USA > Michigan > Saginaw County > History of Saginaw County, Michigan; historical, commercial, biographical, Volume I > Part 41
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408
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
division of the Michigan Central touches the extreme headwaters of the district in Roscommon county. The Muskegon is one of the principal pine-producing streams of the State, in fact is surpassed by none save the Tittabawassee and tributaries. The lower Mus- kegon pine has been exhausted largely, but the extent of the stream and its numerous tributaries will continue a source of supply for years yet to come.
LIFE IN THE LUMBER WOODS.
Life in the lumber woods is, perhaps, the most peculiar feature connected with the timber business. In the woods the inaugural labors of the timber-worker begins. The tree which he fells to- day may pass through hundreds of hands here, and afterward be ultimately utilized by a European or Asiatic carpenter. Rev. C. A. Brigham, in speaking on this subject, said:
"The first party of woodmen usually go out in November. As soon as the ground begins to freeze, the men select a place for their camp as nearly as possible in the center of the 'lot' which they are to work upon, taking care to get a dry soil in the neigh- borhood of some spring or brook; they build a log house and cut a road to the nearest stream on which the logs must be floated down. The log houses are large enough to accommodate from 25 to 50 persons. In the center a raised fire-place is built, directly under the apex of the roof, and the only chimney is a tunnel above this. fire-place. The work of wood-cutting begins as soon as the road is finished and the ground becomes hard enough to haul the logs,-usually early in December, -and it is continued until the stream breaks up in the spring. The daily wood-chopping be- gins with the early inorning, and is kept up as long as there is light. In the evenings the woodmen sit around their fire, smoke pipes, play cards, tell stories, and sometimes get up rude dances. There is very little drinking among them during the season of work in the woods. Sutlers are not allowed on the premises, and the men have usually no money to buy liquor. They are paid by the day and supplied withi suitable food by their employers. Pork and beans, dried fish, bread and tea, are the most approved arti- cles of diet. Coffee is not generally provided, and the delicacies consist chiefly in the wild game which the woodmen themselves inay chance to catch. There is plenty of this to be had, if they had only the time to take it, for the woods are still full of squirrels, rabbits, coons, deer, and black bears, whose flesh is not unpalata- ble; the streams, too, are full of fislı. But the men are too busy in their craft to do much fishing or hunting, and are content with their simple, but nourishing, regular fare. In addition to their · nourishment,' they get, on an average, about one dollar per day for their labor. The whole gain of a lumberman in his winter's hard work is about $100, which a new suit of clothes and a few weeks of sport in the spring generally exhaust. The life of lum-
409
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
bermen is like that of sailors, and very few lay up the fruits of their toil.
" In character, the men are quite as good as the average of those who lead a roving life. A large number of them work in the mills in the summer season, some go on further west, and others go home to their friends in Canada or Maine. Comparatively few of the wood-choppers are Irishmen or Germans, though there are parties of both these races. They are gregarious in their habits; in cut- ting trees they go in pairs, and very few of them are willing to live in separate huts, or away from the camp. They sleep along the sloping side of the house, with their feet inward toward the central fire, which is kept burning all night. They dispense with prayers and preaching, and make little account of Sunday. A few have books, but the taste for reading is not general; mending clothes and sharpening axes, with such amusements as have been mentioned, fill the spare time. Their occupation is healthful and cheerful. The stock of medicines rarely needs to be replenished, and there is not much for a physician to do in their strong-armed company." This description of the lumber camp was written while the industry was still young. With its growth the charac- teristics of the lumber camp improved; new articles of diet were introduced; books, periodicals and newspapers found their way in- to the midst of the bush, the penchant for fight has been subdued, and the lumberman of to-day is morally superior to him of 13 years ago, and physically his equal.
CHAPTER XIII.
SALT MANUFACTURE
The existence of brine currents in Michigan was known to the early French missionaries and voyageurs, and was spoken of from their camps at Detroit to the schools of Paris. During the long series of years, from the missionary period down to 1835-'6, little or no attention was paid to these mines of wealth, until some years after the migratory movement of the eastern people toward Mich- igan set in. The first marked public attention to the salt springs of the Peninsula was exhibited in the winter of 1835. The follow- ing year the Congress of the United States passed the act of ad- mittance, and in recognizing Michigan as a State, granted to her 12 salt springs within her boundaries, with six sections adjoining each, or 36 square miles of the public domain. The New State was not slow to take advantage of this proviso in her charter, for by a Legislative enactment, under date July 25, 1836, the Governor was empowered to make such a selection, and made a choice of the lands along the Grand river, the Raisin, and a limited tract on tlie Tittabawassee.
