the salt industry has a long history in and around Syracuse, New York. The Jesuit missionaries who visited the area in 1654 were the first to report a saltwater around the southern end of "Salt Lake," known today as Lake Onondaga. Later, the Fort Stanwix Agreement (1784) and the regional appointment by the State of New York as "Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation" provide the basis for commercial salt production from the late 18th century to early 20th century. The salt springs extend around Lake Onondaga, which originates from the town of Salina and passes Geddes and Liverpool to the mouth of Ninemile Creek, a distance of nearly nine miles. Most of the salt used in the United States in the 19th century came from Syracuse. Even today, Syracuse is sometimes known as "The City of Salt."
Video Salt industry in Syracuse, New York
Histori
A series of deep and shallow aquifer systems in the Onondaga Creek Valley provide saltwater that stimulates early growth in the Syracuse region. Many settlers come to the region to mine salt and get a better standard of living for their families.
Over the years, various coarse salts produced from boiling and subtle salt produced by the solar method produced on Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation include; milk , table , normal , both and fertilization salt.
Salt, limestone and flakes
The thick layer of flakes under the Syracuse region formed for 300 to 500 million years ago. On the East Coast of North America, two landscapes collide and form large mountains. The great shallow depression to the west forms the inland sea. Rainfall and runoff over millions of years gradually eroded mountains and sediments, in the form of mud, consolidated into a thick layer of what then hardened into shale.
North coast of the inland sea is located in Tully, about five miles south of the city. Salt is formed after evaporation from the most shallow areas leaving the evaporite or salt layer. These include calcium carbonate (calcite), calcium sulphate (gypsum) and sodium chloride (halit), also known as common salt .
During the Ice Age, the process of glaciation followed deglaciation eroded and reshaping the foundation of bedrock composed of limestone deposits, flakes and evaporites. The shedding of glacial deposits gradually creates aquifers that provide a "hydraulic connection" between the southern halite deposits of the city in Tully and the salt springs at the southeast end of Lake Onondaga.
The resulting Onondaga formation is the salt source belonging to the Onondaga salt group that extends from the Hudson Valley through Syracuse to Wyoming County, New York, where a salt well was established in the early 1880s. From there, it continues through Southern Ontario to Saginaw, Michigan, and extends as far west as Wisconsin and Iowa.
Salt Springs is one of the three sources from which salt is obtained; rock salt (fossil salt) , seawater and salt water coming from springs, lakes, or wells. The salt water obtained from the lake is one quality, but produces two qualities of salt with different evaporation processes; solar heat used in the evaporation of coarse salt and thermal heat (boiling) in the evaporation of fine salt .
Jesuit missionaries
The salt springs at Lake Onondaga are well known to the Jesuit missionaries. At the beginning of the 16th century, a number of Spaniards traveled from Florida to examine the "mysterious white substance" that covered the ground.
On 5 August 1654, Father Simon Le Moyne, a French Jesuit missionary, arrived at Onondaga village. During his short visit, Le Moyne drank from a spring believed by Onondagas to be contaminated by an evil spirit. In contrast to Onondagas who consider the salt springs evil, the Frenchman instead, recognize the intrinsic value of salt.
Dutch in New Amsterdam
In 1660, the Dutch in New Amsterdam and Fort Orange, Albany, New York, received information that "salt grew from the ground," however, they refused to believe it.
British interests
The British began to take an active interest in the land around Lake Onondaga in the early 18th century. They make friends with Onondagas by giving them weapons, which are very valuable.
The British agent, Sir William Johnson, acquired 200,000 acres (810 million m 2 ) land in Mohawk state near Johnstown now, New York. In 1751, Johnson heard that France intended to secure a military post around the salt springs. He discussed the consequences of that action with Onondagas and proposed that they grant him the right to all Lake Onondaga and the 2 mile (3.2 km) surrounding band. The Onondagas agreed and paid £ 350 sterling.
The Act made in 1773 by Sir William Johnson with Onondaga leaders was declared null and void in September 1788.
Presbyterian missionary
In 1776, Presbyterian missionary Samuel Kirkland, from Scotland, who came to Central New York to teach the Seneca and Oneida, became interested in the "salt soil" in Syracuse and told General Philip Schuyler about them. At the next session of the Continental Congress, Schuyler observed that springs could be "repaired for profit" provided that someone familiar with boiling salt "could attend to it," however, Congress failed to act on advice and 11 years passed before any action was taken.
