Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-05-14
Kansas Salt.
II. G. Hovey, in Scientific American.

AuCI6ntly thOLo WIZ
lagoons and landlocked lakes in the
region now occupied by the state Of
Kansas. These. shallow waters held
various mineral substances in solution,
that would necessarily be precipitated
in the course of evaporation. One OF
these substances was the sulphate OF
lime, which, being heavier than the
rest, fell in the form of gypsum. First
there were crystals OF selenite scatter
ed through the crevices of the under
living limestone. Then come thin
crusts, and finally massive beds from
five to twenty feet in thickness.
Plaster factories have been successfully
esta blished at points where the gyp-
sum can be worked to advantage.
Occasionally, as in the bed near
Geuda, the rock is hard as marble
and is ouarried as a fine building
stone. Dental plaster and kinds OF
cement heretofore only had from
Europe are now made in quantities.
According TO Professor Hay. this gyp..
sum horizon was "the premonition oi
the great salt age" and is possibly
related in order Of time to the broa'
salt marshes described BY professor
Nudge and other explorers. Twelve
such marshes have been found WITHIN
the limits of the state, besides salt
springs and saline streams. To these
resoried formerly great herds OF bison,
as well as deer, antelope, elk, and
other creatures, whose bones have
been abundantly found along their
margins. The density OF the prime,
tested by the salometer, varies from
ID TO As degrees. Some of the marsh
es are small, while others are very
large. One covers 1000 acres, another
1000 acres, and still another Is de-
scribed as seven miles long and one
mile wide. In Meade county Is
circular sink $50 feet in diameter, con-
tanning a black pool 30 feet deep,
whose surface is twenty feet below
the prairie level. This was formed
by the sudden sinking Of the ground
in 1873. The efilorescence along the
margin of many an ugly bog resem-
bles newly fallen snow, and over the
bog itself are scattered small oval
domes of indurated mud crowned by
sparkling saline crusts.
Further examination shows that
these marshes and springs ooze from
beds of gray shales, probably them
selves formerly marshes. Below the
saliferous shales, and resting on the
permo- carboniferou rocks, are re-
markable beds of pure rock salt, vary
ing IN thickness from few inches 10
several hundred feet. Their contents
seem to have been protected by strata
locally known as "red BEDS" but
which, being barren of fossils, the
biologists hava hesitated to classify.
In Bulletin 81 of the United States
Geological Survey, Prof. Hay gives
his reasons of regarding them as
triassic. Above the salt and below
the red beds are non-saline shales'
The region in southern-central Kan
sas everything the beds Of rock salt Is
about 100 miles in diameter, extend
ing from Kanopolis TO the Indian
Territory. At Kingman, and perhaps
elsewhere, shafts are sunk from
which the solid rock salt is obtained
that has found ready market; on'
exact statistics are not at hand.
Aside from the mines, and from the
solar works at Solomon, that have
existed for a century, there are about
twenty salt plants in the Kansas field
As fourteen of these are owned by tho
three companies operating at Hutchin'
son. I decided to visit that place II
order to inspect their methods and
results. The city itself is highly
attractive. 1t was laid out in 1871 by
Mr.. c. C. Hutchinson, whose name
il bears. 1t has gained celebrity from
its packing house, and is also com
mercial center for a wide region
Like other western cities it has suit
fercd from OVERCOMING, but is now
recovering from the consequent rcac
ton. It has al actual population o.
about 10000, and is steadily growing
The vein of salt was discovered here
IN 1887, and the first block wa'
worked for two years by New lorE
firm that aftcrward sold out TO the
parties now operating OH u far larger
scale. Some 400 men, besides a lew
women and girls, are now employee
in the various plants. The wells arr
driven in triple tubes. The outer, ol
Jacket, tube goes down 80 feet through
the soil and gravel TO the red rock, i'll
object being to exclude all surtact
water. The other tubes go down 7I9
feet, completely through the red rocI
and the salt bed, which is here 800 tee
thick, Through the inner tube fresl
water is forced, which is driven VI
again to the surface through the mid
die tubing, charged with solution o
salt. This is at first quite weak. Tn
,.,.or, IL IN nnint fOr only hall