The act of March 4, 1838, appropriated a sum of $3,000 for the purpose of trial borings. This sum was placed at the disposal of Dr. Douglas Houghton, then State geologist. During the sum- mer of that year, he proceeded to Salt river, and thence to the Tittabawassee, where, on the west bank, near its confluence with Salt river, he made the first trial boring, in June, 1838. In his report to the Legislature in 1839, he states "that the State salt lands on the Tittabawassee river, in Midland county, are peculiarly elegibly situated, being a few miles below the head of navigation of that stream, and embracing the mouth of Salt river." The labor expended at this point during 1838, cost the State $2,118.67. Work continued in this vicinity throughout 1839-'41. At the close of the latter year, the shaft reached only a depth of 139 feet. The geologist was strong in his belief that the springs could be tapped at a depth of 600 feet; but the exigencies of the time suggested a suspension of operations, which were not again renewed until private enterprise came forward and took up the golden oppor- tunity. It is stated, in a historical sketch of the salt springs, coin- piled by James M. Thomas and A. B. Galatian, in 1866, that. " during the several years the work was in progress, Dr. Houghton passed much of his time in Saginaw, and in his intercourse with the people fully impressed them with the same confidence which he had himself in the existence of a salt basin in this valley. He informed them that the act under which the appropriation was
(410)
411
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
made required him to commence on the State salt spring land; but that it was his opinion that the center of the basin would be found at or near the mouth of the Tittabawassee river, about two miles above the present site of East Saginaw. And after the work was abandoned by the State, Hon. Norman Little and others continued firm in the belief, founded upon their confidence in the opinion of Dr. Houghton, that a shaft had only to be sunk to a depth of from 600 to 1,000 feet to find strong brine at any point in this vicinity. But the experience of the State led them to believe that it was no idle task to make the experiment, and that whoever should take the risk would be obliged to invest a large sum, which, in case of success, would benefit his neighbors as much as himself. Dr. Plessner prepared salt from surface brine in 1849; others made sim- ilar experiments. Thus matters stood until the session of tlie Legis- lature in 1859, when a bill was introduced to appropriate $10,000 to aid in the development of salt springs in the Grand River Val- ley.
As soon as the pendency of this bill was known at East Saginaw, a public meeting was called, and the unjust discrimination in favor of Grand Rapids was bitterly complained of. It was believed that the chances of success at Saginaw were at least equal to those of Grand Rapids. As the country became better known about Sagi- naw, it was found that the surface indications of the existence of brine were abundant, and were found existing in the greatest pro- fusion at about an equal distance from the point selected by Dr. Houghton as the center of the basin, and almost in every direction from that center. With such a knowledge, it is no wonder that the action of the Legislature in its exclusion of Saginaw Valley from consideration in this matter, aroused the people to a sense of the injustice of an exclusive grant in favor of the Grand river dis- trict. and resulted in the important meeting of January, 1859.
THE GOVERNED GOVERN.
A meeting of the principal men of the two Saginaws was held in the office of Charles R. Mott, Jan. 26, 1859, over which Dr. Geo. A. Lathrop presided; W. L. Webber was secretary. The question of confidence in the opinions of Dr. Houghton was fully discussed, and to the credit of the participants in the debate, the ideas of the State Geologist fully sustained. Hon. Norman Little, Morgan L. Gage, Dr. Lathrop and W. L. Webber were appointed a committee to draft a petition to the Legislature asking that the State would aid and protect the salt industry of the Valley. The labors of the committee were crowned with success. Not only was the bill of appropriation for Grand river cast aside, but another, favorable in its every feature, was passed, exempting all property in connection with salt works from taxation, and granting a bounty of 10 cents per bushel on all salt manufactured. The terms of this act were
412
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
favorably received. Shortly after its approval, Feb. 15, 1859, the first association of salt manufacturers was formed, under the title. " East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing Co.," with a capital of $50,000, of 2,000 shares. The company opened their subscription book March 30, 1859, and on April 1 the entire amount was subscribed. The original stockholders were, Jesse Hoyt, 180 shares; Wm. L. P. Little, W. L. Webber, Geo. A. Lathrop, James L. Ketcham, D. G. Holland, John F. Driggs, A. English, M. B. Hess, W. J. Barton, C. B. Mott, A. C. Potter, Wm. F. Glassby, C. B. Jones, John Derby, 120 shares each; Wm. C. Yawkey, Geo. W. Merrill, 40 shares each; D. W. C. Gage and O. P. Burt, 20 shares each; C. H. Gage and Perry Joslin, 10 shares each.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY.
