Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-06-16

entered by eleven shafts. with galleries at |
five different levels, reaching Il depth of
more than 4 thousand feet below the sur
face of the earth, and containing a
labyrinth of passages and immense ex-
cavations extending to Il total length of
nearly 800 miles. Some of the older
chambers were more than 4 hundred and
fifty feet in height. One Of these is fitted
up us y chapel, dedicated to St. Anthony.
in which the altar, statues. columns. pulpit.
&c. are all hewn out of solid salt. In
another part is Il lake. G5O feet long and
10 feet deep, formed by the water which
trichles through the strata. On occasions
when the imperial family of Austria give
the mines the honor of their presence. the
principal passages an chant bers are bril-
liantly illuminated, and gay festivals have
often been held in the great hall of recep
ton.
One of the most remarkable salt mines
in Europe is that of Cardona, in Cat,lona,
Spain. 1t is hill 32S feet high, covering
an area of three-quarterS of a square mile,
composed of nearly vertical beds OF salt.
| gypsum, and clay, the salt constituting
about four tfths of the entire mass. The
salt is of three varieties, the first and rsrest
occurring in crystalline muses., colorless
into cubes of eight inches on side The
second variety is fine grained. translucent,
with delicate colors ranging from grayi>h
white to brownsh-red. The third variety
is impure and granular, mixed with clay
and gypsum. The workings are in the
open air, in the form of long steps about u
yard in height and width, the masses be-
ing separated by means of blasting and
pick.
! Salt lakes are found in many parts Of
| the world The most cclebrated-the
Dead Sea. in Palestine although its WA
t"rs contain a very large proportion OF
saline matter. affords only eight per cent.
of pure salt Lake Noroomiih, in Persia.
~ miles l. ng AMI 81 broad, contains 80
large Il percentage of salt. that in summer
4 belt of country three or four miles wide
around some portions OF 1t Is encrn>tcd
with salt to the depth of Il foot or more.
| The saline lake of Z,greZ, in Africa, i, in
some seasons covered with 4 glttering
white crust of salt. like ice, from one to
two feet in thickness. Lakes of similar
character are found in Abys>inia In Cen
tr,l Afric, the products of the salt lakes
form, very important article OF COM
mrrce. lis scarcity in some portions of
that country is severely felt Mungo Park
speaks OF ii rs bcln. regarded III those re-
yions rs the greatest luxury; children
would eat it with avidi,v. as II 1t was su-
gu. There Is l,ryr silt water lake IN
south Africa. the bottom Of which IA COW
cred with a lavrr OF very hard rock salt
Around the mtrgin It Is quarrled with
picks, and during the prevalence OF the
dry southeast summer winds the surface
i, covered with beautiful deposit of pure
| l., ~, u ,tS he
most famou, of the saline lakes OF America
is the Great S.t Lake. in Utah, - miles
lonr and 80 wide. whose waters are near
" saturated. forming one of the purrst and
most concentrated brinc> in the world. II
is 50 strong thtt it cannot be swallowed
without dlngcr of strlngulation, while the
mrrtst ptrticlc of ii i'll the eye causes in-
ttns, p.in. Tho country around is most
,esulltc and barren. There are no fish
in the waters bat u specimen OF crus-
tlc,4n Ia, been found n them; and im-
menSe quantities of gull>, wild-ducks,
reese AMI swans frequent its shores and
islands.
Few countries are better Supplied with
d salt than the United States; salt Lakes.
we'll, and springs occur in almost every
State and territory The principal springs
are found in western New York. West
Virginia. Pcnn~ ylvAni;t, Michigan, and in
1.-The States bordering on Ohio. Those at
Syracuse have been famous from the ear
lir>t >etllrnyn, of tn" colntly by the
Whites Thrv We're. Of course. we'll known
to the Indilns; Father l.allemant Is be
licveI to have been the first man who visit
f ed them. IL Molnc, Jesuit. mentions
them in l6J5 A hundred Years later the
Indians m,nuf,cturcl salt for sale TO the
whites and quantities were carried from
the St springs ;t> far II Qncbec. The whites
commenced operations at Syracuse IN l'SN
with rude machinery. little dreaming OF
the immense extent to which. by the AID OF
: science and constantly improving me-
/ chlniral appliances, the manufacture
u would be decreased.
= This i wandering a long way from the
romantic regions of Bercht,sgaden an,
T. the komirs-re; bat ones thoughts natnr
A ally revert to the general object, and t'
= the fact that salt. the only mineral sub
: stance universally required Ivy man, ans
the hi,hrr orders Of tn anim,l Kingdom
i As an article of food, is 50 distributed rs t'
;. he almost everywhere accessible. Th
a RiLl,. and other ancient books contain fire
e u,ent allusions to salt. All sacrifices of
. fred in the Jewish temples We're season
\. ed with it. 1t is mentioned rs one OF til
+ things mos; necessary to life; it is used a
n 4 symbol of pcrpctuity and interruption
n and also of btrrrnncs> and sterility. rs Il
t. sowing the site of u destroyed city II sail
l. The allusion in the New Testament t
l. =. salt tn 1t has lost its SAVIOR, refers to tn
&c impure article collected from the border
n of salt lakes. like the Dead Sea, whic
4. miylt be merely earthly matter almo'
is entirely free from salt, although resemb
), inc it in color and general appearance.
ct The pruporlionate consumption OF st
T. in diff countries is very variable. l
of the United States it is estimated AS betwee
is 30 and O. lbs. 4 wear for each person.
le Great Britain ut -. and in France at onl
of 10. Besides its direct consumption as foe
rs enormous quantities are employed IN pr
j. serving meats and fish. and Il very lars
hc amount is used in chemical operation
NJ particularly in the manufacture OF sofia
he is also largely made use of III the proce
Ii, OF" " Salt-glazing common rarthenwaFe