USA > New York > The natural, statistical, and civil history of the state of New-York, v. 1 > Part 21
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The deposites of rock, or fossil salt, are above the red sand- stone and below the limestone. This seems to be demonstrated · from the fact, that no brine springs have been found below the former or above the latter. Hence, we conclude that they are in the gypseous, and other beds, of more recent formation.
The springs which have already been found within this nar- row strip, are situated in the counties of Oneida, Madison, On- ondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, Munroe, Orleans and Nia- gara. We shall commence with those at the eastern end.
The first ie in the town of Vernon, in the county of Oneida. It is on the west side of Skanando creek, a tributary of Oneida
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creek, six or seven miles south of the Erie canal. The water issues from the upper surface of the red sandstone. The rock is soft and slaty, and very brittle. The water is too weak for the manufacture of salt. The country is either flat or very mo- derately rolling. There is no gypsum or limestone in its vi- cinity, at least none has yet been discovered. The limestone formation passes some miles south. The soil around is mostly clay, sometimes yellow, sometimes red, and at others blue. Beds of marl are found in the adjoining swamps.
In Madison there are several. That at Lenox is situated on the same red sandstone rock, and a little north of the gyp- sum beds. The Jands on the south rise into hills, and on the north descend into levels. The water of this spring, as well as the others, although more highly impregnated with saline mat- ters, has not sufficient strength to make it an object of manu- facture. 'I he soil is chiefly clay, often tinctured with a red- ish hue. Shale occurs in the vicinity of these springs, also in- durated clay, marl, &c. The opening made for the Erie canal bas laid these bare to human inspection.
The celebrated Saline Springs of Onondaga, are in the county of the same name. They are mostly in a marsh, extend- ing around the head of Onondaga lake, somewhat in the form of a crescent.
The marsh is nearly two miles long, and half a mile broad at the village of Salina.
'The point, a plain on which the village is built, rises from near the centre of the marsh, and extends southeastwardiy and southwardly. This plain is limited, on one side, by the cedar swamp, lying along Onondaga creek, and on the other side by a marsh and swamp, lying along a small stream running into the lake. Both expand into the marsh. To the south- east this plain rises imperceptibly into the hilly country. The soil is mostly clay. The marsh and swamps exhibit great di- versities of soils, such as vegetable earths, imperfectly decom- posed, marls, clays, loams, sand and gravel. These are found now separated and then huddled together without order. They were obviously, if we except some of the vegetable earths, and
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some of the marls brought from the upper country, by Ononda- ga creek, &c. and deposited, while the waters of the lake cov- ered the marsh and swamps.
The red sandstone rock, before mentioned, underlays the marsh, swamps, plain and lake. It forms a brim around the latter. The shoal waters and marls bordering them, cover the top of this brim, while the deep waters are within. The declivi- ty of the brim drops almost perpendicularly sixty or seventy feet, which is a little under the usual depth of the lake.
The limestone formation passes to the south, and at the dis- tance of five or six miles has an elevation of more than four hundred feet above the surface of the marsh and lake.
The principal spring, and the one from which most of the water used in the manufacture of salt is obtained, is situated near a small brook, towards the exterior of the marsh, hard by the point of the plain containing the village of Salina. It is about twenty-two feet deep, and ten feet in diameter. The depth and circumference are mostly artificial, having been en- larged in order to obtain more water.
The water is so highly charged with salt, that fifty-six pounds are made from eighty gallons.
Nearly all the salt heretofore fabricated at Salina, Liverpool, Geddesburgh and Syracuse, was made from waters drawn from this spring. . In 1824 the quantity amounted to 800,000 bush- els, or 44,800,000 pounds.
This is the spring which was known to the Agoneaseah. Its waters, when our people first settled at Salina, emerged from beneath the soil, and flowed along the surface to the brook just by. The enlarging and deepening of the spring have brought to view much more water than was originally discharg- ed at the surface.
Salt water is obtained in various parts of the marsh, by dig- ging wells. The depth at which it is obtained vary consider- ably. Perhaps it would not be a departure from the truth, to say that it may be obtained from a few feet below the surface, to the sandstone underlaying the marsh. In some instances it may be bad by descending into that rock. The usual depth
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of the wells is between fifteen and thirty feet. There is no salt water under the red sandstone, as appears from borings ? heretofore made by Mr. Byington.