Onondaga Salt Springs's Reservation
The Fort Stanwix Agreement (1784) moved land around Lake Onondaga from Onondaga Nation to local salt producers provided that the land would be used to produce salt "for everyone's common use." As a result of the agreement, the area is designated by the State as Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation.
The salt work is crescent-shaped in salt marshes bordering the southeast coast of Lake Onondaga and covers nearly 1,000 acres (4,000,000 m 2 ). In 1872, the reservation occupied 750 acres (3,000,000 m 2 ) and private individuals had about 200 acres (810,000 m 2 ) with the rest "waste land." Reservation of salt is about 9 miles (14 km) long by 11 miles (18 km) wide.
Initial settlers
The springs remain in possession of the Indian Onondaga until after the Revolutionary War. Some "white" settlers "used to make small amounts of salt for their personal use." They will boil salt in an open kettle moistened over the fire from perforated logs and cross poles. Two escaped slaves were reported to be boiling salt water in a brass kettle and selling salt to Indian Onondaga in 1774.
While Onondaga District is gradually widespread, many activities occur in salt water springs. The men arrived with their families to earn a living from the salt industry. During 1788, early Syracuse pioneers, Asa Danforth and Comfort Tyler were the first to arrive. The third settlers arrived in 1789 and in 1792 six families had established households. They lived and worked in the eastern low Lake Onondaga called Salt Point, later known as Salina.
John Danforth, Asa Danforth's brother, followed him to the area and settled in Liverpool, New York. He is also an early salt manufacturer on the shores of Lake Onondaga.
Swamp life
In the early days of salt making, the enormous labor needed to boil salt and living conditions in the swamp was almost unbearable. The salt springs were located at the southern end of a swamp-covered lake and land for much of the warmer months of the year. Malaria is rampant and workers and their families suffer from the effects of fever and nausea.
In 1793, out of a total population of 33 people, 30 were ill and the following year the population grew to 63, but 23 died that year. Those who make it through the summer and fall, exchanging salt for foods such as meat, products, starch, cheese, and maple syrup during the winter. Visitors to Salt Point in winter arrive via the Iroquois line because the settlers do not have a road system yet.
Commercial salt production
Over time, there is "a growing perception of the ease, advantages and benefits of manufacturing" that lead to wider operations. The first two people involved in the production of commercial salt in salt water were early settlers, Asa Danforth and Comfort Tyler. Both are veterans of the Revolutionary War who settled on the land they obtained from grants from the newly formed US government. The two men arrived at the salt springs during 1788 and started salt production in 1789 when Danforth brought a five-gallon bucket jug from his residence in Onondaga Hollow to Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation. He puts his coat on his head, turns over the kettle, and is said to have "carried it all the way without taking it off to rest." Danforth notes that the first time he made salt, he used a 15-gallon pitcher and in nine hours he had "boiled" about 30 pounds (14 kg) of salt.
Comfort Tyler accompanied him, carrying the ax, chains, and other equipment necessary for the purpose of making "a suitable erection for boiling salt." They put two sewers and hung their kettles on the chain around the pole between them. Once enough quantities are made, they will hide their equipment in the bushes until needed again. The two continued to practice for another year until 1790.
In 1798, salt houses were built of logs. Asa Danforth is a member of The Federal Company along with Jedediah Sanger, Daniel Keeler, Thomas Hart, Ebenezer Butler, Elisha Alvord and Hezekiah Olcott. The group that was organized in 1798 and the company's goal was to produce salt on an "extraordinary scale." They set up a building that can hold 32 kettles arranged in boiling blocks of four kettles each. Water is then pumped by hand, from a shallow well, into a reservoir made from "eucalyptus logs" used for pipes. "
Prior to the construction of the Erie Canal, transportation was difficult. Oxen will travel through swampy land and transport salt on a stone ship.
Salt salinity
The salt water from the reservation was very saline and in 1743 a gallon of water could be boiled into a pound (0.45 kg) of salt. The salinity of water has been measured since the 1800s with a device called a salometer that shows the percentage of salt saturation in brine. The average salt readings processed during the 1800s on Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation measured between 74 Â ° S to 78 Â ° S. This would show the salt water as much as 78 percent saturated with salt.
