New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-25
kettle waseyu,ven. me KettIe VAS uatuened out.

kettle was eyuived, rne Kettle vas uattened OUT
made large on the bottom, and shallow This al
| low. more rapid boiling and consequently speed
Ter capitalization than could be had in the Kettles
bat the greater heat full Of danger to the SALT as IL
| is apt to take up much of the Impurities In the
| agii lated water as to inIure Its quality. This
method has ain ost entirely been superseded In
Michigan by tho q steam salt block" In which salt
is made entirely by steam heat. A steam block is
considerable OF an institution, so to speak. Hero
are the points OF one that know. Building OF
wood, POS feet long. 80 feet wide. 10 feet high at
caves 10 feet high of ventIlators. with chimney
stack rising 10 feet hg.er. 1t contains two sett-
| ers :" each 40 feet long, 8 feet wide and feet
d eep together with four grainers" each $50 feet
long o feet wide and 8 inches deep. IL the sett-
ers and graincrs there immersed in the brine
3.744 feet Of four-inch galvanized iron pipe; and
the numerous connections" necessary to mako a
working relationship among the pumps, cisterns,
settlers gralners and boilers make whole OF over
1900 feet of pipe. Under the same roof are -FOUR
teen salt-bins and pac king-room adjoining which
is the salts shed $50 feet long by 100 feet wide
Let us go INTO a steam block aid see how II IS
done The brine has been I" lined" In the csteIns
outside and allowed to stand forty-esnt hours, ~
has become clearer than BOstons Coo hituate water
and is drawn into the settlers" inside IheIe ths
temperature is raised to 1880 Fshrsnheit. and
which takes about twenty four hours It is then
drawn into the grainers" the perature is raised
to 1852, aud capitalization begins. Every morn
Ing the salt Il lifted and the gralners rehlled Inc
salt Is heeed to the bins where 1t drains fourteen
days and is then inspected and packed.
But the yisitoris already quite lost In the fog
that fills the block clean down to the door Be
careful where you step there or You will get yonr-
self into most uncomfortsb BILE pickle: Close down
to the gralners the air Is clearest When you get
unique activity. The brine Is as clear as dewdrop,
and the whte salt1akes. formed on the surface fall
slowly through the heavy liquid air as were. 10 tho
grOn ing pile beneath like great feathery sno takes
coating earth ward through quiet sky As tho water
rises from this still surface IN vapor you can almost
the ltto molecules of salt taking leave VI tner
companion molecules Of water with whom they
have lived and sailed IN sthe happy ldleness perhaps
OF the ancient and those rise on their new
found wings into the world Of air, these rush into
each others and die to build beautiful crys-
tai monument to the Gays that were bnt are no
more, and 80 sink in eternal sleep upon the gleam-
Ing mound.
COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS.
steam block costs about $4,000. 1t takes
about twenty-five men. coopers and all to ruu one.
ana their Wages will average 81 81 per day. The
fuel is the refuse of the mills-sabs bsrK, sawdust
and NAV re said to cost nothing The salt costs the
manufacturer about so cents barrel, including the
barrel. in cash, saying nothing of the interest on
the plant. But the wear and tear on tho machinery
is heavy, and that must be added to expenses
yearly, and it will bring the profits on salt Mt 20
cents u barrel down to very small amount. The
amount of capital invested in the manufacture OF
salt in the state Is about 100000. The gross
value of the saline product of Michigan for 1882
was about 81, 100000.
Bnt notwithstanding the meagreness of the profit
the number OF els steadily Increasing, because
the demand for Michigan salt increases from year
10 year
II these sayages up here keep on pumping until
they have drained tho lakes and dried up Niagara
Falls Dy running the water down over that bed of
rock salt on which the old Devonan ocean dried
mp and died, then don't but what they will
have to shat down for a flood but long as the
lakes last there will be plenty of brine, as good as
IL ~ now ana even after the timber OF the state
has been cut and sawdust Is worth premium tor
Saginaw beer saloons. the salt men can send their
canoes down with salt and bring them back full Of
coal aud still continue to make salt cheaper than
il can be done anywhere else in the United States.
Hence tho pine forests may go, the ash and tho
cedar may vanish. birch bark may become 50 scarce
that the canoe and the wiewam shall be seen ~
more along these beautiful shores but salt Will still
remain a most salIbrious factor In the Ong-endur-
ing future of the state AID when not tree OF the
once magnificent forests remains, when the war
WhOop OF the Chppewas Bnd the OllOLas, tie Bay.
CittgUas and Sagiuawas has vanished Ike Tue huWi
~ drunken spree and all this fair soil teens with
the grow On and life of productive farms thousands
OF these salt well towers will index the land and
II shall come to pass that man shall he Judged
here not by his "ssnd." but by the qnsntity- and
quality Of the /" salt which he can produce.