New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-25
MICHIGAN SALT WELLS.

SACIxAw Mich Nav In 1882 there were
eight million barrels of salt consumed In the Uhiteu
| States Nearly three-fourths OF tue quantity WIS
made in this country, Michigan alone producing
| about three and quarter million DarIels. caiV
was FIRST made at Syracuse 10y white men IN tho
| year 1888 when the annual product was lou par
rolls: in 1850 II was 100000 barrels. The first
| salt was made in Michg gan in 1850, when the an
nual product was 400 barrels; in 1877 it was
| GGl. 900 barrels The salt business had grown
| more IN seventeen years in Michigan than 1t had
| done in nnety-two years in New York. or course
| it is not intended to make any reflections ON New
YORK men as not being as enteTprlsng as the civil
| lied savages of Michigan.
| The northern portion OF tho lower peninsula OF
michigan rests on series of pilodup saucers IL IS
said that were formed at the bo' tom Of sundry
oceans in times past aud the lowest part these Sow
eral dishes or tho bottom of them. is Immediately
| under the Saginaw Valley and Bay, this being the
locality at which the brine is obtained end whers
almost all of the salt is made But at Manistee, en-
| the western edge of the State at Marine City, on
| It's eastern edge and at Goderch and Kincardine.
on the northeastern shore Of Lake Huron, monster
beds Of rock salt arc found the deph Of which.
am informed has not been determined, although at
one point the drill was sunk q hundred feet
into II without going through it. The probability
IA that thin bed OF rock salt underes tho whole OF
this brine bearing region, aud Is the source OF hch'
igan's pickle. Huron is about 500 feet deep. and
Superior over 900 If this bed extends under the
water OF those lakes 1t probably does then. even
H il does not crop out into the water. the tremen-
dous pressure of the lakes will drive the fresh water
through crevice and seam and pore until 1t comes
in contact with the salt. flows over it, dssolves 1t,
and carries up, under the same pressure TO the
strata in whcih it is found brine and from which
! .I.o.a IL ul.ny val o
and lake shore
REFINEMENT AND GRADING.
Before decade had passed in the development OF
this business in the State found that the salt
had 4 bad name In the market. aud packers wonid
not buy it as long as they could get Ncw-Iork or
even Cnnana salt. The reason was that some men
would work mp into salt everything That was In the
brine; they didn't clarity It properly. The salt was
full OF Offerings and made the meat bad ana 80
tt was hog spoil hog until 1t became evident
that something must be dcno the business itself
would spoil Then in 1850 the wisc onos procured
the rnactTent of a law requiring ali salt manu-
featured in tho State to be insnected. The elect
was marvellous. From having 10 beg men to take
It, the character of the product has 40 improved
that # now takes precedence over all other snlt
among packers In the eycr-frssh city of Chicago
the greatest meat-nart and slaughter house of tho
siorcd for the purpose o! still further advancing
the salt business of the State. six years ago tho
president OF the association went to Chicago to set
"A far show for his sane commodity. and the pack
crs refused 10 touch IT. Inc well-cured Mchl-
candar agreed to pay for all tho meat that would
spoil from being packed in his salt. lie placed sew
eral car loads on those conditions and went home
happv The result was Astonishing. In 1882 there
were . $4,000 bushels OF the salt Of this associa'
ton sh pped direct to hackers in bnlK. most of 1t TO
Chicago. besides the enormous quantities. OF
barrced salt used for similar purposes all over the
country.
Salt is manufactured In three grades Fine"
Packers" and Second Quaiity.' small guam
THY q solar salt is yet made in tne state and that
too has its ~ AIDES of Coarse and Fine Mick
ican salt ns shown by frequent analysis rs remark
ably free from Impurities. the percentage OF chic
ride of sodium pure salt running from - e to 9s2
Tho grade marked Fine" Is used for all general
and family purposes. One often finds it on the
tables about tho country districts. while out On
the Plains" whcro much Of 1t goes, 1t IS sad that
one eau easily cattle horses and family all eat
ing Michigan salt out OF the same barrel. There Is
a dairy salt mill running IN Last Saginaw where
tho block" salt is washed and ground. and 1t Is
said TO be producing the priest dairy salt in the
world. hut suppose everything up here must BIO
taken cum grGno sails.
PROTECTION FOR SALT
The salt men ure mad as March hares' when |
anything Is said about free trade. In 1850 salt
was 81 SO per barrel II Is now 20 cents per bar
rel Tho duty on salt has been cents per hum
dred for years. Thoro ara $50 pounds in barrel. |
Tho duty per barrel is thus - cents That tariff |
enabled Michigan manufacturers TO work and |
compete with foreigners. What has been tho re- |
suIti reduction of 81 10 on every barrel o! salt
that used in the county. and IA saving to tho |
consumers VI salt in the United States In 1882 OF
over S7,OOO00O. Take of the tarii, the homo
production stops and foreigners put up tho price,
make the United States pay It, and carry tho money |
out of the country and the thousands who lived in
the business here are thrown out Of employment |
tell you those salt men the hardest KIND OF saw
ages to peat on an argument that ever met. fou
can't scare them either. Not even tho fate of Lots
wifo has any trrrors for them If Saginaw Valley
sa { man could only get patent on that ancient
process of spontaneous capitalization, the world
OLD customs of cremation and burial would speedily
fall into dlsuse. The dying would be made 10 LOOK
behind them and become pillars OF salt The living
w0uld dissolve them. eyapoiate the brine, ana put
them into the Chicago market as tho best family
salt in the world
CLEANING AND REPAIRING WELLS.
The connections Of a salt we'll are exceedingly
numerous and ran away into the earth Just as fam
ily connections do. The connecting rod by
which the pump Is worked IS made up of connected
rods. The tubing" il made up OF pieces securely
and the " casing" ALSO is good for moth
ing unless it's various parts are properly connected
Like family connections. too, thsy are agreeable
enough while everything goes smoothly but when
anything gets wrong they are apt to be trouble
rome. here Is well that has been throwing weak
brine and II il evident that the casing leaks and
fresh wafer gets III. crew Of men come in 10
mend il. They begin by breaking mp the family
connections The pumping rod is disconnected
piece by piece, tie tnbing il disconnected and set
aside. The easing has been rusted down in that
guet Of hole 80 long that removing 1t Is almost
like tearing the Gsophagus out OF Mother Earth.
They drive sound wooden plug" into II with an
elg Inf -huudr nounda slukerV and when lhey