Hitherto the quantity of water obtained by digging wells has not been considerable, and has by no means answered pub- lic expectation. Independant of the quantity, a difficulty has occurred which no human foresight has as yet been able to guard against, that is, an absolute failure of water by diversion. In some instances, wells which appeared of great promise, have failed almost as soon as dug, and in others, after a lapse of some months or years. The cause of this is the derangment of the earths composing the marsh, and the little adhesion which many of them possess.
Before government took the waters under its care, and before large quantities of salt were manufactured, the several manu- facturers had respectively wells from whence they took water to answer their purposes. Some times two or more would join, and have one in common : however, as the demand for salt increased, and as these works were extended, it was found that the water furnished by these wells, was altogether inadequate- recourse was then had to the large well.
At Liverpool, about three miles nearly north from Salina, salt water has been procured by sinking wells. It is not so highly charged with salt as that obtained in the Great Well at Salina. Till recently the inhabitants have been mostly supplied with water for the manufacture of salt from Salina.
The country on the east as well as west side of Onondaga lake, is quite low and level. Flats and swamps cover the west side throughout its whole extent. They contain many thou- sand acres. The swamps contract near and at the outlet, and end in the swamp lying along Seneca river.
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A well has lately been dug at Geddesburgh, about a mile from Salina, which promises to be of great utility. The water is strong, and in considerable abundance. Considerable water has recently been found at Liverpool by boring.
The Salt springs in Cayuga county, are at Montezuma, on the eastern borders of the marshes. These marshes stretch from
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the foot of Cayuga lake, northwardly along Seneca and Cayu- ga outlets, and Seneca river, twelve or fourteen miles, with a breadth of three or more miles. They are wet, and are gener- ally inundated once every year. , Whenever this happens they and Cayuga lake form but a single sheet of water.
The lands lying east of the marshes, and north of the canal, as far as Seneca river, embracing both sides of that river, are low, flat, and swampy, and like the marshes, have every appear- ance of having been made before the desiccation of the lake, which once covered the vale of Seneca and Oneina.
Beds of gypsum are but a little way south of the springs. The limestone lies beyond the latter. A continuation of the same red sandstone rock, which forms the floor of the marsh . at Salina, forms the floor of these marshes, and the swamps that nearly encircle them.
'The water is obtained from wells. These wells are from eighty to one hundred and thirty feet deep. The red sandstone rock lies deeper here than eastwardly. The water of these wells contains less salt than that obtained from the wells at Sali- na. It is also far less abundant. Although these springs rank next to those at Salina, yet from their being less rich, and from their affording less water, combined with some other circum- stances, they are at present considered of little importance.
It is however probable that after the marshes and swamps are drained, and the country well cultivated and peopled, that these springs will be brought into repute.
Those at Galen, in Wayne county, a few miles northwest of those at Montezuma, and those at Clyde, in Seneca county, a few miles west, are situated in low swampy and marshy ground . above the same sandstone rock.
Their waters, although not so strong as those of Montezuma, are of sufficient strength to lead to the making of salt at these places.
There are several brine springs in Clarkson, in the county of. Monroe, about eighteen miles west northwest of Rochester.
In Murray, a little further west, there are likewise some salt springs. The same red sandstone rock underlays this part of
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the country. The water hitherto found at these springs is not so plentiful nor so strong as that at Salina.
The difference in elevation between these springs and those at Salina is not great.
In the western part of the county of Orleans, in the ravine of Oak Orchard creek, salt water has been found. . The locality is between the E'rie canal and the ridge road, or ancient beach of Lake Ontario. The same red sandstone rock found at Vernon, Lunes, salina, Montezuma and Clyde, is found here. The wa- ter is not so strong as at Salina. Salt is made here in sufficient quantities for the consumption of the inhabitants in the vicinity.
The waters obtained are by no means copious.
It is said that a Mr. Bennet, some years ago, bored one hun- dred and forty feet into the sandstone rock.
Like the preceding, the limestone formation lies south of these fountains.
Saline springs occur on Eighteen Mile creek, in the county of Niagara, near the foot of the northern steep, erroneously call- ed the mountain ridge. They are northwest of Lock Port, and south of the ridge road. In point of locality, they do not dif- fer materially from the preceding. As yet very little is known about then.
