Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-07-25
a rsENvAnBxAp,u.E sAs!F vgrNu,
HOW THE REBELS GOT THEIR SALT.

salt mine of Petite Ansc, where salt is quar-
| ried out in solid blocks. From this vast and
valuable deposit the rebels drew large
part of their supplies.
The mine is not far from the town of New
Iberia. The visitors left this place and ira
vclcd in south-southwcsterly direction
over a most beautiful level prairie plain
about six miles distant. This plain is so
much of dead level that the land. although
"A very rich soil, is deemed by the farmers
, almost valucless, because the water falling
upon it finds no dcclivity by which to run
off from its very flat even surface. The
| writer says:
ave then approached the celebrated rails
ed plankroad, which had been built through
a sea swamp, about two miles long, extend
ing from the dry or main land through the
swamp to the salt island of Petite Ansc.-
This road is the only land passage to the
island, and is so narrow that the teams or
vehicles cannot pass each other upon it.
"A signboard at either way upon the road.
BY this crOSsWay we reached the northcas-
terly border Of the island, and then, by
winding road over its undulating vet cult
waited surface, a distance ofabout two miles
to its most southwestcrly border, we ap-
preached the salt deposit of North America.
As we ncarcd the saline bed, we could see
through the scattered trees and bushes white
heaps of the quarricd rock salt, stacked up
in piles about ten to fifteen feet high, short
distances apart, giving evidence of the wells,
or shafts, eXcavatcd within the earth below,
and adjacent to these several piles of quar-
ricd blocks of salt.
HOW THE SALT Is MINED,
"Thcsc wells or shafts, for the blasting
and cNcavating this rock deposit, are about
twelve in number, of different sizes, and To-
Gated within n radius of about four hundred
feet They consist of square or. oblOng
excavation down from the surface into the
carth-a depth, on the average, of about
nineteen and half feet below the surface
to the hard smooth rock salt deposit below.
These pits are sunk and walled up-some-
thing similar to Il Golfer dam-cithcr by
planks thoroughly braccd from the opposite
sides against the carth's bank on either side,
or II sort of frame work Of logs dOvctailcd
together at the ends like the walls of Il log
house, and extending from the surface of the
ground down to the salt quarry below; and
and made so tight that the crumbling fall
ing earth was thereby entirely excluded
from the pits.
These shafts are, on the average, about
twenty feet square. One of the pits, how
ever. which has been made and worked by
the rebels, is much larger than either one
of the other pits. is made in the form of an
J., and is about eighty feet long on its outer
line. and about sixty feet on its inner line
and about twenty feet wiuc. From all Of
these pits there has been CNCayatcd more or
less salt down into the rock II depth Of from
ten to thirtv-iivc feet below its surface. This
large pit had been worked much more than
either one OF the others. The salt rock has
tnl 4 t,l. gatf N a.
depth of about thir,y-thrcc feet, and far into
the rock below. outside of the walls OF the
pit and under the earth, and salt banks left
standing above. \ large column OF the salt
rock, about six feet in diameter, remains
standing under the inner elbow or appeX
of the pit. to sustain the rock arch OF salt
and earth above it. Over and around these
pits there were erected, during the last year
several buildings, sheds, and much machi-
merry for dril.ina blasting, hosting and bar
rcling the blocks of salt just MS eXcayatcd
from the mine, without any granulation
whatever.
Il was informed that from four hundred
to six hundred men Were constantly employ
ed during portion of the last year-a part
of the time both day and night-to eNhume
and barrel the salt, and load it up on from
one hundred to five hundred teams, con-
SiunlN luCIC on tilC IOuN'' "'i' VII VI 81 'I'A
almost every section of the rebel states, each
tcamstcr standing about and in most anX-
ious waiting, with cash in iand, the next
turn for their long wished for load.
Some Of these pits were worked 10y the
owner OF the soil others were worked 10y
contracting parties; who furnished or dctray-
ed .hcir own expense, with the necessary Ia
hcr, and paid tothe owner II stipulated sum
per pound for the salt.
"Ihe average selling price of the salt on
the ground was A cents per pound.
win here remark, by way of contrast,
THAT the average price in the city OF New
!, Orleans for Liverpool ground alum salt, in
sacks, commonly called coarse tincD has
been, liom on shipboard, during the last
fifteen years, about fifty cents per sack OF
about three bushels, or one quarter of Il cent
per pound, including the cost OF the sack.
81 have been assured by persons who know
the facts, that Judge Avery has received,
within the last year, over one million two
hundred thousand dollars for this salt, in
addition to the many smaller sums which
have been received during the same time by
the other contracting parties at the mines.
ut is said To me that there has probably
been received in all for this salt within htt
last fiscal year, at the works, the enormous
I, sum OF liCu TWO 10 thGtc hlilIohs ol toIlHl0
: Such another prolific source of money max
s ing has never yet been discovered within
the United States since the formation of oul
government. was told ON the island tha
r Judge Avery, with his family, had left the
O plantation To reside ior the present more Sc
cUrely within the rcbcllious districts of th'
, South.
. The only way to quarry out this salt l.
. by drill and powder blast and am asauret
r by. Mr.. Robertson, and interested party
. that the drilling is quite as hard and as dit
licult rs the drilling of granite rock; III
Il blasting is, however, u little more free.
q IAN of these buildings and the machincr.
!, works have been entirely destroyed 10y on
. army, Nothing remains but one or tw'
o trail sheds, the lining of the pits and seNera
o small stocks of the salt blocks piled aroun'
u upon tho earth near the wells. | am assure'
e by Major General Banks that the toniede
y rate guns were loaded with this salt, ans
!, fired upon our soldiers.
4 "'rtis body of land, or island, is called b.
a the French appellation, Petite Anse,' Mhie
70 Ia our English tongue, means Little Elho,
Island, from the peculiar shape q! the land
y. aud tho crooked course which the bayol
!. Petite Anse and the sm Her bayous maxim
!. in their ciTcuitous course up nom the -soul
or head waters ot Ncrmillcn Hay Ia M
b, suuthrrly eide uf thc island thence hlun
Al. 4 In