Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1886-05-06
A SAIL MINE IN LOUISIANA.


D
Rnd-Purity. 09.I7 Per Cent.
Arrived at New Iberia the engine WINS
detached, and a local salt mine locomotive
backed the special nine miles up n heavy
grade to the salt mine on Petit Anse isl
and. If salt may be called n mineral this
is n mineral discovery Of little less i'm
portancc than the bonanza silver mines Of
Nevada. Few people realize that at this
isolated point in the Union Is mine of
salt superior in purity, richness and ex-
tent to anything yet found in the earth's
crust. None Of the party was prepared
for such a saline revelation. The mine
which Is yet but partially explored, is sit
uated on the highest ground Of all the
region round. Though Petit Anse is called
IN island il is hard to remember the water
boundary on one side at least A little
bayou about as big as an irregular
ditch in California is the geo
graphical surrounding. The salt deposit
is the cone of the hill, and it is believed to
cover AS acres. Long anterior TO the war
Petit Anse was the property Of the
Averys. They are people OF Scottish de-
scent, but Americans of at least two CEN
turtles of ancestry. The island has about
5000 acres, and up to the time of the war
was q vast sugar plantation. In 1862
man digging a cattle well on the estate
near the summit OF the typographical
cone struck into n solid rock of salt. 1t
was explored in a limited way, and as It
was then something like dollar pound
in the Confederacy the discovery caused
great excitement. The government
promptly seized the deposit and worked
it for the benefit of the Confederate
armies. Farragut's capture OF New Or
leans and the Federal operations in the
country between the mine and the Con
federate strongholds rendered the mine
useless, and it remained in allegiance fol-
ten years or more.
About ten years ago the deposit at
sracted the attention of capitalists, and q
company was formed in New York and
Galveston to work 1t. A contract YVES
made with the Avery family by which the
latter was to receive a royalty. Machinery
was put in, shaft sunk, and for the past
few years the yield has been enormous
Fully One-half Of the salt production Of
the United States comes from this remark
able deposit. The mine Is worked like an
anthracite coal mine. The present work
ing shaft is down ninety-seven feet On
this level huge chambers have been eI-
,avated, with pillars left standing to sup
port the roof The rock salt is blown out
Of the drifts and chambers with dynamite,
loaded into cars, lifted to the surface, run
into rock crushers and hence into grinding
mills, where it is ground to all degrees Of
fneness from the needs of pork packery
TO the finest of table salt. The natural
product is pure crystallized saline, carrying
99.47 per cent. of salt The product Is put
into barrels and shipped all over the
world. So great is the yield and so mex
haustible the deposit, apparently, that the
railroad company has built road nine
miles to the mine, and no less than twenty
freight cars were being loaded on the day
Of our visit.
The whole party visited the mine, being
lowered by the cage-load to the working
level. 1t was beautiful sight, this crys-
tai cavern. Car after car came out loaded
with the pure, white substance, ard the
blasts that were shot off in the various
chambers for the entertainment Of the
visitors reverberated and shook the earth,
From the working level q Wine has been
sunk yet another ninety-five feet, lis face
still in pure salt, showing that the deposit
is practically inexhaustible It is mine
Of wealth, not only to those who own,it,
but to the company who works 1t. For
several years the Averys have received a
royalty of 5000 month, and on the Ist
of this month this was increased on a new
contract to 5000 q month.-New Orleans
Cor. Chicago Herald.