The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-02-09

Possibly the residents OF OroVliie
Il, not realize tho fact, but within a
very short distance Of the town Is 10
Gated one OF the most marvellous nat
ural deposits to be found in the en-
tire world, great beds Of magnesium
sulphate, more familiarly known as
EPSON salts. If these deposits were
locate a thousand miles away we
would marvel at the wOndrous works
Of nature, but being so close at mana
that any one can visit them in a drive
of a few minutes, no more attention
is paid to taem than if they were the
most commonplace freaks of nature.
There are two Of these deposits
adjacent to Oroville, one lake, that
Is almost dry in the summer, not
mile from town as the crow flies TO
the west, and the other the dry bed OF
a lake on the south end OF Whisky
Hill some six or seven miles away IN
an air line. The former has been
worked by the Stewart-Calvert COM
many for several years, yielding many
tons of almost pure salts, the other Is
lust being opened up by the company
that recently acquired the Stewart
Calvert interests. The lake from
which a vast amount Of salts has Deen
extracted is far from being worked
out. and the new field Of operation, to
which a road was built this winter, Is
Just being prospected. Shafts sunk
on the lake bed prove the deposit to
he from 18 to 20 feet in thickness, and
remarkable to state the quality Is
even superior to that Of tne lake that
has been worked for so long time. 8.
Much litigation grew out OF the
transfer of the lake from which salts
was originally taken as there was a
number of claimants under the min
eral location laws and it was a long
time before title was obtained by
| Messrs Stewart and Calvert, and at
one period during the negotiations II
looked as though the deal would fall
through and the lake remain unutiliz-
ed. Finally an understanding was
reached, the plant picture OF wlich
is published in connection with this
, article. was installed and hundreds o.
tons of salts extracted, treated ant
| shipped to the markets of the east
This salts was taken from the lak'
90 per cent pure, so that there was NJ
necessity Of refinement and the com
pany handled and marketed only th'
raw material. After the unfortunate
! and untimely death of Mr.. Calvert
. who was resident manager for tn
t company, further operations were car
e ried on in rather perfunctory man
!. ner. Shipments were continued at ir
regular intervals but the plant wa
= never run at capacity, nor was the de
:. post on Whisky Hill developed. !
j few months ago the property was sol
s to the Epso Products Company, a
# INCORPORATED organization under tn
n laws of Delaware with chief offices
e Los Angeles. A. E. Sherwood. of Le
: Angeles. is president, F. G. Mathisol
l. cosmopolite, who will probaol
make ais headquarters at Orovill
r vice president and sales manager, an
Leo Brisacher, of Los Angeles, seer
J. itary-treasurer. 1t is Of this compan
Ie its aims and objects, which we wis
l. to mention particularly at this tim
1t as the company is preparing to put l
,e the salts in various forms right at Il
e. plant, in glass jars and paper boxe
e. unloading the finished product upt
,e the trade, locally supplying a larI
ht pay roll and establishing an indust
that is certain to be great asset +