By pumping saltwater to the surface in the early 1800s, the amount of salty water drawn from ground water in consequence increased. When the Onondaga Lake outlet was lowered in 1822 for the construction of the Erie Canal, it lowered the water level around the lake and "caused salt water to flow at a higher rate than before." Over the years, this generates freshwater from aquifers throughout the Onondaga River Basin to recharge that dilutes the deep seawater. Less concentrated salty water takes more time to evaporate and the total yield is less than the more concentrated solution.
In 1875, chemists reported that the strength of brine was much greater than in 1874 because two new wells were submerged in Syracuse district to replace the older and shallow wells. Shallow wells decrease in strength by 33 percent when pumped to their full capacity in a short time.
During 1876, the State of New York was deeply concerned with the salinity of salt water relative to the cost of fuel to reduce it to salt. There is increasing competition in the salt industry with the strongest rivals in Michigan and Canada. Throughout the early 1870s, the State had funded the sinking of several new deep wells to increase the average salinity level of salt water taken from the reservation. It was decided that if sufficient quantities of deep wells were drilled which would produce an average brine of 72 Ã, Â ° S, and shallow and shallow wells abandoned completely, the yield per ton of coal used would increase to 45 bushels of US (1,600 Â ± 360 Â ° US dry; gal '350' from an average of 36 US bushels (1,300 liters; 290 USG dry; gal gal) was produced in the early 1870s, realizing an overall drop in coal prices of 0.10 cents to 0.08 cents per bushel of salt.
Country rules
Many squatters did not rent or own their land producing salt in the late 1770s and the State of New York wanted to end this illegal practice. In addition, the State wants to prevent private companies from forming a salt monopoly. They are also looking for a steady stream of income and salt seems to be a good source of income.
In 1795, Onondagas released their joint rights to the land around Lake Onondaga to the State.
The first legislation was adopted on April 1, 1797, and shortly thereafter, the State began the arrangement of salt production.
The New York State Legislature is set 1 mile (1.6 km) wide strip of land around the northern part of the lake as Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation. Laws are passed to regulate the methods used in production including boiling and solar evaporation, storage, and salt sales. A collection of duties was also established at.04 cents for every bushel of salt produced in the reservation. Although there is no cost to the salt water itself, the State sets the price of salt and requires that salt be kept at a cost in the government warehouse until it is sold. The state also has the right to certify the quantity and quality of all the salts produced. To retain the lease, the lessee is required to produce a minimum of ten bushels (Â £ 56 (25 kg) each) of salt per year for "each kettle or pot used" and is prohibited from filling more than.60 cents a bushel. They are also required to pay.04 cents per bushel of taxes in lieu of lease and an additional 0.1 cents for storage.
A lot of salt is surveyed and provided for multi-year leases. In 1797, the State divided the land into lots of salt, storing lots and lots of grasslands, not exceeding 10 acres (40,000 m 2 ) each, allowing private parties to dig wells and produce salt in payment considerations tax to the State. The reservation now consists of 15,000 hectares (61,000,000 m 2 ) and the industry is a "benefit" for the State of New York over the next 100 years.
The reservation reserves the right to the expiry of the lease term to renew for a period of seven years. They also give the salt processors the ability to buy the property directly with "true value."
The same act authorizes the appointment of a saltwater watchdog by the Governor, with the approval of the Council of Appointment which is a powerful Arbitrary Council. The salary remains $ 800 per year and the persons designated for the position are prohibited from having an interest in the salt springs. The first overseers were James Duane and Robert Yates. William Kirkpatrick (1769-1832), a medical doctor, moved to Salina in 1806. He then became a reservation supervisor and served from 1807 to 1810. He was appointed a second time, and served from 1810 to 1831.
Lots of salt boilers do not want the involvement of the state that they are "perceived as a nuisance." To avoid payment, many smuggled large amounts of salt, however, the inspectors "who have almost absolute power" to prove yourself every bushel produced.
