San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-07-24
From Kentucky.


of the 3Oth OF June We left the "Basir
Spring Stock Farm" We took q
last look longand lingering, then We
turned into the woods and we were
lost from sight Nature had it seem
cd put ON her brightest garb that
morning, and owing TO a shower the
evening before left everything bright
and cheerful and the air was all that
could be desired, balmy and br' ezj'
and laden with the odor OF new nova
hay, for most every ono was cuttin
hay. There was not a speck or cloud
that marred the beauty OF the sky,
and it was one OF the days that are
30 rarely seen up this way. At last
after a drive of some hours we arrived
in Brandenburg Ky. We were in
formed that we had to wait till mid.
night for the up boat, 30 we took in
both the Salt and Burning wells, OF
which we had heard 30 much. The
salt wells are located about mile
from town where we met Mr.. s. the
proprietor of the wells. He took us
to where the water spurts up from
the ground, is caught in a tank, then
by force pump is brought to the
summit of the hill where it is deliver
ed intoa gasometer and the salt, still
in the fluid state, being the heavier
of the two remains at the bottom and
the gas rises to the top. When they
are thus separated, they are drawn
off by means of different pipes, the
gas being led under the boiler and
there used instead of wood or coal,
while the fluid salt is taken off into
large vats where it is steamed by
means of pipes connected with the
boiler, the salt itself dropping to the
bottom and the water remaining ON
top. Every "a hours the watts are
emptied, the water being drawn off
into other watts and the salt taken out
and placed On dryers where the salt
is dried and all impurities are filtered
out; then the salt is taken to the
warehouse by means of wheelbarrows
and then is barreled, each one hold
ing 200 lbs of salt. This water that
is drawn off into the second series Of
vats is allowed to stand 48 hours, is
then filtered and. in this means no
salt is wasted, the refuse water then
is led down into the creek not far dis
tant by means of several large dis
charge pipes.
The salt is recognized to be the
best stock salt in the marketand has
a reputation that extends over the
entire State. This gas that 1 spoke
of earlier is used to light up the en-
tire premises, used under the boiler,
used in the house of the superintend-
ent to cook, reading and in fact is put
to all uses that gas possibly can bel put,
and therefore the savings in the way
of light and fuel is large item and
enables them to put the salt on the
market much cheaper than they 9th
erwise could do. We left the salt
wells and proceeded to the burning
wells one-half mile down in the creek
bottom and some 800 yards from the
creek. There spectacle met our
eyes that cannot be described with
out doing it injustice. 1t being dusk
on account of the glare ahead of us
in the forest we readily discovered
the we'll. There before lis opened
up such scene as we never would
have dreamed Of In the distance
we heard the creek rumbling along,
overhead the stars were out and the
moon also aided us in magnifying
the scene, and at our feet there leapt
up out of the ground a constant
blaze, sometimes to the height of 4
feet and again only 2 feet. and then
again it would light up for a sudden
over the entire surface of the pool,
which is at least 20 feet from side to
side. The flame was that of water
and petroleum mixed and then set
fire. The guide told us that when
ever the creek would overflow and
and reach this well, at night the
scene would be indescribably beau
tlful, every few moments it would
seem that the entire surface of the
water was one burning mass, it would
subside for a moment and then leap
up suddenly so as to impress the
lockers on with vague sort of hor-
ror and fear, and at the same time it
cannot be realized without being seen.
Reluctantly we turned and left this
scene that had impressed us so deep
~ and returned TO town. We board
ed the steamer and sped ON our way
nm the river towards Louisville The