The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-02-23
WONDERFULFREAK
OF NATURE
A Lake Bed Containing Nineteen Feet
Of Solid Crystalixed EPSON Salts
Located Near OrOvllle.

OF Solid Crystallxed EPSON Salts
Located Near Orovllle.
It Is not our Intention to feed the
public up on salts. yet We hardly be-
iieve that there is "a single natural re-
source contributary to Oroville that
presents suca marvellous possibilities
~ the matter Of building up of a
vast industry as the magnesium sui
phate deposits within close touch OF
this place, hence We cannot resist re-
ferring to the subject frequently. Re-
Gently we devoted considerable space
20 particulars connected with the
cnange OF ownership OF this property
and the plans the new prOprietOrs
propose carrying out, yet even at that
time we did not realize the magnitude
Of tae deposits that the company con-
lrols. In years past we visited the
original salts lake, west OF town, the
solid contents of which have been
about worked out, but which is still
salts impregnated water
from which large tonnage OF salts
is extracted by evaporation, and Mon
Gay the opportunity was presented to
visit and inspect the lake at the south
end of WHISKY Hill, which is now be-
ing rayished OF its contents along the
same plan that was finally inaugu-
rated at the original lake, that is by
|tunneltng under the lake and directly
into the bed where the salts have ac-
cumulated tor years.
n,ep nOncpnflOn
what a wonderful medicinal deposit
| the alchemy OF nature has transmitted
| from the ingredients Of rock, the min
erals taat' may be contained in the
rocks. air and water and filtered into
this depression in the mountain range,
process that has been going on for
centuries and which has only OF recent
years been discovered and utilized for
the we'll being Of mankind, and which
is to perform even greater part IN
lalleviating pain and suffering in time
co come. Inc Importance OF this de-
posit Of Epson salts is neither realiz-
cd nor appreciated by our readers, nor
the possibilities OF its use In treating
the ills that man is heir to. 1t would
be convincing and educational for any
OF our people to drive up to the lake
lany day wnsn thaEasatkRr- -is nleasanl
and not only see what is being done in
the way Of extraction but to convince
themselves of the vast extent OF the
ldepOsit. They would then possibly be
liable to grasp the fact that right at our
,doOr. for the drive can be made IN
Twenty minutes, there exists one OF
1.-The most marvellous freaks of nature
to be found on the American cOntin-
lent As rule when community Is SO
fortunate as to have within its imme-
idiate vicinity an unusual natural at
TRACTION II Is utilized as an lmpOrtan,
publicity asset, it is featured at all
times and on all occasions, 1t Is
Isnow place to which strangers are
taken and introduced. Also it could
and should be an encouragement fol
the establishment at Oroville OF g
Igreat sanitarium. The virtues OF the
Isalts made EPSON one Of the greaI
Ihealth resorts of England, and where
ever springs OF similar nature exls
they attract pilgrims from all quar-
tets Of the world. Why should no
the face Of those seeking relief iron
bodily afflictions be turned towart
Oroville where these efficacious salt
exists in unlimited quantities and o
extraordinary purity. But that is go
: ling far afield from what we starte'
: lout to chronicle.
Monday, in company with Chas. A
) Powell, +. G. MathisOn, general sale
? manager Of the Epso Products com
3 pany the new Organization that Is no,
Q Extracting salts from the lake. Et
4 lKlingman, local manager. and Perc
3 Eastman, who Is superintendent OF tn
work in hand, a Gazette representativ
visited the lake south OF town. Tn
Q lake IL irregular in conformation an
8 Icovers some twenty acres. There
8 nothing on the surface or about tn
], lake to arouse any particular sensi
d ton Of interest. A large, crudely bui
It bin holding probably so or more tor
n of raw salts, in chunks, flakes an
e pulverized form, with tramway e!
1t tending from the top Of the bin to tt
u. black mouth of an inclined shaft th
,t is conspicuous as being blot on II
Is otherwise white surface Of the lax
* is all there Is to see. But it is down
l. that shaft that one is struck by Il
I'd enormous extent Of the deposit al
r. its wonderful formation.
N When the original owners first cor
DO menced to handle the content sof t
D. salts lake west Of town it was t
in practice to scoop out the salts fro
the surface, taking out the surfa
ne mud with the salts and soon beil
o. driven out by the water filling in l
r. excavations. 1t was a slow. eXpe
O. sive and unsatisfactory metnod.
n Eastman then suggested the idea
driving a tunnel into the bed OF
OF salts under the lake. 1t was thoue
ed that this could not be done, the fe
We being entertained that water wol
percolate down through. caving in
tunnel and endangering the workm
Mr. Eastman demonstrated that II
nelling could be carried on under
,rvt surface of the lake, safety being
no sured by timbering where timber
on was found necessary. Mr.. Eastma
90 plan Is being carried out on this n
dir work. The incline has been driven
a depth of q feet from the surfs
.ar the tunnel being some seven feet n
and five or six feet wide and Is
solid salts. From prospect hole
aeu has been ascertained that the dep
lug n 10 feet thick. For short dista
uSe aS from the orifice Of the incline 1t
ING been necessary to timber, but hey
:, " tnat point the workmen are in crys
' lied salts about as firm over heat
the rock In a mining tunnel.
vi" course care is taken to watch for
mud strata, and anything in the
Sat ture Of q leak ia guarded agains
once 40 the slightest trickle OF W