USA > New York > Onondaga County > Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times, being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego, Vol. II > Part 3
USA > New York > Oswego County > Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times, being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego, Vol. II > Part 3
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About one hundred and twenty acres of land are occupied with vats, which produce annually about 200,000 bushels of coarse salt.
Measures are in prospect for enlarging this branch of busi- ness, which for want of room cannot at present be very much extended.
Originally the salt springs reservation comprised an exten- sive tract of land, exceeding 15,000 acres. It was supposed that this tract was more than would ever be needed for the manufacture of salt. Accordingly an act was passed March, 1820, directing the Commissioners of the Land Office to cause the reservation to be surveyed into lots and sold, providing that they should reserve such lands as in their opinion should ever be necessary and useful for the future extension of said manufactories. Pursuant to this law, two publie sales were held of those lands, one in the year 1822, and the other in 1827, at which the entire reservation was disposed of, except- ing about five hundred and fifty acres. Of this quantity remaining, about eighty acres are occupied with fine salt works. One hundred and fifty acres were afterwards set apart to individuals, who have made arrangements to cover it with coarse salt vats, so that there is at present only about one hundred to one hundred and fifty aeres unappropriated and eligible for salt works, the remainder being too broken or
* Since the above was prepared, Mr. Spencer has erected a new building two hundred and fifty-six feet long, forty-four feet wide, with eighty kettles of one hundred and twenty gallons each, with express reference to using coal instead of wood, in manufacturing salt. Between the chimney and kettles are placed three large pans, twenty feet long, ten feet wide, and four feet deep, for the purpose of precipitating impurities before the brine is admitted into the kettles.
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SALT SPRINGS.
swampy for manufacturing purposes. It is to be regretted that the great magnitude of the salt business could not have been foreseen, as more of public land will soon become neces- sary for the increasing wants of the public.
There are three modes of manufacturing salt practiced at the Onondaga Salt Springs :
First, and by far the largest amount, is made by rapid boil- ing in kettles. Second, by solar evaporation in wooden vats. Third. By evaporation with artificial heat, (lately abandoned.)
By the first process from twenty to eighty iron kettles are set in long arches in two parallel rows, firmly fixed in brick work, constituting what is usually termed a "block." These kettles are usually of the capacity of about one hundred gal- lons each. Between the two rows of kettles thus set, on top of the arches above the level of the kettles, runs a long wooden tube, from which is a conduit to each separate kettle. This tube connects with a reservoir, with which each manufac- tory is provided, out side the salt house. From the reservoir, the kettles are filled with brine, which is made to boil.
So soon as ebullition commences, the water changes color, becomes turbid, and the impurities begin to precipitate. These are repeatedly removed by large iron pans, covering the bot- tom of the kettles, called bittern ladles, with one of which each kettle is now provided. A portion of these calcareous impurities, however, adheres to the sides and bottom of the kettles, which soon forms a solid coating called pan scale, and at intervals, from six to ten days, has to be " pecked out," for if allowed to remain, it essentially impedes the boiling process. Very soon after this calcareous matter is deposited, crystals of salt begin to shoot out and sink to the bottom, and this continues till a greater part of the water is evaporated. The salt is now scooped out into baskets, with one of which cach kettle is supplied, where it remains over the kettles to drain off the brine it contains, till quite dry. From the baskets it is removed to bins, where, after cooling, it is ready for the hands of the packer. This concludes the work of the manu- facturer.
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ONONDAGA.
The second process is by solar evaporation. A series of wooden vats are constructed about four feet from the ground, elevated on piles. They are about eighteen feet wide, carri- ed to any convenient length, and about one foot in depth. This first described tier receives the brine, conducted to it by wooden tubes from the great reservoirs near the wells ; here it is allowed to remain till the impurities have subsided. The brine is then drawn off into another tier of vats of similar size and construction, which are about a foot or foot and a half lower than the former.