The State of New York owns and manages Onondaga Salt Reservation Reserves from 1797 to 1908, leasing land to individuals to build boiling blocks, solar powered warehouses and other salt-making facilities. The company consists of a network of state-owned wells, rigs, pump houses, pipelines, dams and docks.
The saltwater overseer and his deputy will drown wells, pump water and distribute water among the factories. They will also examine salt, weigh and package brands and collect State tasks.
Original salt works are divided into four fields; Salt Point (later known as Salina), Geddes, Green Point and Liverpool. The Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation only includes Salt Point and Geddes works. This means Green Point and Liverpool work not regulated by the State. Salt boilers in these areas are considered squatters and can be prosecuted; However, the law is not enforced.
Salt Point to Salina
In 1794, James Geddes settled on Geddes on the west coast of Lake Onondaga and in 1796 he founded the first salt factory there. The Indians claim salt water to the west of the lake, but they adopt Geddes into their tribe and allow it to continue producing salt. Other settlers arrived and over time, small groups of wooden houses were built around the "scattered" salt along the shores of the lake.
Geddes was employed by the State in 1797 to conduct Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation surveys and put the first path on Salt Point. During 1798, Salt Point became the village of Salina. The General Surveyor, Simeon DeWitt, hires Geddes to design the streets. Although Geddes has no formal training in surveys, DeWitt sees great potential in him. Soon Geddes sold his interest in the salt Geddes worked to pursue other interests and the survey continued to be an important role for most of his life.
In 1804, a law was passed that directed the sale of 250 acres (1,000,000 m 2 ) from Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation for the purpose of "laying and repairing the road" running from lot 49, Manlius, to lot 38, Onondaga, east and west via reservation. James Geddes designed a new road design in "a somewhat irregular shape so as much as possible dry land can be secured." The land, now the central part of Syracuse, was purchased by Abraham Walton for $ 6,650 and immediately referred to as Walton Tract.
Boiling salt
The Onondaga Indians in the mid-18th century, as well as European traders, produced salt by boiling process. Boiled salt is referred to as fine salt . From the early days, boiling is the preferred method of production because it is fast and can be done throughout the year in all types of weather. It's also very easy and economical for individuals or small companies to get started because it does not require a lot of space or equipment. Initially, salt miners are squatters or inhabitants of the house, many are just passing. They boil salt as a hobby and use finished products to exchange for other goods.
Most of the production methods used are very basic. A pitcher was hung on a branch hanging from two poles over the fire and the water gradually boiled. The wet salt remains when the water evaporates and is emptied from the kettle and allowed to dry. Wood is plentiful and is used to keep fires.
In 1791, about 8,000 bushels of US (280,000 l, 64,000 US dry gal; 62,000 impÃ, gal) of salt per year were produced at the time of reservation. Each bushel weighs 56 pounds (25 kg). An early salt boiler usually produces 600 bushels per year, worth about a dollar per bushel.
Boiling blocks
More and more, bigger salt manufactories, commercial companies and the total amount of salt produced grow significantly. As salt operations become more sophisticated, the boiling block is also known as a built-in salt block consisting of a large iron kettle "set to stone and arranged in two rows" the entire length of a large building built for the purpose. The boiling block is an area where men work in 90 Â ° C and high humidity, twelve hours a day, seven days a week, from April to November, boiling salt water to get salt.
The word block comes from the pairing of stone blocks from the kettle. The kettle is semi-circular, cast iron in the material, and about 3 feet (0.91 m) in diameter. They drown in brick walls or gray limestone from 50 to 100 in a row, taking shelter in long and narrow houses. The walls are hollow, receive the furnace fire circulation and heat is pushed under the kettle by a powerful blower. A worker who takes care of the stove will open a fitting door and a trowel of coal that "will disappear in a fierce fire."
The large kettle holds 150 gallons and is placed near the firing hole. A long chimney ran through the barn and emptied the tall chimney at the end of the building. A small kettle, about 100 gallons, is placed away from the fire, closer to the chimney where the heat is less strong.
The pot will "bubble" with the liquid milk and steam in the very dense air which, according to the local newspaper, the people working on the side of the kettle appear "like a ghost drifting in a hilarious perspective."