The articles of association were signed April 16, 1859, and the company was organized with Dr. Geo. A. Lathrop, Pres., W. L. P. Little, Treas., and W. L. , Webber, Sec. Charles B. Mott, H. C. Potter, J. L. Ketcham, Moses B. Hess. Geo. W. Merrill and W. F. Glassby, with these officers, formed the directory.
PREPARATORY LABORS.
This manufacturing company being organized with men and money, the next object was a location. There were few if any ob- stacles here. Jesse Hoyt, the owner of the land in the best saline district, made a conditional sale of 10 acres in the northern part of East Saginaw, the proviso being that if the springs were not found, the sale would be annulled. Geo. W. Merrill and S. R. Kirby were asked to proceed to New York State with a view to in- quire into the working and machinery of the salt factories there. This mission was well performed, and within the year the begin- ning of that which has since continued to diffuse wealth through- out the district, and add importance to the State, was made.
THE FIRST SALT WELL.
The sinking of the first salt well was entered upon in 1859, and in that year the boring reached the saturated sandstone at a depth of 633 feet, which was penetrated 14 feet, and the well rendered a total depth of 647. Dr. Lathrop in his journal of this transaction, gives the following statement of formation, with degrees of salt- ness as gleaned from the result of a 35-inch boring:
413
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
DEPTH.
INTERVENING THICKNESS.
GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS.
0
92
Alluvial and Diluvial materials; Saline 1°.
92
79
Brown Sandstone, with angular grains; Tem. 47 º ; Sal. 2 º.
171
40
Shales, first dark, then light.
211
23
Sandstone, 3 or 4 feet of coal (Highly Arenaceous Fire Clay). Shales, below, dark bituminous.
246
10
Sandstone, with thin seams of Coal.
256
38
Shales ; Tem. 50 ° ; Saline 14 ° ; Discharge, 80 gal. per minute. White Sandstone.
399
65
Limestone, 6 beds Sandstone, Arenaceous Limestone, Shaly matter.
464
3
Shales.
467
20
Sandstone; Sal. 26 °.
487
29
Shales.
516
43
Shales with intercalated Sandstone, 6 in. to 2 ft. thick ; Sal. 44 ° to 60°.
559
10
Fine Sandstone, blue ; Sal. 64 .; at 568 feet, Water-lime.
569
15
Dark Shales.
584
11
Fine blue Sandstone, Water-lime, Shales.
595
3
Grayish, coarser Sandstone, witli angular grains.
598
7
Dark Shales.
605
15
Sandstone, hard, becoming micaceous; at 610 ft., calcareous. Dark Shales.
620
627
6
Lime Stone, hard, brown.
633
14
Fine Sandstone, containing at 647 ft. Brine nearly saturated.
647
95
Red Shales at 742 feet ; Sal.82 ° to 84 o.
SUBSEQUENT ENTERPRISES.
Subsequently another well was bored to a depth of 806 feet, blocks of kettles added, and the great industry launched forth under most favorable auspices. This well was bored by Sanford Keeler. Dr. Potter personally superintended the manufacture of the first 4,000 barrels of salt at the old East Saginaw Salt Works. July 4, 1860, the pioneer salt blocks of the East Saginaw Company were opened for inspection, and they were thronged all day by people from the Saginaws and adjacent places. Dennis and Tom Redmond, who have always been identified with the salt interest here, were engaged as boilers on that day.
In the fall of 1861, 100 kettles formed in two blocks, were added and shops erected. During the first year, 1860, the product of the wells in operation equaled 4,000 barrels, in 1861 it reached 125,000 barrels, and with additions in supply and ma- chinery, reached 243,000 barrels in 1862, showing an aggregate product of 372,000 barrels since June, 1860, when the works were completed and the boiling of salt entered upon.