In this second tier, the brine is left to chrystalize. The whole process is extremely simple. By exposure, the water evaporates, and as soon as saturated, small crystals of salt begin to shoot out on the surface. Their first appearance is not unlike a drop of melted tallow, let fall upon a surface of cold water. These particles accumulate and precipitate them- selves to the bottom of the vats in large quadrangular and hexangular crystals, which are the purest salt, and when the process is completed, is hard, dry, and of a beautiful white color. From fissures in the vats are formed stalactites and stalagmites, of the most perfect whiteness, sometimes several inches in diameter. Of course the greatest quantity of this salt can be made in the driest seasons, and the principal sea- son is from May to September. The process of evaporation is greatly retarded by a humid atmosphere. To prevent em- barrassment which would ensue from rain, roofs are construct- ed to cover the vats, which may be removed as occasion re- quires. Consequently it requires a space with frames to sup- port them, a little more than equal to the vats. Like all the operations of nature, this is perfectly simple and produces the purest salt, and the nearer all artificial modes for the separa- tion of water from salt can approximate to this, the better ar- ticle will be manufactured.
The third process, which has been carried on to some ex- tent, but which on account of its too great expense, has been discontinued, is like this ; large iron vats were employed, into which brine was conducted and subjected to a moderate degree
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SALT SPRINGS.
of heat, either applied directly to the vats or by means of tubes through which steam was made to pass. In this way salt of great purity can be made, little if any inferior to that ob- tained by solar evaporation.
Besides the above named modes of manufacturing salt, are the works for preparing and grinding table and dairy salt. These are four in number, carried on by William A. Porter, Warner H. Porter, and J. P. Haskins, of Salina, and the Hope Factory at Syracuse. They are all arranged on much the same plan, and the machinery of each is driven by a steam engine. The best of salt is selected for grinding, and when prepared for market, is thought by good judges to be inferior to none. The operation and process of the manufacture of ground salt is perfectly simple, and scarcely needs illustration. The salt in the first instance is wheeled on to an elevated platform or way, to a spacious hopper, raised some eight or ten feet above the ground. From the hopper it falls down upon the "drier" or vat, about twenty-five feet long by eight or ten feet broad. Underneath the drier is a flue leading from the furnace by which the boilers are heated, and here the salt is drawn forward by a "rake," and thoroughly dried. It is then carried up by elevators emptying into a hopper, and ground ; afterwards it is again carried by another string of elevators to a convenient bin, where two boys receive it as fast as it falls, and who weigh and pack it in small bags which contain each twenty pounds ; formerly each bag contained twenty-eight pounds. The salt is now ready for market, and is inspected and carried to all parts of the country, as the de- mand requires. The ground salt is packed while warm, and as it runs from the stones is lively like dry sand. If allowed to become cold it takes a much larger bag to contain the same quantity by weight. For the dairy and for culinary purpo- ses, salt is considered to be greatly improved by grinding.
Lime is the principal ingredient made use of in accelerat- ing the precipitation of impurities. It is sometimes cast into the kettles, but oftener it is sprinkled in the reservoirs where
B 3
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ONONDAGA.
it mixes with these heterogeneous ingredients, and the impure mass subsides to the bottom.
There are about twenty-five miles of aqueduct logs from the several wells and reservoirs, for conveying brine to the seve- ral works and vats. There are about 1,600,000 gallons of brine daily used in the manufacture of salt. There are seven wells, from one hundred and eighty to three hundred and twenty feet deep, from which water is drawn by as many pumps, six of which are driven by water power, and one at Liverpool by steam, capable of throwing up at least 45,000 gallons of brine per hour .*
The expense of a salt block and fixtures entire for fifty ket- tles is about three thousand dollars, and the expense for erect- ing an acre of vats is about fifteen hundred dollars.
The boiling works are carried on from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty days in the year, though some few are conducted through the whole year.
The following is from Dr. Beck's " Brine Springs of Onon- daga." (N. Y. S. Nat. His. Mineralogy, page 106.)
"The temperature of the brine at the Syracuse well as it passes from the tube into the reservoir, is 51º F. It has a sparkling appearance as it discharges itself, changing the color of iron.
The specific gravity of brine taken from this well is 1.10499, at 60º F. The amount of dry solid matter in 1,000 grains of the same brine, is 139.53 grains. The following are the results of his analysis:
Carbonate of lime,
0,14
Sulphate of lime, 5,69
Chloride of calcium, 0,83
Chloride of magnesium, 0,46
Chloride of sodium or common salt,
132,93
Oxide of iron, 0,02
Carbonic acid, holding in solution carbonate of lime, 0,07
* A new well was sunk in 1848, at Liverpool, which is said to be about three per cent. stronger than any water yet found.
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SALT SPRINGS.