The boiling blocks contain as many as 80 kettles and are operated 24 hours a day. The owner of the block salt initially burns hundreds of wooden cords per day but because of the reduced supply, 11 to 12 tons of coal per day is needed to sustain the fire. Each kettle will "boil" every eight hours, or three times every 24 hours. The iron oxide and calcium chloride that precipitates at the bottom of the kettle are released. The salt crystals are filtered from the top with the long spoon that is handled and the remaining wet salt is placed into the ash bucket basket to drain the water. The boiling block can produce three to four bushels in five hours.
Each kettle holds about 50 gallons of water, received from a tank containing calcium chloride, magnesium, and gypsum (lime sulfate) with little iron peroxide. When the water is boiled, these substances fall to the base where they are caught in a simple device known as a bittern pan which is a shallow basin of iron with an upright handle projected over the water surface. All rejections made from the manufacture of salt are called bittern (magnesium chloride) and are extracted from water in the form of lime paste, which is discharged into the drain on either side of the kettle. A long tube to drain water, passing between two rows of kettles, each kettle draws a new water supply.
In some cases, the kettle is heated in a steam jacket. The advantage is that all have the same steam pressure and uniform temperature. As a result, only one quality of salt is produced.
Salt is also made by "pan process" using evaporation directly over the fire. Large wrought iron pan 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, 100 feet long (30 m) long, and a depth of 12 inches (30 cm) is used. The pan is divided into two parts by a loose partition, allowing the salt water to flow slowly from the back to the front. Secondly, a smaller pot is mounted on the back and slightly above the first, so that the contents can be sucked into the front pan. Both are heated by a chimney from the grates before the gas enters the chimney. Tilted pans and sloping wooden platforms, called drips, join them where salt is drained. The salt water is purified with lime milk, just like in the boiler process.
The factory continues to operate, day and night, for about 14 days with two "runs" made every month. The state mandates that salt should be stored for 14 days in order to heal properly. The salt is packed into vats for shipment tested by the State Inspector to ensure the salt is pure and properly dried.
In 1872, there were 316 fine salt blocks and four large plants where table salt and milk salt were produced. The trunks and blocks are worth $ 4.7 million. At that time, the industry employed 5,000 people and paid an annual tax of more than $ 86,000 to the State of New York. An additional $ 80,000 is payable for toll channels and $ 350,000 for shipping on lakes, rivers and canals.
During the first year of salt production regulated in 1797, nearly 26,000 bushels of US (920,000 l, 210,000 USC dried, 200,000 galai of salt was produced and in 1872, that number has risen to nearly nine million bushels of salt.
Erie canal
From the early days of the salt industry, the natural channels of Central New York include rivers and lakes, serving as a major means of transportation. But these waterways are uncertain, difficult, and limited, and their ports are slow and expensive. Syracuse salt producers, especially Joshua Forman and James Geddes, were the early "propagandists" on behalf of the Erie Canal project.
The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 led to a sharp increase in salt sales, not only because of better and lower transportation costs, but additionally, the ease of delivery of the canal caused the New York State farm to change from wheat to pork production. and curing pork takes a lot of salt.
After the War of 1812, it became difficult to obtain salt from abroad and commercial salt production became an important Syracuse industry. The Erie Channel allows a large and low-cost Onondaga salt to be transported to Chicago and its surrounding via the Great Lakes relatively quickly and cheaply.
In 1837, the salt makers, who were the main beneficiaries of the Erie Canal, were organized and suggested that the tax on bushels of salt should be increased from 0.04 cents bushel to 0.05 cents per bushel, allowing eight million dollars of debt canals "liquidated." In 1838, the tax was raised to.06 cents per bushel; however, in 1846 they were reduced to 0.01 cents per bushel which was "enough" to cover the expenditures of the State in connection with Salt Salt Salt Reservations.
With lower shipping rates on the canal, salt production is rising rapidly, reaching a high of eight million bushels annually during the Civil War period. Syracuse and Salina, is located on a canal in the middle between Albany and Buffalo, and at the intersection with the Oswego Canal, which opened in 1838, became an important canal port.
In 1893, the salt industry declined and was no longer a viable source of tax revenues for New York State, however, Onondaga Salt Reserves contributed over two million dollars to the construction of the Erie Canal and Barge Canal.
Although the Erie Channel is known by many names, they in Syracuse call it the "salt-built trench."
