Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-12-28
One Of the Wonders Of California

Borax Lake is about 100 miles
north Of San Francisco. Properly
speaking. it IS a pond, beng only one
mile long and half a mile wide 1t II
situated on peninsula which iuts in
to Clear Lake, from which it is separ.
ated by mountain. 1t is, ia brief
a crater of an extinct volcano. or least
presenting that appearance. That my
readers may duly appreciate the rarity
of the curiosity before him, would
remind him that probably no white
man ever saw its like, there being no
other of the kind save in Thibet. Be
fore the discovery Of Borax Lake, In
California, there were but two sources
of supply Of borax TO meet the de
mand of the WOrld-that of Thibet
and that Of firm Ia Liverpool, who
manufacture the article by a chemical
process.
Iron cofer-dams having chamber
about five feet square, are sunk In the
lake the water is bailed out Of the
dams, the mud IN them being pressed
by men stamping en- boards that cover
it, and the concrete mass taken ashore
and dried in the sun, the largest boTaZ
crystals being picked up during this
operation. Crystals are found from
the size of a hens EGG TO that of a pea
The earth IS strongly impregnated with
bOrate Of soda-bi- bOTate, strictly
speaking-is subjected to lixiviation
and the saturated water is slowly evap
grated In heated boilers until the oct
chedral crystals are formed. In the
sediment are iodine. silicic acid, sill
cate of lime and alumina the first Is
likely to prove valuable. At the pres
ent time about 1000 pounds Of boraz
is obtained daily 10 to 10 tons will
be the daily yield on the completion OF
the works. The supply may beregarded
as illimitable, and sufficient for the de-
mands Of the world. 1t is constantly
forming. and soon there will be no bO
raX in use in the arts and In medicine
save that which the Golden State will
furnish.
SULPHUR BANKS.
A hill about 600 feet high separates
Borax Lake from the sulphur banks
The view from the pass over the hiH
is one of surprising beauty and grand
eur. A lofty mountain, the Uncle
Sam, in front, sections of clear lake
two little silvery arms, embracing the
boraX peninsula, and the tiny mineral
lake itself rejecting the landscape
more distinctly than could a metallic
mirror, are but few ofthe attractions
Of this charming spot. There is no
human habitatiOn in sight save the
works of the Borax Company, but cat
tie are browsing on the salt meadows
adjacent to the lake, and on its Dor
ders are swine feastiBg on the margin.
| forming an organized belt a yard or
more wide, aud above a foot in depth.
7 The only other iuhabitant of those
waters Is a leech. It is hardly neees-
sary to add that the spacifie gravity OF
the lake renders it impossible that o
man should be drowned in its healing
waters-healing the ulcers of animals
/ that are driven In for that purpose.
The sulphur banks are on the mar.
/ gin Of Clear Lake an extensive depOs-
1.-THE deposition being still IN prog
/ ress. Extensive works for sublima-
1 ting the element have Just been COM
4 pleted. Sulphur Is poured out from
I retorts In constant streams into boxes
/ holding 200 pounds each, affording to
T the borax company, at trifing ex-
1 pense, daily supply of 100 such boxes,
/ if they see fit to draw on their brim.
/ stone bank to that extent.
I laAnAua
Bat for the Chinese labor neither
borax nor sulphur could be obtained
/ White laborers could not be induced
to undertake the labor. However
as Uhinaman get what they consider
good wages, the needful supply is al
ways on hand. Prof Oxly's expert.
ence in mining arc highly suggestive
as to a mans need of a Sabbath He
says he has seen, at Washoe, enough
Of working seven days In week on
seven days wages to demonstrate that
only five days product is the result
and although his Chinese laborers are
( engaged by the month, and are quite
willing to work every day In tht
month, he, for pure economical and
/ physiological considerations, gives
\ them a seventh day rest, the Christian
I sabbath Correspondence ". i ECen
ing Post