Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-06-20
mANUFACrUaE or sALT.
CFfIcz or THE GEoLoGfctr SURvfY, Z
OxFORp, june q IS62

what is pcpularly ;eimCd salt-licks or salt,
spots" had ca.ly drawn my st'eption TO ihi
subject, ID the regular course of the geological
surYey. But however hopeful t G prospect ap
pcsifd to ne at first, ultimately, after a clos
aud somewhat extensive inv stigatiou OF Tia
salt b a!ing formations, came TO tie coacus o.
/ that sare in c1St of emergency like the present
tie mau, lctule of salt in this State promise,
/ little psaciifa al advantage. It is true that com
mon sat i, very exclusively diffused through
sone OF eur formations especially those can.
posed OF 1aik rolored Cluys (Ottcn containing
! FOSSIL wool, leaves and lignites but no *,
! sl.. lls) var;onsly known und,r ihe popula
| terms vf scal stone" black dirt" or bluI
mud A" Ih' Sc maerials yield numerous mine
gsl Waters, 81 Niiich contain salt as ole, aaC
often the principal Ingredient Bat in all those
cxaniiued y me (save in the se recently
/ brol chit to your notice, the inv s.isaIion o
which is not compl,t d the quantity was de
icient the brine being either too weak for prac
teal purposes, wEen abundant, OF too lin j ed
in quantity, ,7LeiI otherwise q I'd qna;e
strength. Moreover, in many cages. the great
| abundance If other iIgIl dents, esp c.ally
epson salt which accompany the cen IA N salt
in these waters woui Clten render the produc-
lion Of mod. rsic'y pure salt from these sources,
both leb0rious and expensive. Aiany OF ihs
naturally occurring "szlty Spots are lever
LDuCncU bf ca Lt, anu STOW dlulOnb NANtNao Ntl
the bitter OF lcIid taste Of epson salt, and simi
lar substauccs.
Tue blowing oct " Of these salty compounds
on t. suriace IS owing simply 10 tbs cYgpora-
lion, from porous soil, Of the very weak b.ine
era = lily drawn up from the black dirt - BE-
low, in the amer Of an ordinary wick. The
salt naturally accnmulatcs Only Wh re the eyap-
Grafton occurs, Viz: IN the porous, Loose surface
sOit slicb Is lafrly salty to the taste loweI
down .hln about six irches, never, to lay kuOwl
eJge, xce, ding The depth to whirh the soil Is
haLitually Tiled The Whtish claW fshy +"
suL-5cil Which unGerits the salty spots, aud a.
q certain depth usually shows AN abundance If
- b ack crGT, Of bog fom ole, do,s not sAOv
any sally tasl,, nor usual J, does tie "b,aek
dnt" its, Il; The two, howev-r Touch eaah other,
wihcut there b-ing a'y clayoy or imforyiOus
liver be:w. e1.
. Wei, sunk On these spols, to the surface, or
ey, u into tie bTsck ii T." often yield water
appai Z. lis Iurr, or at lesst not sen.ibly sa inr
In cth.y cas-, the wafer thus obtained, Though
strongly niacral, contains less common salt
dian 0l ether uuwholcS0me irggedicntS-s ats Ci
lns or m gu, sia S1me lines, ilde"d, the W.
ter becom moIe s,nsibly salty after standing
iii the wel fer $, ms tiuir but after empty ing
Of the Grst charge, water almost lrtsh viii at
first be Obtain, d, lAo bIiue forming a. too slow
rAle to be- 5, ,r,icelbl- on the large scale
/. might be supposed that, as hss been the
ease esrwherr, Gctp bolcs might strike strong
er brine. Iut surn IN GIT be the case cannot
be denied, but expo ice, thus for, does not
sirel g;i Ga the srpposj!iOa. The sglt-bcaring
materials sen ID be Of thickness, and to occur
/ reeula / E; distributed in all directions. 1, ,ep
borings in the lesun (of llinds, Rankin Scott
AMI Emi Ii J where sally spots are mos
abundant, would 10 my csrtaiu knowledge, soon
strike sleIl mails aud Inn, Stou, and the dep
bore { / the peui.eutiaIy well at Jackson, yields
water coulalLirg sea- cely any thing but com
mOa soda, in small quantity. Similar results
have been Oh aimed elsewhere, il the same foI-
nation.
Nc,e III, less would aot discourage attempts,
in each nogL ohUod to obtain natural brine by
sinking u boIo OF dug well 1T the lowest point
Ct the saie.y spOs, going down 10y degrees, 50
IS to give the wafer, if any, tune to acyu.au
la.c and be tasted, say every four TO six feet.