Salt potato
Potato salt comes from Syracuse and was once the largest part of a salt worker's daily diet. During the nineteenth century, Irish salt miners will carry a small, unpeeled, and uneventful bag of potatoes to work every day. At lunch, they boil potatoes in "free-flowing" salt water.
At the beginning of the 20th century, potatoes were local and local favorite entrepreneurs Central New York, John Hinerwadel, beginning to serve them as a "side in the famous clambakes." He then began packing 5 pounds (2.3 kg) of potato bags together with a 12-ounce salt box and labeling them "Famous Original Salt Potatoes Hinerwadel." This brand is still available on the market today.
Civil war
During the Civil War, salt production in Syracuse "secured the North salt supply." At the same time, Northern troops controlled salt mines in Virginia and Pennsylvania, which means the South can not buy salt at any price. Salt deficiency is believed to be one of the reasons why South Korea lost the war. Salt produced at reservation was considered very important during the Civil War that salt workers were exempt from jury duty and conscription in the mid-1860s.
Sun evaporation
By the 1820s, local timber supplies had been exhausted and the cost of importing coal from Pennsylvania added a very high cost for Onondaga salt production. Many salt producers began to switch operations from boiling their salt to the method of solar evaporation in the mid-19th century.
The idea of ​​solar salt production was first conceived in 1821 by Judge Joshua Forman, who later resided in Syracuse and was considered the founder of the city. Together, with Isaiah Townsend, Albany, New York, he traveled to New Bedford, Massachusetts, for the purpose of examining the salt works that had been set up there. Forman met there with Stephen Smith, "with whom he advised this subject."
After Forman discusses the power of water in Lake Onondaga and its purity and abundance, Smith agrees to "start a business establishing similar works" in Syracuse. Smith, along with William Rotch, Jr., Samuel Rodman and James Arnold of New Bedford, formed Onondaga Salt Company. Smith is the controlling agent and Henry Gifford is the construction supervisor.
Forman traveled to Albany after the formation of the company and "entered into law by the Legislature, authorized the company to take the land and build the necessary work." He was then "applied" to Henry Eckford, the famous naval architect of New York, who agreed, and with other local businessmen, founded The Syracuse Salt Company. Eckford is the owner of Walton Tract, which covers most of downtown Syracuse. Forman was appointed company agent and Matthew L. Davis, secretary.
During that period, Salt Springs was called Old Federal Springs . Water pumped by hand workers by men "perched on high stagings, and collected into a rough reservoir for distribution."
Both companies are formed and immediately set about implementing their plans. The first thing to do is cut the trees and clear the land in the area between "Genesee turnpike" and Erie Canal. This is a "barely passable swamp" but clearing the land is the preparation for the installation of the first salt barrels. Both companies, at their joint expense, established the first "reservoirs, pumps, and water channels first in Salina" for the purpose of securing a larger water supply. The machines were driven by excess water from the canal branch and the "starting point" for the barrels was north of Church Street.
After the two works "went well," Onondaga Salt Company broke ground west of Onondaga Creek, near where Joseph Savage lived, where "the first tree grows still" and produces 100 ropes per 1 acre (4,000 m 2 ).
The construction of a barrel "is required with great diligence and energy" and about 2,000,000 feet (610,000 m) of wood is consumed every year for several years to build barrels.
In 1826, Gifford salt worked to cover 20 acres (81,000 m 2 ) on the ground in "personal accounts;" However, he can not buy water for three years.
During the first 44 years of salt production, only boiled salt is produced; However, in 1841, a large total of 220,247 barrels of salt was produced every year. This number continues to increase over the next 40 years.
In the same year, the Legislature ruled that all salt producers could lease their land for 30 years in an effort to reduce the number of lawsuits resulting from "the virtue of priority lease issues."
Salt production by solar evaporation, also known as solar salt, requires salt water from a higher concentration than is available from local salt water. Shallow wells are built in an effort to find more concentrated salt water. Sun evaporation is also a slower method and wet weather, which is common in the area, can delay the process, but, it proves cost-effective and by 1864, sun reduction has been a major means of salt production. Most of the lakeside area is set aside for the salt field . One disadvantage is that solar salt can only be produced during the warmer months between April and early November.
