It is the general belief at Salina, that great masses of salt exist, and may be discovered near to the sur face, and the legislature have granted certain powers to persons searching for the mineral, securing to them certain valuable privileges on the successful termina tion of their search. With the aid of such strong sti mulus, added to the usual hope of gain, we may hope that fossil salt will be discovered, as it doubtless does exist in the vicinity, although perhaps at a considera ble depth. Unless it should prove very pure, however, it would be necessary to redissolve it to obtain the salt of commerce. In which case it is at least problemati cal if it would add much to the value of the manufac ture.
From the springs in the town of Salina, (including the villages of Salina, Syracuse, Liverpool, and Ged desburgh,) it is calculated that at least three millions of bushels could be made annually, should the demand justify it, yielding the state a yearly revenue of 375,000 dollars.
Montezuma, in the county of Cayuga, embraces salt springs of great value. The works are owned by a company engaged in the manufacture of refined or rectified salt. The following Table shows the quan tity of.salt made, the revenue to the state, and the expense: • Com. to Snpdnt.
Inspected, from Bushels. revenue. at 73 pr. cent.
Cts. Dol. Cts.
Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. 1822. 3332 416 50 31 23 Oct. 31, 1822, to Jan. 31, 1823, 50311 628 93 47 16 Jan. 31, to April 30, 1823, 32071 400 93 30 06 April 30 to July 31, 1823, 2726 340 75 25 55 14,297 1787 11 134 00 The salt water used at Montezuma, was obtained by the Indians by digging small holes in the ground afoot or two in depth, in the marsh at the foot of the ridge upon which the village now stands. The water came through small strata of quicksand. Afterwards wells were sunk by the whites to various depths, from four teen to fifty feet, from which water of the same quality with that which was first discovered was taken in suffi cient quantities to make considerable salt. The wa ter, however, was weak, yielding about eight ounces to the gallon.
About 1807, General John Swartwout began to ma nufacture salt from salt water, discovered in a branch of the Seneca River, since called Salt Creek, at the depth of about eight or twelve feet from the surface. This water was of a quality like that first used; the fresh water was partially excluded by means of a curb.
In the year 1810, under the direction of the Cayuga Manufacturing Company, a well was sunk on the west side of the ridge of ground upon which the village now stands, to the depth of something more than one hundred feet. In sinking this well three separate
springs of water were discovered: the first, like that which had been previously used, about ten feet from the surface. Then succeeded a stratum of fine blue clay, five or six feet in depth; then a stratum of hard pan, with occasionally some gravel, about thirty-five feet in depth; then a thin stratum of quicksand, con taining a little weak brine, having about ten ounces to the gallon; then succeeded thin irregular strata of sand and clay, with some water, until they reached to the distance of a hundred feet, where they found the great fountain of water, which came in through a body of quicksand. This water when pure and unmixed with the upper veins, produced about twenty ounces to the gallon. Another well was sunk on the east side of the ridge, and the great fountain was found at the depth of eighty feet. The geological appearances were like those,in the first well. Another well is partly comple ted in this place: it is now sunk to about the depth of fifty feet, and the geological appearances are much the same as in the other wells, except that the upper vein of water is more abundant than in the other wells, and the sand deeper.
The foreign matter is essentially the same as at Salina.
The strength of the water now used from our wells, compared with that of Salina, is about as nine to twelve.
The amount manufactured at these works last year was between 16 and 20,000 bushels, 1000 of which was made by solar evaporation. No kettles are used, but large pans of wrought iron, which were made in Liverpool, England. Only six of these were in ope ration last year; more have heretofore been in opera tion. Twelve or fourteen will be in operation next year.
No rock salt has ever been found here.
The hills and ridges run almost due north and south, and the soil is generally gravelly, the pebbles being round and smooth.
In 1810, the county of Cayuga furnished nearly 60,000 bushels of salt. How much is made at present I have not been able to ascertain.
In the county of 'Wayne, the town of Galen manu factured about 150 bushels daily in 1810, making an average of about 50,000 yearly. There are several other valuable salt springs in this county.