The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-06-30
Michigan Salt.

We saw on the table at the Merchants Ex-
change last week, a sample of very nice salt,
which was brought from Saginaw river,
Michigan, and was the product of one OF the
numerous salt wells on that river.
DIR. Douglas Houghton, as early as 1888
made known in his first report of the Geology
of Michigan the probable existence of salif-
erous. formation under portions of the State,
but the farmers, lumbermen and miners were
too busy with what lay before their eyes on
the surface, to heed vaccinations of science as
to what lay hundreds of feet below the surface
and it has only been within few years that
salt to any considerable amount, has been
made in Michigan from salt wells.
The valley of the Saginaw river and vicni-
ty is supposed to overiie the upper SHRINE hor-
izon," the source of this brine being in the
shales of the gypseous group, near its base.
This Michigan Salt Group which is from 400
to 500 feet deep, is supposed to overle the
New York group which is some 500 or 900
feet still lower.
Artesian wells of about three inches in d.
ameter are drilled through rock, to the depth
aDofS hohch, VI NUN fVV W CpO lctt, uHtll lut
brine rock is reached. The brine is then
pumped up and runs into watts where it is al
lowed to settle for twenty-four hours.
This brine is then placed in large iron ket-
ties and boiled about four hours, after which
saline particles crystalize and settle at the
bottom Of the kettle from which they are
washed out and placed in baskets suspended
over each kettle to drain. When thoroughly
ly drained, the salt is wheeled off to the house
and packed in barrels containing two hundred
and eighty pounds each.
There are now over sixty establishments in
the valley of the Saginaw, making salt. A
single well, favorably located, will produce
sufficient brine to make from seventy-five to
hundred barrels of salt daily, experience hav-
ing shown that shafts near the center of the salt
basin increase the strength of the brine with
an increase Of depth. Thus well at Bay
City, which at a depth of 1856 feet gave
brine of II per cent salt, at 434 feet gave one
of 80 per cent, and at 400 feet of 80 per cent.
The cost of sinking the well is generally
about one dollar and a half per foot and on
favorable days, they drill about ten feet
Lately an improved process of manufactu-
ring salt by steam has been introduced, which
saves the use of lime as required, when boiled
in kettles. Brass pipes are laid in open watts
and the brine heated by passing steam of
low pressure through the pipes; the'salt crys-
talzes as in boiling and is precipitated at the
bottom of the watts. This steam-made salt is
coarser than that made by boiling, and it is
thought will be preferred for many uses.
There is still third process, that known as
the solar; the brine is placed in shallow watts
and exposed to the rays of the sun, by which
the water is evaporated and the salt granula-
ted at the bottom of the vessel The watts are
placed on trucks so that they can be run un-
der sheds when necessary. This, although
requiring large space of ground, is the
cheapest method of manufacturing, not costing
over 10 or Is cents a .bushel for the salt.
The manufacture Of salt, on the margin of a
river like the Saginaw which is accessible to
vessels drawing 10 or IA feet of water, will
greatly increase the prosperity of that portion
of the State. The cost of manufacturing
barrel OF salt then, including the barrel, is
about seyenty-fiye cents barrel and the price
now is from s1.75 to $3.50.
We can judge Of the value Of this salt group
of Michigan located on river accessible from
the great western lakes, from the fact that in
1859 the consumption in the United States
was estimated at over thirty seven millions
Of bushels, which then was over 81 pounds for
each inhabitant, while the consumption in
England was % pounds, in France Is 1-2
pounds. or that thirty millions of bushels,
over fourteen millions were of domestic pro-
duction, the Onondaga works of New York
producing 6,s94,0O0 bushels, those OF Ohio
100000. Pennsylvania 100000. The annual
production of salt In the three leading COM
mercial nations is as follows, namely: Great
Britain 52,215,OO0 bushels, France 22,443,OO0
bushels, United States 14,234,0O0 bushels.
LAUNDERING has heretofore been the leading
business of the Saginaw river, and several
parties from Maine have located there. n
Blanchard and Sons from this city are at
Saginaw City, some sixteen miles from the
mouth of the river; about one mile further
down and opposite East Saginaw are the
mills of Charles Merrill, Esq, formerly of
this city, who at an early day entered into
numbering operations in Michigan, in which
he has acquired a handsome fortune. Further
down the river and about two miles from its
mouth is Bay City, where Samuel Pitts, Esq,
formerly of this city, has his mills located,
and he is just adding salt works by the steam
process, his slabs and waste wood furnishing
large portion of his fuel. All the saw mills
on this river are steam mills; Mr.. Pitts hav-
ing been the first to introduce gang saws as
used in Maine. The numbering business added
to the salt makes Saginaw river one of the
busiest spots in the thriving west.
We may further add that two of our Port
land young men have located themselves at
Bay City, namely, Doctors Charles Ii. Rey-
nolds and Ralph W. Cummings. The latter
as Assistant Surgeon In one OF the Michigan
regiments now in Rosecrans' army, is highly
beloved by the officers and men for his untir-
| ing fidelity to the sick under his charge.
sg-The Wing suggests that the officers Of
the pirate vessels must be in correspondence