Water, with a trace of organic matter and bromine, 860,40
From another well of stronger brine, he remarks: "The following will express, with sufficient minuteness, for all practi- cal purposes, the composition of this brine in 1000 parts, viz :"
Common salt,
Various impurities,
173,50 8,50
Water,
818,00
This will not essentially vary from the brine now in com- mon use throughout the reservation.
The pumps, when in full operation, will force up each from one hundred to one hundred and fifty gallons of brinc per minute.
The foreign substances or impurities are composed princi- pally of sulphate of lime, slightly colored by oxide of iron, which any one can see in its mixed state by visiting the coarse salt fields, where beautiful specimens are sometimes found to adorn the cabinets of the curious. These constitute also the bitterns of the boilers.
The quality of brine is greatly increased by recent borings so that the constant supply is now 75° to 80º, allowing pure water to be 0, and saturated brine 100°, without apparent diminution from use.
The shores of the Onondaga Lake, at an early period of the settlement of the country, were composed of soft, spongy bog, into which a pole could be thrust to an almost intermina- ble depth. Since the clearing up of the hills in the neigh- borhood, sand, gravel and other substances, have been wash- ed down, and by the action of the waves, have become so solid, that loaded teams can now be driven along the beach, without making scarcely any indentation, while but forty years ago, the same ground could only be traversed by flat bottomed boats. There are indisputable evidences all along the western banks, that at some previous time, the surface of the lake must have been some sixty or eighty feet higher than it is at present.
The marl in which this lake is situated, is continually accu- mulating. Myriads of shells of the Family, LIMNIADE, Ge-
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ONONDAGA.
nus, PLANORBIS, are yearly gathered for the construction of ornaments to grace the boards of the wealthy.
There is a singularity about the "salt lake," which has, we believe, hitherto been unnoticed. The water along the shores, for the distance of from twenty to thirty rods from its margin, is very shallow, so that in most places a person can wade in nearly the whole distance without any considera- ble inconvenience, after which, there is an almost perpendicu- lar descent of from thirty to fifty feet; then the bottom as- sumes a basin-like form, deepening towards the center. The common depth is about eighty feet, but towards the outlet it is said to be over two hundred feet deep. It is singular that this lake, although surrounded almost entirely by salt springs, should itself be perfectly fresh.
The most prevalent opinion is, that somewhere in the vicinity of this lake, or perhaps under it, is a vast body of fossil salt, from which the brine springs proceed. Some are of opinion that nature has some vast and inexhaustable labora- tory constantly at work, sending forth this valuable mineral, for the good of man. Others again, are of opinion, that crystals are constantly forming in the porous saliferous rock, common in this vicinity; and others again, that salt may be existing in insulated cavities, in the surrounding hills, through which the fresh water percolating, dissolves it, and at length makes a deposit in the great salt basin around and beneath the lake. Some have supposed that at some ancient period, while the sea yet covered the earth, a volcanic eruption burst forth which formed the chasm of the ancient Onondaga val- ley, and by its great heat evaporated a vast quantity of sea- water, by which large bodies of fossil salt were deposited leaving the fixed and solid materials in accumulated heaps, which have ever since been wasting away, and are now continually supplying our country with salt. We are inclined to no particu- lar theory. Whether the heat of a volcano has volatilized and dissipated a large body of salt water, and left mountains or smaller insulated bodies of fossil salt; or whether some still undiscovered chemistry of nature, is at work elaborating salt
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SALT SPRINGS.
from the various substances in the earth; or whether some subterranean passage connects with the ocean, is not for us to inquire. It is enough that it is here, and that for untold ages it has probably impregnated the copious streams which flow through the Onondaga valley, and our only fear is, that it will not always be proof against the wastes, depredations and ravages of time, and its quality and quantity remain forever undiminished. Mr. Vanuxem, (Nat. Hist. N. Y., Geology, 3d District, page 241,) says of the Onondaga Lake-"It is the remains of an ancient and deep excavation in the Onondaga salt group, of which Onondaga valley forms the southern part ; all of which has been filled up with sand, gravel, etc., except the part occupied by the lake. The bottom of the lake, and its sides, are covered with lake marl, showing a thickness of more than six feet, the marl of the lake insulating the salt water of the reservoir from the fresh water of the lake. The greater part of the surface portion of the lake is excavated in the red shale, the lower part of the whole of it, extending into its mass."