Wherever, indeed, the % black dirt is reacht d
(usua' ly at twelve t. twenty icct) OF gone into
FOR I " i'ci; OF when fresh water is met with,
ftrth, trouble would offer little caanc' Of sue
cess TIE same appes whenever strata car-
taiuirC Shells, or limestone, are struck.
Atsl4c.iug for the pg' sent, from the pcrmau
e;t salt wells aud natural springs, Of which
reports have but lately come into my hands,
and which, il coTec', would require and justify
~ EtiJns Oh the large scale, l viii briefly state
how, in my opinion, SUPPLY OF sail, il moi
adequate to the wants, at least to the rtEet OF
the community, or parts thtro,f, may be Oh
taiued from ,ie soUrcos 30 far known TO me,
While bas on tie same principles as salt
making on the large scale, adaptation TO the
iacl.li offered by the Utensils Of farm or
y p'autaiiJI. necessarily com?els some modiuca
Ton Ut tie process in this case.
1 OBTAINING TIE DGNE. .
n the case OF natural sat s'qipgs or wells
all 10 be remembered under this head, would be
the avoidance of all unnecessary CIutiOu by
fresh waie. derived from the surface, and of all
inquiry whici might be separated by settling
or strGiEing.
The lcaching {" dripping ~ of salty earth,
whether derived from lie surface soil OF natural
F." salty sp9ts," or from the floors Of smoke or
meat Lous 5, differs nowise essentially from the
same pro o.ess as commonly pe!ioTm-d in th,.
making Of lye fre II wood ashes. Itmay be done
ether Ia hoppcrs or in barrel whose b9.tcm
has ii s. been covered wi h two layers Of sticks
or seats PLACED cross-wise and again covered
with strata. Il digging the cGrh, is tas'e
should be COT tiuusliy consulted to test is q1ai
ty as 10 sal .i.ess aad it should be PUT in the
hopper well pulverizod (hee from c1ods) but
l0osly taking care at the same tins not TO allow
any :. lse ci.aurols bciig 'crmed by the wa
ter, so as 10 an without teaching tie earth o.
this Gccoul t, it is well 10 bel it III the EoYpei
with two o. thee ihiu layers OF straw, layer O
which, or ol corn huSks, should also be placed
on top, to prevent the surface from beiag con-
pacieA IN pvurimg on the watrr. Should the
earth Le too cocgy or close 10 leach ell, It may
be IN xed win some coarse sand, to reader il
more open.
To accomplish the leaching or dripping pro-
cess with the J, asl possible amount OF wstyr. tue
latter shculd be poured on at intervals, III single
bucke,luls always waiting, at least, for tie
water lo sink beneath ihe surface, fore more
!; poured on. When one hopper only Is used
the fifst hrif CT first third, or even fourth (aC-
cording 20 the strength of the earth) should be
considered f. iT b9iling-the rest, beirg wesli@r,
is to be used in teaching fresh charge 0i earth
liesi water being each line poured on at ltast,
until the sal, y taste OF the drlPpings dsaprears
II is best, however, 10 have q. least two hoppegs
alongside Of one another, so as to Immediately
pour on the $, c3nd by buekeiiuls, The weak por-
lion of tie brine of the first. Operating in this
manner, rone bat brine Of sufficient strength
nee be boiled
II. TESTING THE PURITY or TIE BRINE.
The purity Of the brino obtained by Ihe fore
yoil % process vii vary q good deal IL d'tfrcni
iudge of this point in some measure beforehand
B.ine made from the floor aarth Of meat hUuses
viii generally be the purest; in this case,
= little peallash or clear lye from wood ashes,
made without lime, will, when mixed with the
brine, leave il clear or render it but slightly
milky. When impure, on the contrary, the
mixture viii Sometimes appear like bltierinik
the wler AID thicker it becomes the moIe iA-
pure is the brine.
nI. BoH4SGTuE BNlNEAND NAKING THE SALT
When the learluslr orlyeicsi just mentioned
leav the bfine quite or nearly clear, even alter
boiling the rnixtme for little while, the max
ing cf coarse or fine salt, at the option of Ehs
maker. Fine sait may be mode by boiling the
brine rapidly al the time, raking ~ the sail
lrcquenily ss t falls to the bottom of tie boiler,
aud so Oh mill thore Is but !itile nine left
Should the test. however, show the Iue 10
be impure OF when coarse salt is desired from
Al I. Il stasf