The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-08-15

d.
;yesf and which is covered with tall
coarse grass and short shrubbery. To tht
north about two miles, it is covered with
pushes and stanted trees and on the
easterly and sOutheasterly sides are loca
teo extensive, heavy cypress forest tree:
OF many miles extent. The soil Of the
1siand Is u,nber-colored loan, composed
mostly OF siliciOus sand, and SO compact
as 10 permit the making Of it into brick.
! ;, There is II most lnxuriant growth oi
-orest vegetation covering e good portion
OF the island, and consisting OF almost
every variety OF tree, shrub, and vine,
KNOWN to our country, growing immedi-
ateiy over the salt deposte as well as
elsewhere throught the island. .
! About two-thirds OF the land inclu-
! ding the salt deposit, belongs to Judge
avery, and the other one-third (Inainly
In the center of the lsland) belongs to an
OLD man, John Hayes, vino is now and has
been aresident ON the island about seventy
three years. The salt deposit is found
near the southwesterly border OF the is>
land, under dry forest ground, which
ground is only about Fifteen feet above the
level OF the tide water in the bayou The
salt quarry consists Of q whitish or cream-
coiorei solid smooth rock, underlying
the earth, within space. so far as ye. as.
certained, OF about iorty.fge acres, and on
an average o! nineteen and halt feet be-
low the surface OF the earth, aud about
four and half feet below the surface
o. the bayou or tidewater. .....
There r no water or brine moisture
within the salt deposit The rock is hard,
compact and perfectly dry. The only
moisture attending II Is contained in the
earthly soil above the rock .s ..-
e he sal, WIS discovered as follows .
Nh. John Hayes, now living upon the
Island, where he has resided since 1890,
was hunting for deer, lust over the salt
bed, IN IiJI, and TO queEch his thlrst
Crank the water ot a small, clear spring
just at his feet. He found the water So
salt hat he afterwards took some. OF it 10
his own hume n n bottle, anu boiled IRON
il a ,easpoonful Of salt soon alter se..e
NcClul bought about nineteen acres Of
the land, including the salt spring and
began boiling salt. lie afterwards dug
severoi small wells for Il better supply q
brine, without much success, bat while
digging, topnd an Indian earthen spoon
about two feet long below the surface
found also buck horn about nine feet
below, aad also found the almost perfect
zen ieet eeiow thc surface. ILe<e springs
were afterwards almost wholly neglected,
until the year 1879, when Joa2 e Marsh.
on account Of the enhanced price # salt
conseYueu; upon ou. w9r with Great Brit
tl-n. commenced and continued boi'ing
until the peace oG 1873 Judge r-n;ei =
aveGT. the present owner, Became possessed
of thee salt !aAds, and commeuccd boil
ing tie brine IA September s6i. and cou.
;inuei boiling ,ill My, 1862, when he
concluded 10 imi!ove one Of the springs
and, /. Igss. ind a better supply of
brine Ly digging much lower into the
earth al1 Hue1l caly 4o0ut thirteen fee,
LclO" tn sra ace The pick axe man al The
bottom st:uc', upon, as ne tEo-gi.' i cake
Q: ice, jC. inns upon being trotzen CT,
closely examined. handed al! round, bio-
ken to pieces, ,rlei in the i::c. tasted of.
eta, etc, TO the wonder cf all, proved TO
be pure rocl: salt,
This island, from is salt deposit as
radius, Is distant about ten ana 1 half
miles IN south soutEvesterly direction
from the village Of Ne" iberia 4 double
tfack q .A..loai could be built from the
salt bed over. the indicating surface Of
ne Island about TWO miles, aad thence
ever q dead level plain eight miles TO the
n.
IS always about eight feet OF steamboat
tor't'e sur. OF say $Ge 900 with
al! OF the necessary :o.!!7g stock complete
"Thc other more favorable approach 70
the salt bed Is by the ~a7 OF the Gulf Of
4-exic9, through 'Termilliou BAY. distant
from the Gulf aJou, twenty-five miles. !
with aa..Ish: Of water through The bay I
Of about nine feetup T. tie Bavo-l of Petite I
Anse, thence thr0Irh this baycn with !
four and a halt icrt draugi.. of w-,'e,
distance Of about four and half r-,ile-. to |
within one and 4 half miles Of ,he salt de /
pca!t, thence by railway through The sea
swamp 10 the salt works
This one aud a half miles OF railroad (
wousd probably COS, seyeuteen Thousand
dollars. The cost cf erecting ta!d.ncs
and necessary machinery at the works
would amount TO about one hzlndred
thousand dollars. The amount ef oatiav. |
with proper transhipment fact
ties to the various markets OF our seaboard.
would enable working company to COM
pete successfully with the cheap sack salt
from England or elsewhere