Remarks-1. Salt or brine springs are never found in primi- tive countries, but generally in the newer secondary formations.
2. 'I hey are sometimes found surrounded by a brownish red sandstone.
3. They are found in countries in which no depositions of rock-salt have been discovered.
4. The brine usually contains sulphate of soda, sulphate of lime, &c.
5. Sulphate of gypsum, or sulphate of lime almost always accompany rock-salt, and is sometimes so impregnated by it as to be worked as a salt mine.
6. Red or grayish clay frequently alternate in beds with rock-salt.
7. Rock-salt commonly rests upon sulphate of lime, and is covered by carbonate of lime.
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8. Rock-salt is usually disposed in thick beds, either super- ficial, as in Missouri and Arkansaw, in the United States, and Africa, or at a very great depth, as in Poland. In the steppes of Missouri, Arkansaw and Red River, it seems in some in- stances to form plains of some extent.
The strength and quality of the brine always increases after long and continued rains, and the melting of the snow, an evi- dence that the waters supplying these springs traverse beds of fossil salt, and dissolve and take up portions.
Borings ought to be made at a distance from the springs, and towards, or at their sources. The heads of these springs are higher than their issues. The water flows down inclined plains.
" The principal salt springs, and the rock-salt at Cheshire, in England, are near or on the red sandstone rock, in the vicinity of a range of lofty hills, which extend from the high peak in Derbyshire, to Browngrove Lickey, in Worcestershire. Near Northwich, in Cheshire, the upper bed of rock-salt lies forty- two yards below the surface, and is twenty-six yards thick ; it is separated from the lower bed by a stratum of argillaceous stone, ten yards thick ; the lower bed has been penetrated to the depth
of forty yards ; its breadth is fourteen hundred yards, and in one direction it has been known to extend a mile and a-half. Three other beds of rock-salt have been found in another part of the same county ; the uppermost four feet thick, the second twelve feet thick, the third has been sunk into twenty-five yards. In Cheshire, the red sandstone contains immense beds of common salt. Brine springs have been met at Droitwich, in Worcester- shire, in the midst of a similar red sandstone. The strata here are as follows :- from the surface mould five feet-marl thirty- five feet-gypsum forty feet-then a river of brine, twenty-two inches-afterwards gypsum again, and below this a rock of salt, into which the workmen have bored five feet."-See Edinburgh Ency. American ed. No. 16, let. E. p. 541, article, Mineral Geog. and Geol. &c.
'The red sandstone, in which the brine springs at Droitwich are situated, rests on grey wacke, &c.
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'The red sandstone, in which our salt springs are situated, rests on the same kind of rock.
Gypsum is found in beds in the vicinity of most or all the springs.
Marl is often found immediately around them, and never very distant.
Limestone occurs near our springs, but it is almost always more elevated than the gypsum.
There seems to be a remarkable coincidence in most particu- lars so far as we are acquainted.
Cheshire Salt Beds, &c.
Remarks .- 1. The upper bed of rock-salt lies
forty-two yards below the surface 126 feet.
2. The bed of salt is twenty-six yards thick 78
3. The argillaceous stone, on which the salt bed lies, is ten yards thick 30
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4. The second bed lies below the last, and is two hundred and thirty-four feet below the sur- . face. The lower bed has been penetrated to the depth of forty yards 120
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Entire depth 354 feet.
Worcestershire Salt Beds, &c.
1. Mould 5 feet.
2. Marl 35
3. Gypsum 40
4. The Salt bed at the depth of 80 feet.
In the first it will be seen that the upper salt bed is one hun- dred and twenty-six feet below the surface, and the lowermost two hundred and thirty-four feet.
In the second it will be seen that the salt bed lies eighty feet below the surface.
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The quantity of salt made in Cheshire, in a year, is 156,000 tons, or 5,571,42S bushels, of fifty-six pounds each, nearly seven times as much as is made in Onondaga.
'The brine springs were, it is supposed, known to the Britons. It is certain that they were worked before the Norman con- quest ; but the pits of rock-salt were not discovered in Che- shire prior to the year 1670.