The great salt-producing era began, however, in 1863, when the total product of the factories equaled 466,356 barrels. Dur- ing that year large additions were made to the capital and person- nel of the companies, new machinery was introduced, enterprise and industry agreed upon results, and the saline wealth-giver placed upon a basis far removed from a merely speculative enterprise.
The following tabulated statements, prepared evidently with great care and precision, and taken from the approved statistics of
234
12
294
105
414
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
men who have placed its manufacturing interests on record, who. watched the growth of the district with solicitude, and who now look with pride upon the forest of industries which make the Val- ley prosperous, must form a most important section of this work.
STATISTICS OF 1865.
The number of salt manufacturers in the Valley in 1865 did not exceed that of the previous year, as the changes in the organiza- tion of the salt companies were comparatively few, and the results of the year's labors so closely approximating to the statement given for 1864, it will be merely necessary here to summarize the table for 1865. The number of companies was 67, blocks 118, kettles 4,210, solar covers 4,949, acres of land 9,475}, total capital invested $2,269,500, number barrels of salt produced 529,078.
This manufacuure gave direct employment to 892 men during the year, together with an indirect employment to woodmen, who prepared 109,368 cords of wood, and to coopers, who received no less than $238,074 for the salt barrels prepared by them for the manufacturers. The total valuation of salt prepared and left on dock ready for shipping was estimated at $1,190,410.
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
SALT STATISTICS FOR 1870.
Salt Works and Location.
Manufactured.
On Hand ...
No. of Blocks ...
No. Kettles .. . . .
No. of Grainers ...
Men Employed ....
Capital Invested ..
Zilwaukee.
W. R. Burt & Co.
20,037
2
5
25
40,000
New York & Saginaw Solar Salt Co.
7,200
: 000
1
16
100,000
Michigan Salt Manufacturing Co.
8,380
792
.14
100,000
Bennett & Walker.
20,500
800
4
120
2
20
70,000
Oneida Salt & Lime Co Carrollton.
17,786
20
2
50
4
14
40,000
Thomas, Saylor & Co ..
12,000
3,000
1
4
10
20,000
Orange County Salt Co.
17,000
1,700
3
180
20
100,000
Saginaw Valley Salt Works
10,330
300
2
120
13
48,000
Chicago Salt Works.
19,771
4,000
3
180
20
25,000
Empire Salt Co
10,796
2
116
12
80,000
E. C. Litchfield
17,031
1,150
4
236
28
28,000
T. Jerome & Co
11,000
3,000
1
9
20,000
Rochester Salt & Lime Co. Florence.
24,503
3,300
2
60
4
24
45,000
Haskin, Martin & Wheeler
30,095
587
6
312
30
60,000
East Saginaw.
East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing Co.
43,687
8,803
6
300
55
140,000
M. E. Garrison.
5,000
1,000
1
.
3
2
20,000
Buffalo Salt Co
17,500
2,387
1
6
8
35,000
E. Briggs.
5,300
500
2
58
2
10
20,000
Saginan City.
C. F. Brenner.
9,560
900
2
58
2
11
25,000
Conrad Kull.
9,000
500
1
58
10
12,000
Heather & Allison
2,500
150
1
5
2
25,000
Barnard & Binder.
28,105
6,400
3
58
5
15
50,000
Swift & Lockwood.
10,000
800
2
3
9
10,000;
A. W. Thompson & Co.
6,950
392
1
4
11,000
Green & Hardin. South Saginaw.
14,260
1,500
2
60
6
16
25,000
Chapin, Barber & Co.
13,000
4,000
2
52
3
12
27,000
Burnham & Still
8,530
1,850
1
52
8
10,000
Dow, Polhemus & Co.
6,689
4,000
2
116
17
25,000
Bundy & Youmans.
9,536
750
1
58
7
13,000
S. Cromwell & Co.
4,695
1
58
7
10,000
Rust, Bundy & Co.
5,748
1
58
6
4,000
Fox & Co.
1
50
10,000
H. Bischkee
1
50
5,000
Russell & Son.
1
50
10,000
Medina Salt Co.
1
58
12,000
Salina Salt Co ..
14,638
27,000
2
116
18
20,000
John F. Rust & Co.
6,539
1,800
1
3
6
11,000
Ann Arbor Salt & Lime Co- Tittabawassee.
9,729
750
2
116
17
20,000
Wayne County Salt Co. Cass River.
14,049|
1
4
13
20,000
Albany Salt Co ..
2
120
75,000
Gordon, Penny & Co.
