The daily gazette., 1874-09-09
From UesterM Nesc York.
GLfMPsEs AT SYRACUSE THE SALT
FIEL LDs-HOw SALT is MALI
FACTURED-A SALTY
DISCOURSE
From the Gasetts's Travelling Correspondent.

="
the Mohawk's gentle vale to the spo
where the Indians wont to congregat
to drink the good medicine water O
Onondaga and to secure salt witt
which to relish their Catskill ant
Adirondack deer.
Stopping at Syracuse, city of Al, 90,
souls, and being reminded that frient
recommended us while here to break
fast on bullfrogs, and then go to Sc,
the great salt fields, we proceeded forth
with in search of o mess of those re
nowned bullfrogs, but the only on,
we could find was saucily playing un
der the drippings of the city foun
tain.
The proprietor of every eating saloor
we entered could tell us that bullfrogs
are scarce, and then he would make
our mouth water by telling us how
lucious those hindquarters were.
The Inhabitants of COW marsh and
oil other marshes, necks and creeks OF
delaware must not think the bullfrogs
we speak of are the ordinary bullfrogs
OF their locality, but they are bullfrogs
A No. l, and we will tell all about
them when we are so fortunate rs 10
feast on them.
| Having searched in vain, we pro-
ceeded to the salt fields. Reaching
the outskirts of the city we saw in the
distance what seemed to be an immense
brick yard, from the immense quantity
OF sheds and white soil. As far as the
eye could reach there were sheds thick
upon the fields, and hundreds of large,
tall, brick chimneys loomed up in he
distance. Now drawing near and upon
an eminence the fields grow longer
and wider 1t is an extraordinary
sight. 1t looks like business to see so
much smoke rolling from those hun
dreds of chimneys. On approaching
we find that this whiteness Is salt ooz-
ing out of the ground, and that these
sheds are movable covers for evapora-
ting vats and the chimneys are connec-
ted with an engine which pumps the
salt water from wells 300 feet deep, and
forces 1t up into immense tanks. One
engine pumps from some half dozen
wells within n few yards distant, all
OF which vary from 40 to so per cent.
OF salt. Every,farmer knows that brine
is strong when it will bear nm egg,
and the wateri from the best wells is
psi'i7 W DtuiiNA tiit VIZ
test.
This water contains also iron and lime
which is gotten out by settling process.
The water is drawn from these tanks
in the pump-houses into evaporating vats
where it stands till the iron has settled,
and then it is drawn out into another set
OF vatS where the limo settles, and as soon
as it reaches 100 degrees, wheh salt be-
gin to form on the top, it ID drawn Off in
to third set of watts where it crystalizes
into fine white salt. The salt is then
shoveled up and conveyed in carts to the
drying and packing house whereit is sived
separating the common coarse salt from
the coarse salt, and is then allowed to lay
fourteen days when it is packed in barrels
Or sacks, for market. The brinestands in
these vats about or inches deep where
it is constantly giving up the water in |
evaporation leaving behind tho salt, and |
by law in chemistry us soon us all the |,
water has gone the sult resumes its nat |
ural cristalized state.
In 7 or 8 days after the water leaves the |
wells the salt is in the drying house. All |
the we'll together give 270, 600, 900 gallons
yearly making 100000 bushels Of sal...
Thus barrel of salt is obtained from 30 |
gallons OF water.
10 obtain first class table-salt the cry
stalls are taken from tho drying house and
being nicely washed and dried are
ground.
There is another process Of obtaining
he salt, that is. by boiling. The above
described m0dils operandi is called the SOL
II system. In this latter process the wa
ter is drawn directly from the tanks in
the pump houses into large kettles, hold
ing 120 gaallons each, inserted in rows
over long furnaces, where the iron and
lime is separated by the addition of soft
soap. All Delawareans know what this
article is and that it is fine purifier. At
my rate, as blood is used to refine sugar,
his soap is used to refine salt. After q
ew hours boiling water all disappears
md the salt crystalizes into fine salt, but
# an inferior class to the ground salt.
What amount OF this soaped salt is used
~ my readers, do not presume to say,
nut there is by far more fine salt madei in ,
his way than by grinding. II
When we asked the workmen il they q
Vere not afraid of dirtying the snls when {
hey got into it with their big, soiled boots
fith toe peeping out occasionly, they re-
lied, swell, be jabers, we've gotsto eat q l
eek OF dirt anyhow" II
On calculation we fnd that tho evaporat. /
ng surface OF these watts 10 600 acres. There =
beds are set upon rollers that they may be 7
ihCeu over tuo NatN AhIhy "oulHtT, /
nd taken off IN clear weather to allow the c
IN to have full force la evaporation. In
oreIng in different places in This State 1t is Il
,arned that this belt Of salt springs, run v
rom West 10 East, passing right on the i
Vest side of the Onondaga Lake, whero the I
'ells we have spoken Of, ure such. in some n
laces, within few hundred iset of 1t, is a :,
,esh water lake. IL is supposed that these !;
prings run through the great rock. salt fields
Canada, thence making their way to the
.tlantic. Above these springs are other
'esh and mineral water springs. In bore I.
~ about 800 feet strata of rock Is found,
nder which is confined these currants OF !
,lt water, which, being liberated. come up II
tithin few feet OF the surface The Cau- II
lu salt, which is a much better article than II
lat made here. Is obtained by boaring a n
ell through the rock salt, which is filed Is
th water and after being fully saturated II
pumped up and is taken through the same I
rocesses as above described. To compete ie
ith the Cenada salt the manufacturer here L
III their salt to New York dealers ior the q
nall sum Of nine cents per busheI. Iei
1t costs seven cents 10 make II, and one le
mt duty to the State leaves the Manutac-
lrers one cent per bushel profit, but from
10 inland cities and towns they receive "a o.
,nts per bushel thus leaving margin enough io
make up for that sold to New York mar CO