The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-04-21
THE HEADER. GUTHRTE OKLA, TUESDAY. .ApRfL q. 1908


in time they would be moro valuable
that gold Said he. "rhe supply is
practically ineXhausdble and with bc.-
tor means OF transportation and the in
liroduciion OF Improved processes in
the manufacture OF plaster and cement
land fertilizers must prove oI great
lcommerria yalner Thu heaviest beds
lof this gypsum. and those of easiest
lacccss are on or adjacent 10 the 400
lacrc tract OF Mr. ilenuuenei west Of
/ Ferguson and with switch or spur
lof track running up Salt creek from
the Ferguson station. the cement and
lpaster industry could be brought to
1.-THE highest stage of development
SALT.
Third. when your comlttee was
/ brought face to face with the possibil-
litios Of the salt industry and the SUI
lperiOr grade OF the salt water in the
lNicinity of The proposed town Of ''llep-
iqucnctville they bebeld the natural
conditions and mineral advantages in
lwonderment With All the rich en-
idowmenfs OF oklahoma by nature in
material wealth we feel safe In say
ling that in none has IT greatly exceed
ed that of the muniilccnt value in salt
4 Sale creek which aas its source in
Tn multiplicity of surface streams and
springs In The canyons. flows down
lovsr a sandy bed of from ten to five
ior six hundred feet wide q distance OF
lperhaps two miles before il energies
1 from tho walls of canyons and The
ranges of high pointed elevations, ono
/ lin particular in the ilcuuucnCt tract
lthat seems to have been thrown mp
/ by some great reyulsion of nature
land standing out alone over three hun
ldred feet high as If literally shot
through the surface of the plain. This
400 ntre tract OF land takes in the
Died of that creek and crosses over to
the bluffs TO the north, and extends
lup the creek about one mile, or pos
sibly less, thereby absolutely com
lmanding the entrance 20 and outlet
4 from the vast treasures of those cau
yons. In dry weather the bed Of this
lstream Is one continuous glare Of sheet
salt which crystalizes in the sun and
atmosphere, In some instances from
! lthree-quarters TO an inch thick. dis
appearing only under the peliing rain
idrops in time OF storm The strength
OF the salt water flowing ont of thai
lstream lay by day has been the mar
Iyel of all aatl men who have seen
/ #. The surface current, Of course, iR
igreatly neutralized during the rainy
Iperiods but the subterranean flow or
cunent which is reached by shallow
wells only 4 or feet deer, maintain
their uniform strength.
Territorial Governor Barnes. in his
report to the interior department, In
1900, declared that Salt creek in
Inorthern Blaine county. whose source
lis the sweating from the enormous de-
lposits of rock salt. and whose waters
by simple evaporation Yield half their
weight in salt, 80 per cent pure; and
so strong is it's Cow that from thirty
Ito fifty cars 81 salt daily pass Off in
lits waters that enter the Cimarron
river n few miles below. and making
Its waters as salt as The ocean" The
lsalt water from tAese canyons or from
lthe subterranean stream, it is claimed
lby salt makers yield from 80 to a.
lper cent pure salt, and win safely
leverage one gallon of salt TO every
three gallons Of water. a higher per
lccnt. of yield than can be found on This
continent The fneness of the salt
lmade from the Blaine county waters
Us universally admitted and before tho
lshutling down of the Ferguson salt
lplant. in which 100000 were invested,
Thousands OF pounds of oklahoma ta-
bic salt was put upon the market and
sold as Kanses salt under the domina-
ltion of~thc SILT trust Thus 81 can be
seen that the salt industry OF Okla
hdma is susceptible of great possi-
Utilities, and IT may yet fan 10 lhe
task of this young and giant common
lwealth TO loose the tightening g.:U of
Ia trust that not only controls the salt
TRADE of the United States but OF
4 slCanada, New South Wales and Cape
Briion.
THE DUTY OF THE STATE
In view of the almost unprecedented
opportunity of the state to take over
land control an aggregation of natural
wealth, in the interest Of her people
land at the same time make the build
ling of her public institutions matter
lof nominal cost II is the undivided
lopiniOn of your committee that If this
Opportunity Is permitted to pass no like
lcondition will ever again present them
selves IN the future This vast and
valuable building stone SO necessary
for the construction of public edifces
including our stats capital building
can be had for a comparative triile
land can be taken from its crude state
land prepared for use at a nominal cost
. by convict labor, utilized under con
Editions OF convenience and necurit,
from escape rarely found
The cement and plaster here fount
lin such abundance, VIII have ampl,