1
3
....
30,000
New England Salt Co.
2
2
50,000
.
..
.
25
415
Barrels
...
...
416
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
SALT STATISTICS OF SAGINAW COUNTY FOR 1877-'78.
in 1877 .. .
ufactured
Salt Man-
in 1878.
ufactured
Salt Man-
J. H. Pearson & Son
8,957
28,993
A. W. Wright & Co.
34,338
34,365
Swift & Lockwood.
28,310
23,283
Barnard & Binder.
21,958
34.254
Saginaw Barrel Co.
6,593
Geo. F. Williams & Bro.
27,004
25,444
Geo. Kull & Bro.
14,595
3,236
C. T. Brenner.
3,088
Martindale Bros. H. Beschkee.
3,381
2,738
D. Hardin & Co
691
7,098
Stevens Bros. .
11,087
7,199
Sturtevant, Green & Co.
33,114
32,814
Shimmon Bros.
647
Wylie Bros.
11,925
22,387
T. Cook & Co
4,470
Cook & Davis.
3,263
Rust, Eaton & Co
25,639
22,819
Bundy & Youmans.
4,994
H. B. Allen ..
10,493
4,191
H. P. Lyon & Co
17,542
23,386
Tittering & Co.
5,187
W. B. Mershon.
3,722
4,021
Robert Conner. .
5,060
14,313
T. Jerome & Co.
18,780
21,983
Booth & Hickey
7,054
4,189
Shaw & Williams
23,576
25,642
East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing Co.
39,318
17,138
Isaac Barringer.
9,743
J. F. Driggs & Sons
17,648
17,256
Sanborn & Bliss.
11,448
27,847
A. T. Bliss & Bro.
57,467
63,297
E. F Gould.
21,449
16,755
Eaton, Potter & Co.
5,754
9,678
Geo. H. Rust & Co.
20,157
38,043
Remington & Co
14,787
21,259
Burnham & Still
6,150
11,207
Nelson Holland
27,169
24,973
A. P. Brewer.
18,203
28,000
C. & E Ten Eyck.
17,212
17,549
P. A. O'Donnell ..
9,698
15,365
Warner & Eastman.
20,056
22,561
Geo. E. Turner & Sons
64,412
51,908
Total
674,641
762,091
.
.
.
.
.
·
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
·
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
De Graum, Aymer & Co.
James Riley .
310
Thompson & Camp.
12,640
W. R. Burt & Co ..
2,494
417
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
During the year 1880 the total number of barrels of salt in- spected for the Saginaw county manufacturers was 1,138,695, pro- duced as follows:
Manufactured by
Fine.
Packers.
Bulk.
2d Qual.
Total No. Barrels.
W. A. O'Donnell
6,207
580
6,787
Sample & Camp
18,239
12
18,251
Warner & Eastman
27,898
1,184
29,082
C. & E. TenEyck.
23,029
23,029
Shaw & Williams.
17,021
138
214
17,373
J. Riley. .
13,061
371
13,432
Alex. Swift.
36,137
535
36,672
Sturtevant, Plummer & Co.
2,092
21
32,113
Morey & Delano ..
6,544
2,400
402
9,336
A. W. Wright & Co.
38,475
4,311
429
43,215
Brand & Hardin
6,812
6,812
Sanborn & Bliss
22,932
961
245
24,138
James Perrin.
8,400
8,400
Saginaw Barrel Co.
1,000
13,200
1,200
15,400
Wylie Bros ..
1,111
28,000
188
29,604
A. T. Bliss & Bro.
78,003
466
2,021
80,490
Driggs Sons & Morey.
14,695
2,000
520
17,215
E, Hubbell.
1,450
93
1,543
C. M. Williams.
4,286
61
400
265
5,012
I. Barringer.
16,812
156
482
17,450
Pearson & So
20,549
7,634
13
28,196
Eaton, Potter & Co.
25,800
25,800
W. B. Mershon.
7,900
183
8,083
Rust, Eaton & Co.
24,800
24,800
N. & A. Barnard & Co
20,453
272
101
20,826
N. & A. Barnard.
58,687
46
258
58,982
D. Whitney & Co
64,072
278
904
65 254
Turner & Son.
11,719
28
679
12,426
Nason & Allen ..
7,703
871
8,574
Chas. Merrill & Co.
26,226
1,000
27,226
Stevens Bros.
