Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-01-10
WONDERFUL SALT FAlM
THE MEN WORK UNDER TERRIFIC
CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE.

One of the most curious pieces of
real estate in existence is now the sub
ject of suit brought by the Govern
ment to recover the property. 1t is a
salt farm-1000 acres OF solid salt,
which is plowed ana hoed and hilled
up like so much earth. 1t lies in de-
preston 264 feet below the level of
the sea- in the midst of the great Colo
RADIO Desert, just north Of the Mexican
line, in the State of California. and the
town which has grown up on its border
takes its name, Salton, from the crys-
tai deposit.
For many years salt has been taken
from this district, but on a small
scale. In 1892 temporary stoppage
was put to the local indus ,ry, the over
flow of the Colorado River, forming
what was known as the Salton Sea.
In time the water receded, evaporation
followed, and there was left a resi-
dium of almost pure crystal salt. Wis
ia of unima aginable and almost unbear-
able briiliance and beauty. From a
distance the effect was that of sheet
of the purest snow, glittering in the
sunlight; but when the first explorers
ventured upon the newly formed crust
they We're unable to endure for long
the fierce refraction of the light, and
fed blindly with aching eyeballs from
that insufferable radiance Equipped
with colored glasses, they returned,
and soon company was working the
richest salt crystal field in existence.
All that was necessary was to
plow out the salt and grind it up. A
salt plow was devised and built. 1t
has four wheels and heavy and pow
erful steel beak, or breaker. and the
motive power is steam. Then n grind
ing mill and drying plant were put up,
n dummy line run up to connect with
the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the
work of taking out five and a half
tons daily at from Sc to $50 ton be-
gan. The great difficulty, however,
was to get labor. Probably nowhere
else on the earth's surface do men
work under such terrific conditions of
temperature as at the Salton salt
farm. The normal heat Of the Colo
RADIO desert, which is such that few
white men can live in that region, is
enormously increased by the refracted
and reflected rays of the sun. For
weeks at a time the temperature of
the field reaches 40 degrees every
day. Under these conditions, of
course, no white man can work. The
salt plowing is done by Japanese
and Indians, mainly the latter, who
seem to endure the rigors Of the eli
mate without evil effect.
To watch the steady, stole perform
ance of the redskinned toiler, as he
hoes, shovels and scrapes the field, or
operates the engine that propels the
plOw, is to appreciate the qualities
of the Indian as worker under the
most trying conditions. Some Of the
Indian laborers even work without
glasses, but all the Japs protect their
eyes from the baneful glare with the
darkest of spectacles, and even so
they are often laid up with optic in
flammation. In addition to the other
discomforts of the salt fields the flying
tating and persistent thirst. The work
ers drink great quantities of water,
and this serves as safeguard against
sunstroke, as it keeps them perspiring
freely.
The deposit of salt varies in thick
ness from one to eight inches. 1t forms
in crust, and the plow breaks this
salt covering by throwing a broad but
shallow furrow of salt Jumps up in
parallel ridges on either side of the
machine. Here and there underlying
the crystal plain are springs of water.
When this crust is broken the springs
seep forth their dirty, brackish water;
and the Indian lads follow the plow
with hoe in hand, knocking to and fro
the clumps of salt and mud in this
water, until the earth is dissolved, and
then the crystal salt is stacked in
conical pyramids to await transpor
tation to the mill.
The salt crystals do not dissolve dur
ing the washing, doubtless on account
of the quantity Of salt already in the
water. No sooner has the plow gone
over the field than the crust begins TO
form again; therefore, it would seem
that the salt fields of Salton are in
exhaustible. The salt is allowed to re-
main in the pyramids until complete
evaporation of all water takes place,
when it is transferred to the fiat cars
and carried to the mills at Salton.
The factory is structure about 900
feet in length, and consists of a mill
ing and drying plant. When the salt
arrives at the mill it is thrown into
a bulkhead breaker and reduced TO
uniform particles, which are run
through burr mill and thoroughly
ground. There is an almost imper-
ceptible portion of carbonate of soda
mixed with the native salt, and this
simply aids in the cleansing process.
When thoroughly ground the salt is
sifted like -four through boiling cloth,
put through an aspirator, which re-
moves all foreign substances, and is
then ready to sack Aside from the re-