The solar method is performed in three phases;
- Salt water is pumped through wooden pipes into barrels in the deep room where iron oxide and "casox" stick to the base. The tanks in this room averaged 18 feet (5.5 m) to 16 feet (4.9 m) with a depth of 8 inches (20 cm) to 12 inches (30 cm) and from 200 feet (61 m) to 2,000 feet (610 m). m) in length, depending on page size. The barrels were made of pine. This process takes two weeks.
- The salt water is then passed to salt chambers also known as lime chambers , through a series of shallow containers of 10 inches (25 cm) in which gypsum (lime sulphate) to the bottom and salt water is reduced through further evaporation. This process takes seven days. During this period the local paper noted that salt "glittered and shimmered" under the sun, and the casks looked like "hundreds of mirrors."
- The concentrated salty water is then transferred into a shallow wood tray as deep as 3 inches (7.6 cm), usually referred to as a blanket because they have a movable roof-like structure used to cover salt water when rain and night. The roof is low and steep and moves on steel wheels. Witnesses noted that "the closing movement seen from a distance seems to make the ripple of the earth." The loud bells are ringing at the first sign of bad weather and men, women and children "rush out from the stall to the salt yard to push the blankets over the barrels." Some salt yards contain as many as 15,000 covers. The salt water is left open and open and at the end of the seventh day, rough salt crystals appear on the surface of the vat, sometimes as thick as 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). The salt is left to accumulate to half the depth of the barrel.
Once the salt crystals are formed, they break apart and are pushed to the edge of the cover and the crystallized salt is transferred to the cart to be transported to the State storage warehouse where it is rolled together and placed into a tub with the perforated ends drained for 14 days before it is packed in vats for the market. Salt "harvested" about three times the season.
A local news reporter in 1878 noted that "the gray that from the distant seems to have spread the land is not a mist, but the acres and acres of boxes like vats, where salt water evaporates." The trunks and roofs are made of unpainted wood, the weather is stained with gray. "Nothing suggests that thousands of people are working on the ground in the salt business, the impressive and inaction air calm that has this scene."
In 1900, there were over 43,000 salt caps with an evaporating surface of over 12,000,000 square feet (1,100,000 m 2 ). During a good season, from three to four million bushels of salt are produced.
All operations in the salt field are suspended during the colder months, from early December to 1 March each year. Therefore, the average year of "work" is only 70 days, because there is only a short period of warm weather and enough dry for salt to evaporate by the process of the sun.
salt well
The first salt salts used in the initial production came from natural springs and shallow wells dug swampy soil on the shore of the lake. In 1806, the first "deep well" was submerged and recorded at a depth of 30 feet (9.1 m). Saltwater is pumped to the surface with hand pumps, which can produce about 40 gallons per minute.
Beginning in 1838, the State authorized the drilling of deep wells in several locations around the lake in search of a saltwater source; However, no drilled wells are capable of showing the source.
In 1878, the well was 300 feet (91 m) to 450 feet (140 m). When the "cemented earth" is pierced by a drill, the salty water rises into 18 feet (5.5 m) from the surface and is generated the rest of the road by a small steam driven pump. That year, it is estimated that a total of over 200 wells have sunk since 1797, at a cost of $ 750,000 and a salt yield of nearly 300 million bushels, or enough to cover the surface of 120,000,000 square feet (11,000,000 m 2 ) with a depth of 12 inches (30 cm). In 1878, 38 wells were used and seven million bushels were produced each year.
Wells are covered in "houses" that have "dwarf towers". They are not simple excavations, such as wells and vice versa, narrow and deep. Saline water is obtained by drilling wells 8 inches (20 cm) up to 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter coated with an iron casing to remove contamination from surface water. The iron sleeve is moved 18 feet (5.5 m) long into the salt water depth. When the length is pushed, others will be impaled on it, and it will be forced down by pressure from above. Length after length is added, until a continuous pipe 300 feet (91 m) or 400 feet (120 m) is formed and salt water "bubbles."
