The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-07
SODA MINES IN WYOMING.
Hundreds Of Acres Covered with Solid Crys-
tnlized soda to nm Unknown Depth.

IRON me omaha HefCh.
Not long since Herald reporter held an
interview with Mr.. Hardin. United States Deputy
Mineral Surveyor, who made the official survey
Of the soda lakes or deposits under instructions
from the Surveyor General Of wyoming, on ap-
plcatoD OF Dr. Graf, agent and partner OF tho
present owners Of those depOsits. The survey
was made last December. MIR. Hardin had visit
ed the lakes In October
heporter-Who discovered those lakes.
Mr.. llardin-l am not able to say who discov-
eied them. Probably the person who named
Independence Rock. which lies I'm tho immedi-
ate vicinity. Fremont, In his FIRST expedition In
1872, does not mention them. At an early day
the Mormons transported large quantities OF so
da from those deposits TO salt Lake CITY TO be
used in cooking, &c. Since 1872 several parties
have attempted to locate those deposits, but
fall.d to prosecute them.
Reporter-Who owns the deposltsf
MIR. Hardn-The owners OF the patents re-
Gently procured are gentlemen Of wealth and
enterprise, and design developing the deposits
Immediately. The lakes, or moro properly de-
posts, are four ia number and lie on the north
side OF the Sweet Water river. In Carbon county,
on the Union Pacific Railroad. They extend
along parallel to the liver, tho distance between
the most easterly and most westerly being about
six miles. Those parties own nvo locations, ag-
gfcgating 40 acres. small per cent. of this
area does not contain soda, as the surveys con-
form ed to the Government surveys In form. and
necessarily include parts of Land not mineral.
Rsporter-lIow IL this soda foundf
Mr. lIardin-CrystaiZod soda, solid as Ice.
exists to a great depth in all those locations
Shafts to the depths Of seven feet and one to
the depth Of eleven feet have been sunk In some
OF those deposits without nnding bottom or
finding any change In the appearance or condi-
ton Of the deposit. will here say that one OF
the locations Is "A lake Of water. strongly satu-
rated with soda. but not crystallized yet except
when saw it, 1t was covered win soda resen-
bling slush ice. but the indications show that II
IL like the Others, excepting the water, that is,
the water lies on a deposit VI mud, and the mud
lies on bed OF crystallized soda OF unknown
depth, which Is the CASE with the others at GER
tain seasons. Ths Ia water, mud. and solid soda,
the mud varying from an inch To ten Inches
thick.
Reporter-now does this soda exist as to guam
tltyl
now be made, some Of those deposits NAV be
% 40, or 90 feet thick; but when we get over 10
feet all Is conjecture, until some one with proper
tools shall penetrate the bed. The question Is
easily asked why shafts deeper have not been
dug-this question can part answer by saving
there, and the labor Is hard, the deposits
being nearly as hard as anthracite coal.
1 assisted In sinking n hole Just nve feet deep
near the shore OF one Of the deposits In order TO
set n corner post to one Of the surveys, and
was glad to quit at that depth, ana had two men
To assist me, aud yet there was no change In the
deposits showing that We were likely TO be near
the b Ittom.
k.-What are tho chemical properties of these
depositsI
H,-fhe mineral Is carbonate Of soda. con.
snphate Of @Smn a soda An nnoysis i made AIDE
indicated II to be about the same purity rs the
soda ash Of commerce. he lakes are evidently
fed by soda springs, whose sources must be left
to conjecture. and the supply from tue source
adds annually vast amounts to the alre ady enor-
great that any speculation or attempted calcu-
lation of the annual accretiOn - supertuOus at
this time anu may be left To those VINO may
need soda u lew thousand years hereafter.
The most westerly deposit. containing over
SOO acres, has several placers; some near tho
middle, through which at certain times as
have been informed by hunters who are ac-
quHinted with It. the water and mud hre forced
up without any apparent cause (probaOy by
difference OF atmospheric pressufe) and spreads
over the lake. which. evapOrattng,. leaves crust
of hard soda on top OF the mud. varying at dif-
! Inches X.
saw the lake In October, when the crust ex
tended entirely over II, and about three
Inches thick. In December the crust on the
lake was only one inch thick. and many por-
lions had none.
R.-what had become Of tho three-inch crust 2
HI don't know. Possibly II had Usen trans
formed and settled through the ten inches Of
mud, and had beCn annexed to the solid crys-
talized body below the mud.
k-Do you know how much soda Is consume
annually
H-Ihe amount used In the United States
imported from England at a cost Of <l2,OOO.UO
Its uses are numerous. medicine, bic ching
and baking powders. smelling ores, glass aud
soap making.
II. How are these soda deposits TO be mar
ketcd2
H. learn that tho owners design the early
construction of railroad t. some point on the
W. i. Railroad, whereby this will become one Of
the economic Industries OF tho country. 70
utilize these deposits Will Give employment to
200 PEI SONS, and will require n capital of one
ana a hhlf millions Of dollars. md almost double
the eastward carrying trade Of the w. Z. Rail-
road. We may look further aud predict that At
no ftr distant day the SOFA mines OF WyOm ing
vail furnish the civii,Zcd world with this neoes-
sAry article.