here last
week, making examinations, accompa.
MED by ID. L. Wood, esq, Geo. Ged.
des, esq, and Hon. Allen Monroe OF
Syracuse, by DR.. jerome of Trumans.
burg, N. Y, @. B. King, esq, of Utica,
Geo Q. Monroe Of Jonesvllle. Mich,
and @. b. Scott agent at Cleveland of
the Ohondaga company. They spent
several days among the salt works, OK.
amining and testing the salt and brine
thoroughly; and thcy chartered fine
little steamer and penetrated the coun.
try for many miles, on the Saginaw
River and its numerous tributarios.--