Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-12-10
TIE SUNNY SOUTHLAND.



Hdlfnr DemDrrf.
This Z. Que of the loycll-.i spot. on
earth. fcw places that | have seen,
combine 80 many elements ~ beauty. a.
veil a. fertility, In the same extent, a.
ihis nourishlng vale. SaltSillc i situai-
81 IN a vast natural amphlihratrr, q very
fertile valley of some thrrc hundred
acrr., entirely surrounded by chain ~
conlcal hils FROM flVc to eight hundred
feet high. rhe.e hill. arr overlooked
by rugged aud lofty mountains, who.s
fruwning prrcipiccs contrast strikingly
With the softer beauties ~ the valley.
No doubt, AZ some period of the
worlds history. the deep, alluylal soll of
this beautiful little vale. or hoppef-like
depression la the hills. was covered by
lake. Fossils aud pctnfactions are
found from time to time below the sur
f,cc. and during the construction ~ the
railruad o. the works la l~jN. many large
bone. were found, among them the
limb. ~ an animal much larger than
those ~ an elephant, with q iaN bone
snd several t-'ih. somr of the latter
weighing several pounds.
At these "licks" around What might
have b--n the margin of the lake, the
ttnrigincs had h~~u making -alt from
sep. from time lmmrmorial; aud herr
early s-til.r. ~ the country came, With
.lc,l. and kettlc., and Ia their simple
Nay made ALT fof their own con.ump-
ton. there also came herds ~ ELK,
buffalo, and other herblsorous animal.
a. "lick" water from saline springs aud
streams. bat u was left to william
King. an Irish Immigrant, IN his pcrigri-
nations a. p~idlcr. to fr.t ..c the
chance to morr than "carn his -alt,
under the surface of that bog"
The first white man Who made hi-
homc In the valley ~ llol.ton was an
Engii.hmln named II. clair, whose
cabin stood near the old church, nov rc-
built AZ 1t. Clnir's Bottom la smith
County, aud about ii;G BE- accompanied
several surveying settlers, among them
Patton, buchanan aud Campbell. father
~ ten. william Campbell ~ Kings
Mountain memory. They surveyed .ey-
eral thousand acre. around aud in-
rluding the present -altyillc, and from
thcm sprang the Prc.tons, floyds aud
fhompson., Who subsequently owned
the sait works. They also Appropriated
most ~ the valuable lands of Rich Val
les, ani, cruising what arr nov Flat
top and t'linch Mountains, laid their
chains upon the lmmcnse and fertile
blue gras. country known a. the Cove,
nov ln pos-e..i0n of the Bowens,
Barn.c. aud other. la IaleWell County.
of which section We will speak later.
The larger part ~ the lick belonging
to the old English survey, aud Joining
the lands ~ ten. Russell, came to him
through hI. wife, the widow ~ Gen.
wm. Campbell. Mr.. King, being un-
able to convince Gen. Russell, could not
himself shake OF the conviction that a
we'll. IL sunk. would "strike salt water !"
aud having some means he secured
about fifty acre. az a nominal price, and
commenced operations. lie said there
must be- a subterranean saline stream
aud pcrsi.tently sank his shaft day after
day Ia the depth of 100 feet, and siill mo-
water. With faith still strong he de-
icrmlncl Ia work on, but just At thi.
point, cue morning, he discovered that
the bottom of the we'll had fallen cut
during the night, and the brine risen
nearly to the top.
From that day there has been little
dlmiuutiOn of the water. yielding nearly
ninety-hVe parts ot the purrst, white.t
aud beet .alt manufactured Ia the United
states, equal even Ca the Liverpool. IL
takes but twenty gallons from the Hing
wells. (which l. One-half what l. rrquir-
ep from any other, while IL takes seven
~ gallons ~ kanawha brinel Ia make
Que bushel ~ salt.
Mr.. King did not live tong Ia reap the
rewanl.. hat was very wealthy aud did
much good before he died. Had h. liy-
esl the allotted age he would have been
the richest man on this continent, a.
when he died In ls0r, then bat thirty
eight, be- owned not only the salt works
and vast real estates, bat had more than
forty mercantile establishments at
prominent points from baltimore Ia
Nashville.
william King had married Mary Trgg
hat having NO issue he bequeathed hi-
property To nephew of same name,
provided that latter married a daughter
Of his brOther.in-law. or Ia latter'-
| CTrigg.) son provided he married King
brothers daughter. Nature, however,
provided for neither proyisO, 80 the
property reverted To the heir--at-law,
most Of whom having parted with their
Interests. the comblned property, worth
among the millions aud paying Immense
profits. l. nov controlled principally by
Mr.. Palmer. formerly Of New York.
One may form an estimate Of the en-
tire estate, when Informed that II com
pri.e- ten 10 twelve thousand acres OF
land-much of II said to equal the Miss
l..lppl bottoms, with an inexhaustibl'
supply of brine, from which Il manu-
factured two To three thousand bushels
II salt per day, which could be Increased
To almost any amount, Il having beer
made during the VAR, when the work.
supplied the whole confedeacy, fron
the Potomac Ia the Mississippi, at the
rate IL ten thousand bushels per day oI
between three aud four million per year
without perceptible dimlnution Ia quan'
tlty or quality. EulioJu.
BAO ETHER WAY.