The salt mines of Cheshire, of Austria and Poland, are mostly situated in or near gypsum beds, and in that kind called by geologists, first secondary. , This is considered the oldest kind of gypsum among the class of secondary rocks. The gyp -. sum, in those countries, contains, besides the beds of salt, beds of clay, of marl, of sulphur, of sandstone and limestone, all of which are denominated subordinate beds.
The gypsum of Madison, Onondaga, Cayuga, Wayne, Sene- ca Genesee, &c. is first secondary.
At Cheshire. in England, the salt springs were first discover- `ed and worked. . These led to the discovery of the salt mines. Recourse was had to boring, however, before these discoveries were made. There the salt miues are neighbouring on the salt springs. Here the same order of things exists. Nature is no wise different. She has deposited salt in beds in the vicinity of our salt springs. These beds yield some portions of the salt to the fresh waters which flow over them, in the same manner as those do in England. They cannot be remote from the springs, because the rock formations will not admit of it. If we wish to find them, we must have recourse to boring. And this must not be done on the marshes, or very near where the springs and wells are because, there is no fossil salt in those places. No hope need ever be entertained of finding any thing but salt and fresh water. . The simple fact of fresh water being found just by the salt water, and of wells affording fresh water at one time and salt at another, shows that there is no fossil salt, because if there was the water would be salt at all times.
The deposites of salt are south or southeast of the springs, and within or near the gypsum beds. Here searches ought to be made. The borings ought to be frequent, and in certain lines,
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and to certain depths," in order to reach the salt. beds. The saturated waters are at first fresh, and afterwards salt, in conse- quence of their passing over beds of salt. The stronger the water the more extensive the salt bed, because the water, in passing a long line, dissolves, and takes up more salt than in passing a short line. So a large volume of water dissolves and takes up more than a small.
The sources of large springs, it is inferable, are more remote . than those of small. The principal spring at Onondaga comes some distance, and it is not improbable but its waters may sepa- rate when they arrive or come near the marsh. By this we do not mean to say, that all the salt water about the lake comes from the same salt bed.
The salt bed or beds, from whence the waters at Salina derive their saltness, are, in our opinion, situated southeasterly, and perhaps south southeasterly of the village of Salina. The coun- try, on those sides, rises very gently, and in a southeasterly di- rection, and attains an elevation of seventy or eighty feet at the distance of two miles, computing from near or at the great spring, or well, from whence the greater part of the water is ob- tained for the salt works. The country hereabouts is very level and continues rising in a southeasterly direction, till it ends in gentle swells. A cedar swamp crosses the canal at and about the west end of the long level. It extends on the one hand to the valley of Onondaga creek hard by, and on the other in the direction of Oneida river. To the south and southeast of this swamp, are beds of gypsum, marl, &c. The swamp also abounds with marl. The salt bed or beds are then not far from this swamp-possibly poruons may be be- neath it. From the swamp and gypsum beds, to the marsh at Salina, is an inclined plain, underlayed with red sandstone. The sandstone rock dips to the west, and slopes to the north. The slope, in this formation, every where, is towards Ontario, and is often made up by offsets. In the west, and in the vicinity of the lake, these offsets are much the best defined.
*Down into the red sandstone rock.
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Salina and Montezuma it does not show itself, being entirely covered by the newer formations. No salt or salt water has been found below this rock. Mr. Byington of Salina, bored through it, and came to a conglomerate, but he found no salt or rait water. He, however, found salt water above this rock, and within it. The conclusion then is, that the salt water is above the rock, and that this rock is the floor not only of the salt springs, but of the beds of salt, or those beds embrac- ing the salt beds, such as marl, gypsum, &c.
For further particulars in relation to our salt springs, we beg leave to refer the reader to a work published some years ago, by Dr. Jeremiah Van Rensellaer, of the city of New-York, entitl- ed " An Essay on the Salt Springs," which contains much valu- able information. We should have made some extracts had we possessed the work in time. as they could not have failed to interest such readers as are fond of American literature.
The salt springs, in the neighbourhood of Oldesloe, in Den- mark, have been known since the twelfth century. The water is raised by means of mills and pumps, into the buildings pre- pared to receive it, and the process is the same as takes place in other salt works of the same nature. The number of work- men employed is about forty, and the quantity of salt produc- ed is 18,000 tons annually. See Ed. Encyclopedia, article, Denmark.
