The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-17

Laramie, Wyo.. correspondent gives
TIE following interesting description of
Green Rivers soda wells:
An important new industry. incident
70 the discovery of the sal soda wells. is
now opening up in this state The
principal wells are located at Green
River. and the supply is thought to be
lnexhaustible AS the importations of
soda and soda compounds amount to
about S6.G00O00 every year. and the
soda industry in the United States is
rapidly Increasing, competent judges
claim that there VIII be good demand
1oT the entire product of the Green
River wells, even if worked TO their
greatest capacity. The wells were dis
covered by accident in 1895, while pros
pectlng for oil lands adjacent to the
Gown OF Green River. In boring for oil
at depth of 100 feet the drill struck
what was supposed 20 be a bed of SOAP
Whlch, on investigation. was found to
De white substance that boiled up out
q the well like soap suds when the drill
was IN operation. The discovery was
not considered Of any importance. how
ever. and drilling was resumed until
oVV teet had been reached. The pros
pectorS- being unsuccessful in finding
OH. and not caring TO waste any fur
Their time in the soap business. aban-
coned the work. In the following win
Ter water ooZed up over the top of the
We'll, leaving white deposit about four
inches thick on the frozen ground. a
young chemist, thirsting for knowledge,
by ehance visited the well one day, and
discovering the white deposit, decided
TO make. an analysis. when to his sur
prise, he found it to be carbonate of
soda. chemically pure He confided
ms discovery to several older and more
experienced chemists who graVeIv
shook their heads and looking wise at
the bold youth who had had the I'll
Nudity TO come and tell them some
tnlng they happened not to know, said:
1oung man. you are mistaken. Car
Donate Of soda has never been pro-
ouced pure by nature, and can only he
made from salt brine after ten consecu-
tive treatments" Samples of the water
from the well were sent to chemists in
Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Denver, Omaha.
washington and other cities. and in
every case the analysis showed over. %
per cent of sal soda crystals. In 1896
complete examination of the we'll and
its product was made by Professor Viii
Dur Z. Knight of the state university.
who reported that the water contained
454 pounds of sal soda to the ton, and
that the property could be made one of
the best paying in The state in the way
OF money making investment. An
option was secured on 40 acres of the
land by John f Waters OF Chicago.
who became interested in the soda well
after a visit to this section. and two
wells were sunk under his direction to
depth of 2z5 feet each The wells. sit
uated about 100 yards from the banks
of Green river, were cased so that sur
face river water should not flow into
them During the month of Deem
ber last a steam pump with a ca
DacitT Of 10000 gallons every q hours.
was in constant use in the wells. the
result showing that the water at all
times ran from % TO % per cent in pure
sal soda. Constant pumping failed to
reduce the water in the wells. which
stood uniformly At ten feet from the
surface.
Geolosists wno have examined the
property claim that the ground to a
depth Of 300 feet is filed with soda. and
that the water. in percoiating through
the earth, takes up the soda. The com
pany owning the land. q tract of 200
acres, intends TO erect a plant which
Will have a capacity Of % tons of caus-
tic soda daily. AS the product sells
IN Chicago at an average price of
$40 a ton, and an s. freight rate can be
made from Green River to Chicago.
and correspondingly low rates to Salt
Lake City, Denver and Omaha. it Will
be readily seen that the prospects for a
big paying. industry are excellent. and
the Green River district to secure vet
greater benefits, anc also the state. by
so important and valuable chemical
discovery.
1t is said, that there is no other
known place upon the face of the globe
which produces this quality of soda.