11,609
34
11,643
F. Bischkee.
4,598
163
4,761
Nelson Holland
39,118
754
39,872
Farmer & Sons.
65
1,162
1,227
Burnham & Still.
10
450
1,041
12,635
Camp & Stillman
11,114
11,114
D. Hardin & Co.
8,795
126
8,921
Geo. Williams Bros
36,445
145
34,590
J. F. & D. W. Rust & Co.
40,280
395
41,156
Remington & Co.
25,012
5,800
48
30,860
J. D Ketcham & Co
420
420
J G. Owen.
14,388
690
472
15,550
Martindale Bros
9,341
75
467
9,883
Cook & Howard.
3,626
3,626
E. F Gould ..
19,891
786
20,677
T. Jerome & Co
29,908
3,385
1,205
34,498
T Cook & Co ..
2,399
127
2,526
Alderton & Bro
1,628
1,628
Wood & Reynolds
25,101
1,031
100
26,232
Jesse Hoyt ....
9,700
8,560
17,260
Hamilton & McClure
50,541
187
9,446
660
60,834
..
Solar.
3,581
Kniffen Bros.
3,581
481
11,134
29,680
29,680
DeGraw, Aymer & Co.
305
418
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
PRODUCTION DURING THE HISTORY OF SALT MANUFACTURE IN THE STATE.
The salt manufacture in this State commenced in 1860, and the inspection law was not enacted until 1869. Previous to the inspection law the annual product was as follows: 1860, 4,000 barrels; 1861, 125,000; 1862, 243,000; 1863, 466,356; 1864, 529,073; 1865, 477,200; 1866,407,077; 1867, 474, 721; 1868, 555,- 690. The product since 1869, at which the inspection law took effect, is as follows: 1869, 560,818 barrels; 1870, 621,350; 1871, 728,175; 1872, 724,481; 1873, 823,346; 1874, 1,028,979; 1875, 1,- 081,865; 1876, 1,462,729; 1877, 1,960,997; 1878, 1,855,884; 1879, 2,058,040; 1880, 2,676,588.
The average price obtained for the Saginaw product during a series of years shows as follows: average price per barrel-1866, $1.80; 1867, $1.77; 1868, $1.85; 1869, $1.58; 1870, $1.32; 1871, $1.46; 1872, $1.46; 1873, $1.37; 1874, $1.19; 1875, $1.10; 1876, $1.05; 1877, 85 cts. ; 1878, 85 cts .; 1879, $1.02; 1880, 75 cts.
IMPROVEMENTS.
The numerous and extensive improvements effected in buildings and machinery, during 1880-'1 are, beyond precedent, all tending to show that as years pass by the salt interest grows in importance and extent. There are few industries in the United States of com- parative growth that can compete with that of the development and magnitude of the Michigan salt interest, and as has been stated, nothing in the line of legitimate resources could have been more fortunate for the Saginaw Valley than the discovery of the under- lying saline deposits, and their practical development. No in- dustry could by any possibility have worked more in harmony with other leading industries of this section of the State. Continued ex- perience and present realization have demonstrated beyond the question of argument the wisdom, foresight, and business sagacity of those who inaugurated an industry which has added largely to the importance and wealth of the Peninsula.
SALT WELLS OF THE VALLEY.
The salt wells of the State form one of its great wealth-givers. This industry of 20 summers is only in its infancy. The rich brines which permeate the sandstone will flow on until that period when the stone itself may change, when the economy of nature may con- vert it into veritable rock salt. We extract the following paragraphis from a paper, prepared by Dr. S. S. Garrigues, on the geological formations of the Valley, the boring of salt wells, and the process of salt manufacture:
PORT AUSTIN, HURON COUNTY.
"The first well that we have good record from is the Port Austin. This well stands in the upper part of the Waverly group, being the
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
sandstones of the Point aux Barques, the first 275 feet of the well being in a mixture of sandy shales; succeeding this we have a series of blue and red shales continuing to near 1,100 feet. At this point a very white and porous sand rock was struck, there being about 100 feet. This sand rock contains an abundant supply of brine, and has since been improved by cleaning and scraping the well. The capacity of the well is over 20 gallons to the minute, filling a cistern 30x30 in 16 to 17 hours. The brine shows 92 de- grees by salinometer. The offset is down 600 feet, and the pump- ing chamber just below. The well has an overflow of fresh water.
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