Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-05-01
A SALT ISLAND.
TIE WONDERFUL ISLA DEL CAR
MEN OFF MEXICO.
It Contains the Only Pure White
Natural Salt Deposit in the
WorId-Nfined by Va
qui Indians.


east of the mainland Of Lower Califor.
mia, in the Gulf of California, lies
small island known to the Mexicans as
the Isa del Carmen.
Carmen Island, although only nineteen
miles in length and six miles in width at
its broadest part, is noted as one Of the
most remarkable islands on the Ameri-
can continent. At this place is found
the only pure white natural salt deposit
Known, and the value of such mine is
secondary only to the tabled gold min es
of King Solomon. The island is owned
by a Spanish-American named James
Viosca, who went to Lower California
thirty years ago and married a daughter
of the Governor. He lived at La Paz,
the capital Of the lower half Of the State,
where be has been American Consul for a
number Of years.
Carmen Island is fortunate in having
a fine harbor in Salinas Bay where large
vessels find an anchorage in four fathomS
of water. Within mile Of this anchor
age the salt is mined. Just how long
since this saline deposit was discovered
no one can state with any accuracy. Two
hundred years ago there was a Jesuit
mission at Loreto on the mainland west
of the island, and it is known that the
fathers obtained the salt they used for
domestic purposes from lsla del Carmen,
but among the Yaqui Indians there is a
legend that their forefathers knew Of the
deposit long before the mission was cs-
tablished and that it was one of their
number who first acquainted the pious
brethren of the existence Of the mine.
But it was not until 1865 that the salt
deposit was utilized for commercial pur-
poses. In that year Mexican, who di-
vined the value of the mine, bought the
island from the Government, but after
owning it only two years he sold his title
to Ben Holiday, of famous overland
stagc.line notoriety, for $50, 900. The
new proprietor engaged James Viosca to
manage his acquisition, but after Holli-
day died the bankrupt estate was glad to
realize ready cash for the salt treasure,
and Viosca became the owner Of Carmen
Island. To him it has become veritable
gold mine.
The salt deposits cover a surface OF
1000 acres. About e.third of this
acreage is a mass Of pure, clean white
salt; the remainder is covered simply
with layer of soil, brought there by
rains from the adjacent mountains, and
also in places with thin coating of coral,
all of which when removed show the
pure white salt beneath. The salt de-
posts in this basin have proved by actual
investigation to be fourteen feet in thick
ness. but it is hard to work at any depth
below the surface, as the briny water
sweeping through creates a new layer Of
salt of from five to eight inches in thick
ness in fifteen days. The most remarka-
bic thing about this deposit is, the fact
that although the salt has been taken
from this basin for ages, the surface OF
the lake has never been lowered, but al
ways retains the same level.
The method of obtaining the salt is
very simple. A man armed with an iron
bar breaks off chunks of the crystalline
mass, which are then loaded into carts
and haule1 to dry land, from 500 to 500
feet distant. Here the stuff is dumped,
reloaded and taken to the wharf, half
mile away, where lighters receive the salt
end convey it to the vessels lying in the
bay. Crude as this system is, the cost
of mining the salt and conveying it to tie
wharf averages triae less than twenty
five cents a tor.
The entire salt basin is always covered
with briny solution averaging four
inches in depth. The workme1, who
are mostly Yaqui Indians, wade around
all day long in their bare feet in this
pickle deposit, and the result of their ex-
posure is seen in numerous cases Of sore
ankles to which the Indians are sub
iected Before they became hardened
to the work the poor fellows suffer ex-
cruciating torments the moment their
Joints come in contact with the salt
water, but, like everything else, the sys
TEN finally gets accustomed to the expos
ure, and, once thoroughly seasoned, the
Indians cease to complain. But lrrltat-
ing as this is, it does not compare with
the agony suffered by the poor fellows,
who, while pounding the briny crystals,
receives a splash of salt water in his eye.
Half dozen of the Yaquis have partial
ly lost their sight in this way and one In
dian on the island has become totally
blind. The brine is so strong that If a
particle gets into the optic the sight is
destroyed unless the saline substance can
be removed at once by a vigorous appl-
cation of fresh water. As pure water can
only be obtained at distance it often
happens that the sufferer prefers to take
his chances rather than go to the trouble
of reaching the ercmedy. Hence one eyed
workmen are quite prevalent on the
island.
Many theories have been advanced ac-
counting for the presence Of this wonder