The primary formation of the Onondaga valley, as compa- red with its present surface, is of vast importance. The bot- tom of this ancient valley is composed of red sandstone, which " crops out" in the vicinity of Lake Ontario. Over this is a tenacious clay or hard-pan, which retains the salt water. Above this, are the several strata of alluvion composed of gravel, sand, chocolate colored clay, marl and black swamp muck; and it is not till the lowest stratum is perforated that the salt water is found in its greatest purity and strength, running in sub- terranean rills, sometimes forcing itself to the surface of the marsh by numerous orifices. The purest brine is found in the deepest borings, for the reason that the particles held in solu- tion are of greater specific gravity. The rocks composing the several strata of this region all have a southern "dip," and will be best illustrated by the accompanying diagrams, which give a perceptive view of the Onondaga salt basin and the Onondaga Lake.
38
GEOLOGICAL PROFILE OF ROCKS AND THEIR DIP, AS THEY CROP OUT IN ONONDAGA AND OSWEGO COUNTIES, EXHIBITING THEIR DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, STRATA AND ELEVATION.
-
TULLY LIRE STONE.
HAMILTON GROUP.
HELDERBURG SERIES.
ONONDAGA SALT GROUP.
NIAGARA GROUP.
CLINTON GROUP.
MEDINA SAND STONE.
GREY SAND
STONE.
LORAIN SHALES.
UTIC A SLATE.
BLACK RIVER
LIME STONE
Owasco Lake.
Erie Canal.
Oswego River.
Mexicoville.
Pulaski.
Watertown.
ONONDAGA.
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SALT SPRINGS.
TRANSVERSE SECTION OF THE ANCIENT ONONDAGA VALLEY AND THE PRESENT LAKE. ALSO, THE DIFFERENT STRATA OF ALLUVION, AS EXHIBITED BY BORING A WELL AT SYRACUSE.
5
B
6
330 FEET.
7
DEPTH OF VALLEY & LAVE
1. Black muck, five feet. 2. Marl, five feet. 3. Blue elay, five feet. 4. Fine sand, three feet. 5. Gravel, alternating from coarse to fine, one hundred and forty feet. 6. Dark brown sand, one hundred and fifty-five feet. 7. Gravel, com- pact and cemented, twenty feet. S. Hard-pan, the primary formation or bottom of the valley. A, A, A. Sides and bottom of ancient valley excavated in red shale. B, B. Alluvion filling up the valley. C. Lake marl. isolating the salt wa- ter from the fresh. D. Onondaga Lake. E. Surface of the lake.
In this vast basin, without an outlet, lies our immense brine reservoir; a wonder to the world, an unbounded source of wealth to the State, and of utility to its inhabitants.
DR. WILLIAM KIRKPATRICK, who held the office of Superin- tendent of the Onondaga Salt Springs, twenty-two years, twen- ty of which were consecutive, and who was noted for his vigilance as a public officer, and for his honesty, capability, and punctu- ality as a business man, deserves in connection with this me- moir, a passing notice. William Kirkpatrick, was born in the town of Amwell, Huntingdon County, New-Jersey, in November, 1768. He was a son of the Rev. William Kirk- patrick, a Presbyterian minister, who died soon after the birth of his son. The son was a graduate of Princeton College, New-Jersey,and studied medicine with Dr. Rush, of Phila- delphia. He commenced the practice of medicine at Whites- town, 1795, and continued there about ten years. In 1806, he came to Salina as Superintendent of the Salt Springs.
Although it was generally understood when Dr. Kirkpatrick commenced the practice of medicine in the county of Oneida,
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ONONDAGA.
that his professional education was of the highest order, and that nothing stood in the way of his attaining a commanding position as one of the most scientific and skilful physicians of the age in which he lived, if he had devoted himself to the practice, with that assiduity and enthusiasm, which are so es- sential to success in any of the learned professions; yet, it was unfortunately true, that his nervous temperament was of such a peculiar and sensitive character, as to unfit him in a great degree, for the practical duties of a physician. Al- though he had pursued the study of medicine with great dili- gence and effect, and had attained in the closet, all the know- ledge which could very well be acquired by reading and thought ; yet, when he was called upon, standing by the sick bed, to apply his skill and learning to cases of actual suffering and disease, he soon discovered that his feelings of sympathy for the afflicted patient werc so acute, as in many cases to materially affect that self possession and calm observation of the symptoms so vitally essential in determining, as well the true nature of the disease itself, as the mode to be adopted for its cure or alleviation. The effect of this peculiarity of temperament was, (as might be expected) to cause in the mind of Dr. Kirkpatrick, at an early period of his medical practice, a dislike of the profession, which not only continued through the remainder of his life, but after a few years, led to its total abandonment as a means of living.
