The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-02-22

river was discovered by the earl
Spanish explorers and Jesuit Fathers
in the latter part of the sixteenriI CEN
tury, aud by them was named on sc
count of its saline character the Rit
Salido," the river of salt, and ye
known by all as Salt River. 1t ha:
been found that this river runs through
a great salt deposit some one hundred
miles above Phoenix where the quan'
tity is so great it affects the whole
body of water in the river for 0Vei
one hundred miles below. This de-
posit is far up in the mountains and il
yet unapproachable by wagons, anG
cannot be utilized to any extent with
cut the expenditure of much hard
work and money, but when made easy
of access will furnish an inexhansfibls
supply for many ages Another won-
derful salt deposit is that known as
the Zuni Lake which is some s0t
miles or more nearly east of Prescott
and near the line between Arizona
and New Mexico. This Lake is in
one of the most desolate and barren
countries OH the continent and some
80 miles east of the Milligam settle.
ment, which is on the upper waters oi
the Chiquito Colorado river. 1t is
surrounded on all sides by desolate.
bleak, barren, volcanic mountains,
whose fires were extinguished, no
doubt, thousands of years since. The
Lake has neither outlet or inlet from
these mountains, and the water
which supplies it flows from the cone
Of an extinct Volcano in its southern
part. This cone about 200 feet high
an aperture haying been worn out on
its northern side, where the water
highly impregnatsd with salt, runs
into the Lake. The stream is small,
but continuous at all seasons. The
water is carried off by evaporation.
leaving the salt, pure. clear and white.
very much resembling the best ol
Turks Isiaud salt. The Lake is over
Il halt mile across, and the water in no
place but a few feet deep. From the
Arizona side theLake can be approach
ed with wagons which are driven into
the Lake, and the salt shoveled like
sand. a load of it was brought tc
Prescott in July last which carefully
examine ed. and found it to be equal to
any for preserving meat, for table and
other uses. 1t is sold at Prescott for
five cents per pouud-Sl0O per ton.
The interior of the cone from whence
the water issues is some two or three
feet in diameter, and in this, near the
surface are deposited small quantities
of crystalizations of saltpeter, aud ol
Glauber salts. Ropes have been sunk
i'm the hollow cone to great depth
without touching bottom. 1t is
great curiosity aud we'll worth visit
of hundreds of miles, Some 400 miles
south OF the Lake is a fine spring Ol
clear and pure ircsh water, and the
only water fit for drinking or cooking
purposes within many miles. The
Zuni Indians have from time iin.n emo.
rial obtained salt from THE Lake, and
now visit it periodically for that pur-
pose. The salt is of unknown depth
and has never been opened over five
feet, and these openings fill. up in
fe W days. Another still more won
deriuI and interesting salt formation
is that OF the Salt Mountains OH the
Virgin river, a section OF country for.
merIy claimed by Arizona. but now
belonging to the State of Nevada
They are 100 miles north from Miner.
al Park, Arizona, and north of Stone's
Ferry, on the Colorado river, the di-
viding line between Arizona and Ne.
vada. These mountains Of salt are
spurs of the Virgin river range. The
Virgin river, a fine stream so feet wide
and one foot deep, enters the Colorado
river a short mile above Stones Ferry
from tie north. Up the Virgin river
six miles the first mountain spur il
opened; at seven miles another; al
twelve miles third, and at eighteen
miles a fourth. The first three are ol
a grayish color, somewhat resembling
dark granite with stratas of few
inches wide of pure white crystalized
salt. The fourt one is mass of pure
white salt almost transparent, and al
most free from all foreign substances,
a block of this over foot square
placed on newspaper can be read
through almost as easily as through a
block of glass. The salt in all these
formations is about two feet beneath
the surface and covered with ali or.
amge colored clayey earth intermixed
with much base mica. 1t is blasted
out like rock from a ledge, and one
person can take out a ton or more
daily. Hundreds of tons have alread j
been mined without showing any
signs of exhaustion. The extent oI
the formation seems almost limitless
How these mountains of salt were
formed and at what era of the world,
is, OF course, wholly unknown, but fu-
ture and critical examinations by com.
petent geologists will in'part solve The
query. 1t may have been an ocean
formation, but more likely there was
at some era in the distant past at this
point large salt lake fed by salt
springs. and afterwards by the earth
commissions thrown up in their pres.
ent mountain form. Quien Sabe?
III. &. HODGE.
HOW GAS WAS FIRST USED.
Great was the amaZement of all