The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-06-17

the Onandaigue, it only requires 90 gallons
OF ours to make one bushel ofsalt.
Mr.. King did not live many years to en-
joy his good fortune, but long enough to
become immensely wealthy, and to do vast
amount Of good by his benevolence, liber-
ality and enterprise. Had he lived to
three score and ten, he would have been
the richest man in America if not in
the world. He died in 1903, at the age of
80. He was married, but being childlcss
he bequeathed his property to nephew,
provided he married the daughter of a
certain gentleman. That gentleman hay
ing no daughter, of course the stipulation
OF the will could not be complied with,
and the property reverted to his heirs-at.
law, whose name was legion for what
rich man ever yet died intestate without
multitude of heirs!
Gen. Campbell having also died, and his
property adjoining having descended to
his heirs, they sunk well into the same
hidden stream, and both wells are still in
use and though pumped by engines, the
water has never been known to diminish
The combined property is now valued at
from two to $3,000,000, and is probably
nth great deal more-indeed its value
can scarcely be estimated. Most ofthe heirs
having parted with their claims, it belongs,
principally, to three or four gentlemen,
who were comparatively poor few years
ago, but who are now millionaires, and have
added thousands of acres to the original
estates. And what is better, they are whole
souled, liberal, public spirited gentlemen,
who seem to have acquired the benevolence
of Mr., King with his estate. You may ar
rive at some estimate of the value of the
property, when inform you that it COM
prises some 10000 acres of land, much of
it equal to the Mississippi bottoms, the in
exhaustible supply of brine, from which is
manufactured from to 5000 bushels of
salt per day, and which could be increased
to almost any amount-it having been
made, during the war, when it supplied
the whole confederacy from the Potomac,
to the Mississippi, at the rate of 10000
per year, without perceptibe diminution
in quantity or quality. The manufacture
costs not exceeding 20 cents per bushel,
and having no competition, sells ut so cents
at the works.
In addition to the salt wells, the estate
has upon it ineXhaustible deposits of the
pufeSt plaster or gypsum, Tor all OF which,
both salt and plaster, there is ready mar
ket, with railroad transportation within a
few feet of the wells and banks.
With this outline, together with what |
have heretofore intimated of the resources
of this highly favored corner of the "moral
vineyard"-an the half has not been told
you-you cannot but conclude that God in
His providence has lavished His bountics
upon us with liberal hand, and that we
ought to be grateful and prosperous peo-
pie. The truth is, we have lived too east
ly, and hence too negligently, but the war
has taught us a lesson which will profit the
more prudent, and result, we may hope, in
fuller development Of our hidden wealth.
AS you have doubtless long since discov-
cred that am strangely cratic in my cor
respondence, you will not be surprised if
| should give you Ghost Story in my
next-a story of a Haunted Ballroom in
Abingdon.
Yours, respectfully,
G. b. G.
A6ingdOm, Va, June 10, 1870