The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-26
BEST SALT IN THE WORLD.
valuable Discovery I'm Michigan
Grent Works to BE Built.
Detroit Free Press

The significance of the operations for salt
at Trenton and Wyandotte, that have been
going on for the past two years, was only
revealed yesterday, when James A. CauTch
OF brooklyn, n. Y, paid TO John Craig and
James L. Hurst 49, 900 cash down for land
on which they have been conducting their
Investigations, and also purchased an option
on l2O acres more at the price of $4,000
The land conveyed 20 Mr.. Church was
eighteen acres on the Detroit river. just
north OF the village of Trenton, and i'm
proved with shipyard. This was held by
MIR Craig, and he paid 80 600 for it.
The portion sold by James T. Hurst was
eighty acres just west of the Craig tract
the price being 1000, also paid for in full
in cash. Mr.. Church at the same time took
an option on the remaining 120 acres CT Mr.
Hursts 2e0-acre farm, the obligation expir-
ing Jan. Is.
After the transactions had been closed
yesterday Albert Stearns superintendent of
the operations for salt, made a statement OF
the situation, which foreshadows important
industrial interests for that locality. Church
q Co, of Brooklyn, y. V, are the largest
manufacturers Of saleratus In the world,
their trademark being the arm and hammer.
Soda ash is the one important ingredient
that enters into SaleratuS, as II is the most
necessary element entering into the manu-
facture of plate glass. Syracuse n. Y. has
hitherto been the one place i'm North Ameri-
ca where salt was produced suitable for the
manufacture of soda. ash and Syracuse salt
was of but Indifferent value in this
respect The result was that IS
used in this country had to be imported
from Europe. mostly coming from Germany.
Something over two years ago j. Il. Ford,
a leading glass manufacturer of Pittsburg,
Pa. had his attention called TO the salt dis
covered in Wyandotte, and found that ii
was suitable for the manufacture of soda
ash; but in developing the well which he put
down he made a serious error In attempt
ing to adopt a new and untried device for
the manufacture Of soda ash. This proved
a failure. and he has for several months
past been engaged in reconStructing his
works on accepted scientific principles, and
work was resumed two weeks ago.
Something like year at'o the chemist of
Church & Co. had his attention directed to
the Wyandotte salt, and found it so rich in
soda ASH properties that he became sus-
picious that all was not right An analysis
showed that ii contained SO per cent. of the
desirable quality which is IS per cent. more
than the Syracuse salt contains, and 20 per
cent more than the best foreign soda salt
y very careful investigation, however, was
at once begun. with the result that all fears
that the salt was "salted" were dispelled
Options were secured on the above lands
and Mr.. Percy an experienced well-borer
engaged to begin operations, At depth
OF l,l20 feet a 20-fOOt bed OF solid rock salt
was struck. Passing through this the drill
encountered alternate thin strata of salt
and rock for a distance of sixteen feet The
depth of the well is now 1853 feet. and the
chemist OF the company, who has shown
wonderful ability in predicting what would
be found. says the well is now within fifty
feet of a deposit of salt 100 feet thick. About
one week ago an accident occurred, result
ing In the loss of the drill in the we'll. and
an attempt to remove il was fraught with
the loss of the graphing apparatus. This
is further complicated by the caving in Of
the walls of the well. but the firm are so
well satisfied with what they have already
demonstrated that they have purchased the
land. and begun the sinking of another we'll
Mr. Stearns has been given instructions
10 go ahead ct once with the erection Of
the works and to use the utmost dispatch
in Fastening their completion. The build
ings will cover some thirty-seven acres. and
the whole plant viii be duplicate of the
extensive works at Brooklyn. Regarding
the extensive machinery, Mr.. Stearns has
those firms which Will make mis- orders par
amount 10 all others, as IL is the object to
have the plant complete and in working or
der by spring. ~ meeting of the directors
OF the company has been called In Brook
lyn for next Tuesday. at which the final
instructions to sUborcinates will be passed
upon.
There seems no longer any doubt that
Tren ton and vicinity possess a mineral dis
trict Of inCaculable value. and it is some
what remarkable that the operations for
it's development have been carried for
the past two years without causing any
considerable degree of excitement This is
accounted for by the fact that common
salt is found at 50 many places in the
state in large quantities. and the people
generally We're ignorant of the peculiar
character Of the article in their neighbour
hood. But that they now realize something
of what is in store for them is evidenced
by the fact that property is being held in
much higher esteem throughout the salt dis