The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-01

for several years is now being inaugu-
rated at Saltville, near the line OF the
Norfolk and Western railroad, between
Roanoke and Bristol. A company has
boon formed, backed by unlimited capt.
tai, to develop tho inexhaustible salt
deposits at this point. 1t will spend
million dollars in erecting the second
largest soda ash and bleach plant in
tho United States. It's product whom in
full operation will be $4,000 tons of soda
ash and bleach per annum.
The company will be known as the
Mathieson Alkali Works, named after
the general superintendent, Scotch.
man, who will come from large soda ash
works in England to take charge of the
plant. The officers of the company are
L. e. Arnold, of New York and Provi-
dence, president; G. w. Palmer, of Salt
willie, vice-president; R. L. Wilson, Jr.,
of Now York, second vice. president; C.
Ii. Bosher, treasurer.
Tho president is a large and wealthy
cotton manufacturer, and cotton manu-
facturers are the principal hackers and
stockholders Of the company. General
Palmer, the second ce.president, is
the former owner of Saltville. Mr..
Wilson is the head of the we'll. known
New York banking house OF R. II. Will
son & Co. w. j. Sales, Of Pawtucket.
r. l., an extensive cotton manufacturer.
is another heavy stockholder and was in
Roanoke Tuesday.
The property conveyed contains sew
eral square miles. The salt deposit is
unusually near the surface, being found
at a depth OF from $50 to 200 feet, while
the Saginaw rock is only found at a
depth OF 1900 feet. During tho war
Saltville largely supplied the South
with salt. The salt is obtained by
throwing water down through pipes
upon the rock and then pumping out
and evaporating the brine The Saitville
salt is unusually pure, containing 95 per
cent. OF saline matter. 1t Is in fact the
strongest brine known.
1t will take from six months to wear
to get the plant in operation. Hun.
dreds Of mechanics will find employ
ment in erecting the necessary buildings
and machinery, building tho watts,
tanks, pans, furnaces, boilers. sinking
shafts, putting up houses, and gener-
ally preparing for business. In fact a
considerable town will spring up into
permanent and prosperous life. L. is es-
timated that Saltviile will become Il
town OF between three and four thousand
people within tho next five years.
Soda ash is product of the C. mbined
action of limestone, salt brine, sulphuric
acid and heat. 1t will take 200 tons a
day Of coal to supply the Mathieson
Works. The making OF soda ash is now
regarded as the most important chem
icai manufacture in the world, not only
on account of it's own Importance, but
from it's connection with glass making,
soap making and cloth bleaching. A
million tons year are now produced in
tho world. Notwithstanding the pro-
du;tion of 100,0U0 tons year at the
Solvay Works, at Geddes, N. Y, near
Syracuse, the United States still i'm
ports nearly 100000 TONS of soda ash and
its by products a year, at cost of some
S5,O00,O0O
There is good st:f duty thereon 1t
was brought out in testimony before
the ways and means committee of the
House some years ago that 40 per cent.
of the direct cost of producing soda ash
in America was in wages paid to labor,
while in England the percentage was
less than 16 per cent. and in Germany
still less.
Tho English alkali makers used to
knock out the early alkali makers in
this country by sharp prac tice. When
a firm here would start in to make soda
ash the Englishmen would swamp them
by jammiDg down the price of soda and
showing up the price Of bleach. When
a bleach maker would start in, bleach
would go down and soda ash up. But a
good, stiff, all-round 20 per cent. ad va
loren tariff stopped that little gamo.
The making of soda ash is now all
prac sically based upon tho discovery OF
French man named Leblanc about
1890. Leblanc died in poverty, but his
discovery has been worth untold mil
lions to the world. II consists in first
the production of suiphate of soda by
accomplishing salt with sulphuric acid.
the hydrogen and oxygen in tho hy-
drafted acid joining the chlorine to form
hyurochloric acid, and the sulphuric
acid and sodium forming sulphate of
soda.
The sulphate of soda is then mixed
with coal and limestone in reverbera-
tory furnace and black ash is procured
The black ash is washed with water
and the product dried, and the remain
ing alkali moderately heated to expel
the sulphur. There are various modifi-
cations of this process, but the main
lines are preserved.
The attendant industries which will
spring from the Saltvil.e development
are equally worthy of consideration.
Sulphuric acid is used in enormous
quantities. Louisa county produces a
large share of the iron pyrites from
which the acid is made at Baltimore
An acid plant will be created in the
near future. There are some of the
finest glass sands in the country here in