The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-02
A GALA-DAY FOR SCIENTISTS
Three Days of Hard Brain Work Fol-
lowed by a Season of Recreation.
An Excursion that Departed and Returned on
Time. and Which Furnished the Scent
lists Pleasure Without Alloy.

ANN ARBoR, Aug 29.-Saturday is always the
galadsy of the American Associations day
devoted to recreation and sociability, and right
well was it observed here. The three preceding
days had been one Continuous round of brain
work. and really the members had become tagged
out and ready for a change of some sort. The
excursion was given by Ann Arbor and Detroit
combined, and never was more effort made to
have everything move pleasantly. A most I'M
usual thing with large excursions, everything
was as clock-work, and the start and return were
made exactly upon schedule time. A special
train of seven or eight cars started from Ann
Arbor at in the morning crowded with mem
bers and their friends, and an hours run over
the Michigan Central brought them to Detroit.
There the large boat Northwest, Detroit and
Cleveland steamer, received the party. and de-
voted the whole day to their pleasure. Up the
Detroit river showed the city to advantage and
the region of fats about Lake st. Clair was soon
reached. The lake is simply an enormous wild
ening of she river which connects Lakes Huron
md Erie. but that part of it above
Lake st. Clair is the St Clair
river. and That below. the Detroit river.
The fats Of Lake St. Clair are now thickly dot
ted with picturesque summerhouses, filed with
those who come to enjoy boating and fishing,
and duckshooting To enc accustomed to our
inland rivers or the ocean tides, these houses,
built with the front door step at the waters edge
seem to be contrary to all ideas of safety But
neither floods nor tides annoy, and these great
monotonous fats, scarcely two or three feet
above water-level, are probably never covered
Fbo 1oir WV hoc Ysuda any11ow ola
deposit at its mouth in Lake ST. Clair, almost as
typical an affair as the Nile delta, except that it
is more broken This enormous sand deposit so
ebstructed navigation that the general govern
ment opened channel ship canal, and
through this narrow way we entered the mouth
Of St Clair river.
The day was exceedingly cool, and almost
every one had ONE from bone prepared for sui
water trip was made almost uncomfortable
to the thnly-clad scientists, but they
bore it bravely and philosophically as became
them, and enjoyed it nevertheless But one
thing had not been reckoned on in the pro-
gramme An early start had necessitated a 6
o'clock breakfast, which was none too hearty,
as beds were still warm when breakfast was
eaten. The day was cod the wind was strong,
and as the hours went by gDawing hunger began
to take possession of Americas scientists. At
first they laughed and joked, then they became
Insociable, and presently hid in various quiet
hooks, nursing their feelings. A strong desire
was shown not to waste tissue, and. as accom-
plished Psychologists, every scientific method
was used to prevent it. But the programme
called for visit of hour at Marine City
before any dinner would be served Accordingly,
a little above the mouth of st. Clair river the
steamer landed at the new town of Marine City,
30 named from its crest salt deposit The man.
ayers of the Marine City Rock Refinery were
at the wharf to welcome us, but a
rush of scientists passed them by
and hurrying up town attacked two contiguous
Irhn eyQrG and Oh and qnYlQC
began TO disappear IN a wonderful way. After
the groceries had been Quilted the scientists
began to grow sociable again and sauntered
back to see the salt refinery works, which had
been the object of the visit There is no inten-
tion in this letter to advertise the Marine City
salt, but it is obtained from a deep we'll, l,74S
feet deep, which reaches into an enormous
deposit of solid rock salt. glowing description
of the recent discovery of this great deposit is
presented in circulars. and the president of the
company, magnihed by the statement that he
suspected it to exist and SO bored fearlessy on.
As some of US found by cross-examination of the
natives, the boring was made for petroleum. and
the salt accidentally struck. However that may
be, the solid rock salt is ,633 feet below
the surface, has been entered lis
feet, but not yet penetrated. The
whole Huron peninsula seems to be underlaid by
an enormous deposit of rock salt At Marine
City water is pumped into the well and then
pumped out absolutely saturated with salt, the
salinoueter indicating 100 per cent of salt, as we
all saw. The brine enters series of great tanks.
Is heated, then into ''grainer," where it is
more intensely heated, and where the salt set
ties to the bottom and is Scraped out into the
bins by very ingenious set of rakers. The
whole thing is done by SO few hands, the heat
used being largely the waste fuel from a great
stave mandatory belonging to the same COM
pany, that as fine salt as can be produced in the
world can be furnished at seventy-one cents a
barrel AT the present the daily product is $50
barrels. but the capacity of pumps, tanks etc. is
Eac hnrr 0f re re
for the barrel, ID Gems for coal, 90
cents for labor, cents miscellaneous, making
b5 cents as the cost of production, and
sixteen cents as the net profit on each barrel. A
small bag of salt was given to each member of
the association, also salt crystals of various
shapes, and many were going about munchng
stalactites of salt. which surely looked inviting;
bat must have been very disappointing. Being
whistlad aboard, the association started for the
great summe. hotel near the town of st. Clair,
known as 1.-The Oakland" Arriving at o'clock
the famished members, with dinner tickets in
hand, made grand stampede for the dining
rooin and of course a mob of 400 people was
soon the result Everyone was fearful of having
to wait for a second table, and was determined
to be in at the first, that when the converging
lines across the lawn reached the hotel doors.
there was great crush. Everyone wondered
how everyone else could be SO rude.
but no one gave way an inch, nor
neglected any opportunity of lettering his DO
sition. Finally order was brought out of con-
fusion. for the dining room proved large enough
even for much larger crowd, and everyone ate
Mt the first table, and wondered at the horrible
manners of his associates In an hour there be-
came apparent again dignifed scientific asso
citation, and biologists hotanists and bug men
scattered IN every direction for specimens. AT
o'clock the whistles sounded. the boat promptly
started. and a stiff run only prevented many
members from being left behind. The ride
the steamer was 100 miles, and was thoroughly
enjoyed by ALL Detroit was reached again at
half ar and in EAv yx.sw thA uaor
train was on its return trip to Ann Arbor. The
most beautiful sight of the day. and one of the
most beautiful to be anywhere was the
electric illumination Of Detroit as the boat ap
preached the city. Clusters of lamps set upon
very tall frameike towers were dotted every
where. and they looked like great stars over