Observation .- 18,000 tons are equal to 610,714 bushels, al- lowing fifty-six pounds to the bushel, a quantity nearly equal to what has ever been made in one year at Salina, &c. The process is by spontaneous evaporation. We have adduced this as an instance to show the great saving between this mode and boiling, in labour and fuel.
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CHAPTER X.
GHIANGES IN THE WEST CANADA CREEK, RIDGE ROAD, &c.
THE West Canada creek, about a mile and a-quarter above its junction with the Mohawk river, must, at a period not very remote, have abandoned its former bed, for an extent of fifteen hundred and fifty paces, and opened a new one in a more di- rect line towards the river. .
The West Canada creek runs for sixteen or eighteen miles between high hills, before it enters the valley of the Mohawk. Four hundred and seven paces below the commencement of the ancient bed, there is a transverse ridge of hills which extend nearly across the valley -- it at present is about six hundred and ten paces in length, and from fifty to one hundred and forty paces in breadth at its base. This ridge must once have ex- tended quite across the valley of the creek, and connected the lateral hills, as is demonstrated by the ancient bed on the west, and the present bed, and the projection on the east. The pro- jection is directly opposite to the transverse ridge, and appears to be composed of the same materials. The transverse ridge is now isolated, having the ancient bed at one end, and the pre- sent at the other. The creek is receding from this isolated ridge, and wearing down the projection, which comes to the water's edge, and ends in a kind of bluff.
It is obvious, on inspection, that the waters of the creek must have ruptured the transverse ridge, both at its west and east end. We sliall endeavour to elucidate this by stating some facts. Four hundred and seven paces beyond the recent rupture, we come to the main branch of the ancient bed, which turns off suddenly from the present bed, to the right, and pursues a south- westerly course for eight hundred paces, to the west end of the
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transverse ridge, where it turns to the south for one hundred paces, and then to the southeast inclining to the east for six hundred and fifty paces, keeping most of the way at the foot of the lateral hill, till it arrives at the present bed of the creek, eight hundred and seven paces, nearly south of its commence- ment, describing rather more than one-half of a circle, the creek forming the chord. The whole length of the ancient bed is about fifteen hundred and fifty paces, equal to the same number of yards.
The ancient bed, from its commencement, to a little beyond the west end of the transverse ridge, a distance of rather over nine hundred paces, is now mostly filled up, that is the bottom. The bed and banks, however, are in general very perceptible ; many rounded stones, of different dimensions, resembling those found in the present bed of the creek, are to be seen. At one place there is a small collection of standing water. The soil in the bed, at and near the west end of the ridge, is wet and miry. A few paces below this there is a small pond which is not yet filled up, containing two or more acres, skirted on one side by the lateral hill, and on the other by a deep marsh. A small stream issues out of this pond, and enters the creek at the high- way, at the end of the ancient bed. /
The ancient bed is in part bordered by alluvions, such as we find above and below its commencement and termination. The flat on the south side of the isolated ridge, which occupies all the space between the foot of the ridge and the ancient and pre- sent beds, is gullied in several places by the waters that used to spread over it in floods. Some stones, weighing from one hun- dred weight, to a ton and upwards, are scattered over its surface, and were, beyond all doubt, brought down by floating masses of ice, which used to descend on the breaking up of the creek. This fact is proved by their shapes, and by their not being in place, and by their surfaces, which bear evident marks of having been rounded, rolled, and smoothed by running waters-besides, we never find stones on river alluvions, unless it be under simi- lar circumstances.
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This flat has been wholly formed by the creek, and at a period anterior to the rupture, at the east end of the isolated ridge. The superficial stratum is from two to four feet thick, and rests on a bed composed of rounded stones, pebbles, coarse . gravel, fine gravel and sand, jumbled together, evidently brought down by the waters of the stream. The materials compasing the bed were brought first, and the alluvions spread over them, last. Both have been laid bare and exposed to view by the digging of a mill-race, by a Mr Nathaniel Ethridge, across the flat. This mill-race is eighty-four rods long, and begins at the highway, on the south side of the ridge, at its eastern end. It is not straight, but winds across the flat, ending at the old bed a little above its termination.
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