The society at Utica and Whitesboro during the period in which Dr. Kirkpatrick resided there, although small, was in many instances, of a refined, intellectual and literary charac- ter; and he was never more happy than in those days, when in the company of his intelligent friends and neighbors, he had an opportunity to converse on the literary topics of the day, and to impart and receive that intellectual instruction, in which he so greatly delighted. Although he still continued to prac- tice as a physician, yet he rather declined than sought an increase of business, and gradually withdrew from the active duties of his profession, except in cases of a few private friends and families, who would not consent to surrender their claims
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SALT SPRINGS.
upon his skill, as occasion required, and for whom he con- tinued to prescribe so long as he remained in that county.
Dr. Kirkpatrick commenced life, and continued until his death, a Republican, (or as it is now termed, a Democrat,) in politics. As he posessed a very active mind and ardent tem- perament, he soon embarked in the political controversies of the day, and ever afterwards took a deep interest in such matters. Whilst living in Oneida County he was elected a member of the tenth Congress, (1808 and 1809,) for the eleventh district.
Although he made no pretensions to parliamentary speak- ing, and did not therefore assume a prominent position before the public, yet he was greatly respected at Washington, as an in- telligent, educated and high-minded man, and during that period formed an intimate acquaintance and friendship with many of the most distinguished men of the day, who then occupied places in the National Councils, and with some of whom he continued to correspond for many years afterwards. As an illustration of this, a little reminiscence may be given. When in Congress, Dr. Kirkpatrick became the intimate personal and political friend of Wm. H. Crawford, of Georgia, then a Senator from that State, and afterwards Secretary of the Treasury, under Mr. Monroe, and a prominent candidate for the Presidency in 1824. Whilst Mr. Crawford was Secretary, an application was made by many of the prominent citizens of this State, for the establishment of a branch of the Uni- ted States Bank at Albany, and among other names appear- ing on the application, was that of Dr. Kirkpatrick. This paper was transmitted in the first instance to the Secretary of the Treasury, with a request that he should send it forward to the directors of the parent bank at Philadelphia. Mr. Crawford, in doing so, wrote upon the application, in substance as follows : "Among the many names to this application, I find that of Dr. Wm. Kirkpatrick. I can say with great pleasure, that I know him well, and a more honorable, high- minded and intelligent gentleman I am not acquainted with."
He closed his Congressional term in 1809, and was reap-
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ONONDAGA.
pointed Superintendent of the Onondaga Salt Springs, 1811, and held his office till 1831. Upon his reappointment, he removed to Salina, where he continued to reside, until his death, in 1832.
The few adventurers, who up to this period had dared the inhalation of the pestilential miasma of the marsh, and were willing to wade through its mud and water, in attempting to earn a scanty pittance for themselves and families, had usu- ally but little pretension to that intelligence or refinement of intellect and manners which so peculiarly distinguished the individual who had been chosen to protect the public interest and collect the revenue to be derived from this invaluable fountain, which in its subsequent and still extending develope- ments, has already caused the building up of a wealthy and populous town.
As it respects Dr. Kirkpatrick, it might well be supposed that the singular and strongly marked transition which had occurred in his life, from the polished and intellectual society in which he had previously moved, to the cheerless and almost semi-barbarous condition of things then existing at Salina, would have had the effect of producing disgust and despon- dency on his part. But this was not so-he entered upon the discharge of his new duties with alacrity of spirits and kind feelings. He lost no time in making himself acquainted, not only with the present state of the manufacturing operations, but also with the persons employed in the business, and he took early measures to increase the State revenue, by judi- cious improvements, whilst he was disposed in every way in his power to aid the worthy and industrious manufacturers.
During the whole life of Dr. Kirkpatrick, after his remo- val to Salina, he continued to cultivate his literary taste, by an intimate reading of all the standard works of the day, and particularly of the English and Scotch Reviews, for the great- er part of which he was a regular subscriber; indeed, to works of this character, he devoted a large portion of his leisure time. He was of a joyous and pleasant temperament, and delighted to sit down with friends of his own habits of
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