The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-07
UTAH MINERAL RESOURCES
ANNUAL REPORT IN PROCESS or
PREPARATION.
History OF the Salt-making Industry
of the State, Prepared By D. C.
Adams of This City.
Washington Office of The Herald, !
14l5 G. Street. N. w.

! Washington, d. c., July 3.-The an
rual report of the bureau Of mineral
resources of the geological survey, now
in process of preparation, will contain
an extended history of the salt-making
industry in Utah. This was prepared
! for the bureau by D. c. Adams of Salt
Lake City. He says that the advent OF
| the MormOns into the territory of Utah
vested by them from the shores of the
| Great Salt Lake in 1915. This salt was
a natural product, the brine from the
water being thrown back upon the
shore by the westerly winds prevailing
in the spring, forming small pools in
| low places. The warm, dry weather of
/ July and August eVapOrated the water
from the pools and deposited the salt,
which was scraped up and used for do
mestic purposes and for curing meats
The early settlers We're supplied with
salt in this way until about 1860. when
the idea was conceived of making dams
which would hold large quantities of
water in low places for evaporation.
These dams were flooded in the spring.
and the salt deposited during the sum
mer by solar evaporation was gathered
into piles along the banks and carried
over from one year TO another. About
this time the chlOrination process was
discovered in the reduction of silver
ores. About the first use OF salt for
this purpose was at the Alice mine. To-
Gated at Butte, Mont 1t was before
the days of railroads and the salt was
packed on the backs of mules at a cost
of about 5000 per ton. AS the chlorina-
ton process became better known other
mills put in the system, including the
Ontario. located at Park City. Utah.
The salt for these works was hauled
in wagons from the shores of the lake
to Park City at a cost Of SIS per ton.
The rapidly increasing demand for salt
caused further OUTLAWS in its prOduc-
ton, and salt fields were made on high
ground, and the brine was pumped TO
them, the average height above the
lake being about 20 feet. This was
found 10 be greatly preferable to the
plan of depending on the spring over
flow into the low places. as the overflow
was uncertain. while with pumps as
much water could be raised as was de-
sired. The increase in the demand was
very rapid, especially for milling salt.
and the output advanced from 500
pounds in 1913 to $4,000 tons 10 years
later. Several large companies have
been formed, towit: The InternOun-
tain. the Inland, the Deseret, the Peo-
pies Forwarding and thu Adams &
kiesel companies. Very little progress
process was discovered.
OF the methods OF salt production
Mr.. Adams says that about the month
of March the pumps are started and
the brine is pumped into large reser-
vOirs. A reservoir contains from 10 to
20 acres. As the brine becomes strong
er it is drawn off into other reservoirs !
or sloughs. containing 3. 8. s, 10 or 10
acres. These s,Oughs are made with |
hard clay bottom and with a levee /
thrown up three or four feet high |
around the sides to retain the brine. /
and which at the same time furnish
ditch on the outside to carry off fresh /
water. These slOUehs are supplied from I
time to time during the summer, the [
reservoirs being kept stocked with /
brine until September or October, by |
which time anywhere from three to six I
inches of salt has been deposited Har- /
vesting then begins with wheeIbarrOws /
and tramWay, the salt being stacked on I
the banks in large piles, shaped some /
thing like a hay stack. but not so high. /
\ crust. which answers every purpose /
of shingie room forms on each pile. /
This is the crude salt ready for market
and is hauled to the mills for refining
purpC ses or is shipped in this crude
state to silver mills working under the
chlorinatiOn process.
THE latest improved machinery in
the llllllS consists OF rCNQtNills~ CNilIl-
ders, roller buhrs and a series of sleeves.
The salt is hauled from the pil5s - q
crUsher, whence it is carried by hop
psrs TO the heated cylinders, which
deliver the perfectly dried salt to the
roller Duhrs; thence il goes TO the
sleeves. The salt is purified by means
of a suction blower as it passes over
the sleeves. The impurities are lighter
than the salt, and as it passes over the
sleeves the suction is set with just
enough strength 10 take off the i'm
pUrities and allow the salt TO pass on
to the bins, the different grains being
carried to the proper bins by a series
Of hoppsrs. 1t is packed in ,, 8, >, 10,
25, so, 100 and $50 pound sacks. Utah
salt is shipped east TO Colorado. north
west to Puget Sound and Portland,
and west to San Francisco. OF course
the greatest profit is in salt sent to the
points. Fr;ces b5inC equa,
At competitive points Utah salt viii
take the preference" Mr.. Adams at
tributes this mostly TO the fact that
refined salt does not cake.
HOSFORD