The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-28
DAZZLING SALT
CRYSTALS.
An Underground Palace That Is
Carved Out of Solid Rock.
A Place Where Neither Trees, Grass nor Flow
ers Grow-A Populous Village Lying
Deep in the Bosom Of the Earth.

| ctAHCN upon u VI Siyoedi,
and encircled by walls of crystal rock No
| grass and flowers grow in that secluded
| spot, nor trees with their luxuriant foliagr,
| for no CLEAN of sunshine ever penetrates the
masses of earth and rock that separate that
! subterranean world from the beautiful world
above. That village, with its quantity built
| homes is but tiny part of wonderful and
| very famous mine in Wieliezka, in Poland.
Let us. in fancy. visit this wonder writes
| correspondent to the Philadelphia Record.
| We shall find ourselves in chamber, so daz-
| zlingly bright and beautiful, that, involun-
| tarily, we shield our eyes till they become
| accustomed to the artificial light
We are very fortunate in having been
| spared the descent into this room through
! dark narrow well more than 700 feet in
| depth, as we realize that safety in such
perilous position is wholly dependent upon
the strength OF the rope which lowers It's
human freight into the mine.
But had we been obliged to undergo the
annoyances and difficulties which beset one
in the tedious journey through winding pas,
sages, so dark and intricate that one could
| easily lose his way, we should nave
been amply repaid in the scene, bewitch-
ingly lovely and altogether novel, which
bursts upon our asOnished gaze.
The chamber in which We stand is only
one among many in this crystal palace
which it has taken more than GEO years TO
carve out of solid rock-salt. Its roof Is a
vaulted dome supported on massive COL
umns, beautifully OrEamented by the
miners, who take pride in their achieve
ments.
Tie glittering whiteness is relieved by the
presence in the salt of minerals. which, DIS
solving have tinted the mass rs OF crystal
till they CLEAN and glisten like precious
stones.
As we stroll along the street that runs
through the mine a familiar sight greets US
chapel
DEDICATED TO ST. ANTHONY.
This chapel, with its furniture and decora-
tons, was cut out of rock-salt, as were the
homes of the miners, hundreds of whom are
born in the mines and live contented lives
with little Intercourse with the beautiful
world above their heads, and Consequently
having no share in the blessed gifts Oh sun
light and pure fresh air.
Stli the air in the mine is dry and agree
able to be breathed, and clear, cold water
flows from the creviceS III the wall. so that
life is well supported.
Though the treasures of salt in the mines
of Wieliezka seem to be inexhaustible. yet
so essential is this article to our very life
and comfort that bOuntiful supplies are
deposited 10 many other localities the world
over.
Were we to journey through Europe we
should find mines, and often salt springs, in
Cheshire, England, in the mountains of the
Tyrol, in parts of Austria and Russia and
in Spain, in which country there IS hill of
rock salt higher than the Cathedral of st.
Paul, near COrdOVa.
In the southern parts of Asia Minor salt
is so plentiful and nard that it is employed
in the construction of dwelling houses. 1t
is possible to make this use of 1t owing to
the dry state OF the atmosphere, caused by
the long intervals between rains-often sew
eral years intervene-so that no perceptible
waste takes place.
Many mines in Mexico and Peru are rich
| in salt deposits and the natives OF Central
| Africa are credited with cutting salt into
| fiat cakes, stamping it and circulating it as
| money.
England, Astounding in mines and springs
| that are unfailfng, produces more salt than
| any other country.
Our own land is well supplied with the
ne, dful article, but not to such an extent
| that we are
| RELIEVED FROM THE NECESSITY
| OF importing immense quantities that all
| demands may be satisfied, so We get annu-
ally hundreds OF thousands of barrels of
The finest and purest evdp0rated salt from
the Dutch Islands off the coast of Venezuela,
and from Portugal cOaTser quality-St.
| Ubes salt, which is valued for packing pro-
visions.
New York takes the lead among the States
producing salt from springs, and Onondaga
factory filled salt - is said TO be as pure as
and is, moreover of the finest quality.
This is remark bic, as the salt obtained
by evaporation from "briny" springs is
generally considered to be of an average
quality. The purest rock-salt is the very
best, aud second 10 it is that manufactured
from sea water.
The large blocks of salt which we noticed
on our walk in the mine have to be purified
before they are fit for use. In its impure
state Salt-rock, like the salt in the sea water
is m yad with FOREIGN Substances clay
oxide of iron, sulphate of lime and sulphate
of magnesia. Therefore il is necessary to
dissolve it in water. The solid substances
settle and the water, saturated with salt, is
ready for evaporation.
The process of evaporating and purifying
differs in different countries, but i'll all the
aim and result are the same.
Water in which salt is held in solution, or
in the state in which its tiniest particles are
changed TO liquid FORM Is made 10 flow into
shallow tanks exposed to the wind and the
suns rays till the water is dried up. This
process is repeated several times, till the
brine is very strong, when it is taken from
the tanks and boiled over hot fire, in iron
kettles, till the crystals look clear and white,
having been freed from all impurities.
In tropical countries the heat of the sun
is sufficient TO effect evaporation. An illus
tratloh of this is shown in the manufacture
of salt on the shores OF the Bay of Biscay in
France.
Near Marseilles sea water is pumped up
thirty or forty feet into reservoirs, from
which it is allowed to trickle slowly over
thickets of brambles and branches, that it
may be the longer exposed to the influence
of sun and wind.
A third method is sometimes practiced in
cold countries for separating salt from sea
water and from the water OF "briny'
springs.
Water is first subjected to extreme cold,
which freezes ii. The ice thus formed is
very pure, and the strong brine is then
treated to evaporation by one of the two
processes to which reference has been made.
IF EVAPORATION Is CONDUCTED SLOWLY
And at low temperature coarse-graned
crystals" bay SALT as it is termed-are
formed, but if the process is rapid, at 300
very fine table salt is obtained.
The work of evaporating and purifying
salt completed, the PARTICLES that were once
solid rock rearrange themselves in accord
ance with certain natural laws and develop
a regular geometrcal shape.
This is the process of crystalliZation by
which grains of salt form perfect cubes.
These crystals have a property which is
[ peculiar to all crystals in the mineral king
dom-they are the same throughout, no mat
ter how many times they may be divided
and subdivided Each particle, so tiny that
the microscope does not reveal its presence,
retains its distinctive form.
1t is a singular fact that salt, the only
mineral substance which human beings and
elements. each of which is destructive of life.
One Of these elements is chlorine, a greenish
yellow gas. which causes suffocaton when
inhaled-the other is sodium, a white metal
with peculiar charact ristcs. If heated it
burns in the open air, and if thrown upon
water it effervesces. And yet, owing to the
subtle chemical change which takes place
when this metal is combined with chlorine,
substance is formed which has been aptly
designated ''the life preserver."
IloG tnri Dlt,n -,
| serving food salt is largely used for domes-
| tic as well as agricultural purposes. 1t also
| has an important place in certain kinds OF
manufactures and in chemical operations,
| especially in the making of bleaching
| powder" and carbonate of soda.
Again, it is an effective agent when USED
| as remedy in some diseases or for outward
application, and is stimulating, acting as
F.! tonic when dissolved in the bath.
| So many and SO varied are the benefits
| which salt copfers upon humanity that we