Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1927-04-21

When this people mad removed
the timber from the excellent river
bottoms they soon came in contact
with the fact that they were in pos
session of country that was capa-
BILE of producing one of the worlds
most needed commodities, namely.
salt. Just how these early settlers
discovered that salt water was in ex-
istence some five or six hundred
feet from the surface of the ground,
we are not informed, but the fact
remains that for many years this
immediate country and particularly
the Muskingum valley furnished the
major portion of the salt for the CIV
ilized world occupied by the white
races. We may conclude from these
observations SO far that we have in
a measure answered the presidents
requests for an explanation how it
came that Ohio furnished so many
great men. The men who discover
ed and promoted this industry, pro-
ducing salt from salt water were
men of great capacity and of great
benefit to the community in which
they were living. The production of
salt because such an important in
dustry that at one time it was prac-
tically the most and only substan-
tial pursuit that brought in great
returns to these early settlers and
this industry lasted for a period of
more than seventy years. 1t may
not be amiss to make one or two OBJ
servations about this industry. AT
depth varying from five hundred to
six hundred feet substantial quanti-
ties of salt water was obtained.
This was pumped out and placed in
large iron kettles on furnaces and
the water heated to such an extent
that the moisture left and the salt
remained. This salt was then put
in barrels and made ready for ship
ment. A barrel of salt weighed ESQ
pounds an6 these barrels were made
from white oak timber and in order
to produce sufficient barrels to hold
salt for the commerce that was then
existing, numerous industries were
established for the purpose of MAX
ing barrels and as result of these
two industries two distinct types OF
men were developed; not only men
of courage, but men of physical
strength as well as mental capacity.
AS has been observed these salt con-
tainers were made from white oak
timber. These slaves were split
from the timber by means of what Is
known as froe and were put in
proper condition by the use of draw
ing-knives and were held together
with the assistance of hoops made
from young hickory sprouts. In the
manufacture of the barrels the men
engaged in this industry on account
of the constant use of the arms in
handling these drawing-knives their
arms became longer than the aver
age person and when the barrels
were ready for shipment, as has
been observed, barrel contained 28O
pounds of salt, a legal unit the same
were handled by hand power and
man employed at one of these great
salt furnaces was required to be able
without assistance to place barrel
of salt upon his shoulder and carry
1t upon the steamboat or wagon for
the purpose of export. This salt or
the major portion of it was sent by
fatboats down the Muskingum river
to the Ohio river and from the Ohio
to New Orleans and from New Or
leans 1t was shipped to all the ports
of Europe.
The original settlement which had
become quite a town had many able
and enterprising citizens and while
this industry was at it's zenith many
of the enterprising citizens of Ma
rietta arrived at the conclusion that
there was too much loss with the
jobber and the middleman and the
general exporter OF this much
sought-for commodity and with that
in view a number of leading and
substantial citizens living in the first
settlement constructed vessel large
enough to hold many hundreds OF
barrels of this wonderful commodity
and the same was equipped so that
it could be quickly prepared for a
sailing vessel and in the spring time
when the Ohio river was high these
parties with their ship full of salt
weighed anchor at Marietta and
slowly dropped down the Ohio to the
Mississippi and from the Mississippi
to New Orleans and soon were out
upon the gulf and ocean with their
sailing vessel and the valuable cargo
of salt destined for the port OF
Liverpool. The enterprise at the
time 1t cleared the shores of the
western hemisphere was success
and things progressed smoothly and
satisfactorily until this valuable
seamerh with the master and other
officials arrived at Liverpool. The
English people at that time as we'll
as now were very anxious to seize
upon situation such as presented
when this richly laden vessel tied up
at the wharf of Liverpool and in
specti'on and investigation of the
ships papers showed that its home
port was at Marietta, Ohio. This
could not be found upon the charts
and maps then in existence and was
not port recognized as place
where vessels could clear in trading
pursuits. In fact, these parties did
not possess such a thing as clear
ance papers and they We're immedi-
ately charged with being pirates,
their ship and valuable cargo con-
fiscated and officers and members of
the ,craw. nlacnd in iail and charged