El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-06
Salt A Great Civilizer
Savage Peoples Become Gentle With
Its Use; LOuisiana's salt
Fields Are Extensive.
IN
BY Frederic J. HasI1in =
ASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 6.-Il


1uxuries of life. Before Lots wife
was turned into pillar of salt this
product was recognized as a valuable
commodity. The woman was punished
for looking backward, but at least she
was transformed into the most coveted
substance of that period. Salt mas
been really the fOrerunner Of clV1llzd-
ton. Little of it is used by the saw
age. AS primitive man acquired a
taste for salt and the means of graf
flying it, his fiercest instincts van
ished and his gentler emotions began
to dominate him With the early
tribes, salt was so difficult to obtain
that the saying He seasons his foou
with salt was equivalent to saying he
is rich. A piece of gold might pur-
chase only the smallest cake Of salt
Salt was so valued that a man who
had eaten the salt of another was
honor bound to be loyal to him Con-
seQuently. while a man might accept
unsalted bread from his enemy, ne
was bound to become his friend if he
ate his salt
The Covenant of Salt.
John MacGregor, the pioneer canoe
ist, was captured by an Arab tribe
upon the upper Jordan river. He
was taken with his canoe before the
old shaykh whose tent was near As
they parleyed, MacGregOr opened
pocket box of fine salt and offered
pinch to the shaykh who, having
cepted it thinking it was sugar. As
he tasted it MacGregOr put a pinch
into his own mouth and laughingly
slapped the old man upon the back He
was free Even the other Arabs
laughed when they understood that
their chief had eaten salt with the
captive under his own tent Mac
GregOr and his canoe were escorted
back to the river in triumph The
Arab chief was now bound to favor
him by the covenant of salt, the
strongest bond of his nation
The increased wealth of the world
has developed an increased demand
for salt, and fortunately for the COM
fort of the human race there seems to
be no lack in the salt resources of the
world 1t is to be found everywhere
although not always in form or
quantity to be readily utilized. The
salt production of the world is es-
timated at 100000 tons annually. OF
which the United States produces
nearly a third Next to this country,
Russia is the greatest salt producer OF
the world, although the industry has
not been much exploited and the meth
DDS of securing il are most primitive
Russia contains five great salt lakes
which are believed to comprise the
greatest salt district in the world
Their output might be multiplied by
the use of modern machinery.
English Salt Union.
England comes after Russia in the
salt industry is controlled by a great
union which includes practically all of
the salt operators Most English salt
is secured from natural brine by mod
ern scientific process and its quality is
recognized throughout the world. Much
Of the German salt comes from native
mines owned by the government or by
members of the nobility. The govern
ment does not exercise a monopoly in
the salt industry but the product man
ufactured by private firms is subject to
a taxation. In italy, salt manufacture
is under the direction of the govern
ment, with the exception of that pro-
duced in Sicily. Salt is such a luxury
in ItalD that the poorer people use It
Sparingly, even in seasoning their food
In Holland the salt is not controlled by
the government. and 50 salt refineries
produce for domestic use about 12S.O0O,-
600 pounds annually. Until recently no
foreign salt was allowed in China Now
a small importation is permitted for
the use of the foreign residents, who
find the coarse native salt unfit for
table use. The Japanese government
controls the salt industry in that cOun-
try.
About 100000 barrels Of salt are
produced annually in the United States,
the value of which is nearly $4,000, 600.
This includes five grades. known in
trade as table or dairy, common fine,
common coarse, packers, and solar.
Most of this comes from Is states, New
York being recognized as the leading
salt state with Michigan second.
Great Louisiana Field.
The salt resources of Louisiana are
now controlled by two rival corpora
tons, each of whom insists upon pre-
serving a strict secrecy regarding its
output If the salt production of the
state were given, either corporation. by
deducting its own productions, could
readily know the amount produced by
the rival firm
The New. York salt industry is che
n 1rr=r-
Deen salt center since 1891 Wells
in that locality are sunk as deep as
SOO feet and the brine pumped from
Inem is manufactured into salt either
by solar or artificial evaporation. In
Louisiana the salt is mined after the
most efficient methods known to mod
ern science The location of the first
SHAFT OF the larger mine was made in
1888 By 1902 500 foot level had
there by blasting out masses of rock
salt on the level with the floor and
then cutting down layer by layer. The
drills are worked by compressed air
furnished from a power house outside.
The mine is lighted by electric light
and contains a ventilating equipment
The salt is conveyed to the shaft in
small cars drawn by mules over a mar
row gage steel track similar to those
pacity of this mine is said to be $50
tons per 10 hour day.
Salt is distributed in two forms in
brine such as is found in the Syracuse
salt wells, and in rocks, such are are
mined in Louisiana Sometimes both
forms are found in the same or in
adjoining localities. The Michigan in
dustry produces salt from each of these
two sources. In addition to mining
rock sale in Michigan, artificial brine
is made by bringing fresh water in
contact with it When this water has
become saturated with salt, II is
brought to the surface and evaporated.
Natural brine also occurs plentifully in
some parts of Michigan. In Ohio the
natural brine pools are sufficient to
make it the third salt state of this
Utah's Salt Resources.
The salt resources of Utah are most
interesting. Great Salt lake is ap-
proximately $3.50 square miles in area.
Excepting the Dead sea, it is believed
to be the densest body of water in the
world. It's water is five or six times
as salty as sea water. This salt is
obtained by solar evaporation. Until
recently. rather primitive methods
were used, but considerable improve
ment is now being made. Two active
seasons are required for Utah salt pro-
ductiOn. The pumping season begins
in Nav when the water from the lake
is pumped into great wooden fumes
which carry it to the ponds a mile or
more away. About 1000 or 5000 gal
Ions a minute are pumped during a 10
hour day. There are three sets of
t.