This is a landscape description around the lake made by news reporters approaching a train in 1878;
"Partly inside and partly outside of the Syracuse boundary: That charming little town in the center of New York State, the landscape, which is walled in low hills, receives a strange character from the presence of a dreary cluster building, almost uniform in size and quite different in shape from that others in the neighborhood.They are gray and weather-beaten, and on cloudy days, they look strangely fantastic like the windmills of the Netherlands.Black of chimney towers between them, and pours clouds of undulating black Smoke and white steam Behind they have a lake, a broader bank that shows meed meadows, rectangular buildings, and a steep roof and ends at one end by a thick tower, which is highly disproportionate to the rest of the structure, reminding us of an ambitious church tower with the peak is disconnected.The view from the heights indicates that there are four separate groups or groups and that they are banned angun on the low ground, which apparently, from some cause that can not be found spreads in gray 'Wre they?' is a question often asked by passengers on trains from where they are seen, but unless the person being asked speaks in the townspeople's trial, it is likely that the closest approximation to the truth is the answer voluntarily, it would be a statement that they are Onondaga Salt Mines , the fact is they are wells. "
Salt pump
The country operates a water and vapor-powered pump room in each of the four districts; Geddes, Liverpool, Salina, and Syracuse. The pumps push the salt water from the lake into high reservoirs.
The salt water is raised by a pump with an endless chain of wire rope supported by the engine. When the salt water reaches the surface, it has a somewhat "murky" appearance. This is the result of mixing saltwater with clay and fine sand raised from the well, along with small bubbles of carbon dioxide. Saltwater also contains iron carbonates retained in solution by carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide is released, the iron salt absorbs oxygen from the air and the hydrated iron oxide is separated as "yellowish turbidity," which settles after a short period, leaving clear brine.
Salty water is pumped from salt wells into small storage tanks and thence is channeled through roundwood pipes to a central distribution tank set at a higher altitude than boiling blocks so that the flow can be controlled. by gravity. If the central storage tank is lower than a few boiling blocks or solar power fields , salt water should be pumped into a large reservoir located at the top of an 80-foot (24 m) tall structure located on adjacent high ground. From this tower saltwater is done through a wood pipe by its own gravity to various factories in reservation.
The pump is driven by an overshot water wheel that is 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter. A backup steam pump is nearby if damage occurs. The pump operates from early April to late November or early December, depending on weather conditions when the wheels can not operate after the channel freezes. Boiled salt can be produced annually only during the spinning wheel of the wheel.
In the 1890s, a new system was developed to pump saltwater from deep wells using compressed air. This method produces about 150-160 gallons of salt water per minute from a 100 feet (30 m) deep well.
Log pipe
Wood marketing is thriving in cities and forests cleared to supply fuel to boil local salt, wood for new homes and ship building. The pepperidge tree (also known as tupelo) is specifically adapted for the use of "saltwater pipes" in the precious salt industry and with such a high demand, the tree is now almost extinct within a 10 mile radius (16 km) from the city.
The pipes were examined in 1940 by Harry P. Brown, professor of timber technology at the State College of Forestry in Syracuse who established that the brine pipes were built from either Nyssa sylvatica or Nyssa aquatica >, also known as tupelo and grows in the south. He "considers it interesting" that so much wood is available in the area, most of which comes from native northern trees, "because it is a scattered growth, its seed is spread by birds."
The pipes are made of logs, commonly known as elm logs , which are perforated and ends inserted into other log pipes and bound by "iron bands". There are 50 miles of pipes that can be seen throughout the reservations that "look like gray snakes as they follow ground undulations, crawl on the walls of buildings and bridge work bridges." The pipes are always put on the ground and "said to be very durable."
Packaging
Both the solar salt and the block salt are the coarse grains when they leave the reservation. solar salt is used to preserve pork and "basic purpose" and most of the salt salt is purified for table salt .
Power from the main engine is carried to other parts of the building by wheels, shafts and leather straps. In one room, the finished product was washed, to "even though attention has been received" in boiling houses, some calcium chloride, magnesium and gypsum remain behind. The salt is inserted into a shallow tube partially filled with water, where it is reversed and flowed and moved down by grain-like shafts until each particles of alloy are separated. The refuse was sold by refiners to farmers for agricultural purposes at a price of $ 1.50 per ton.
After the salt is washed, it is dried in long tubes in the shape of an iron tube, which rotates over the furnace in constant motion until the salt is dry and hot as desert sand, the vapor that flows out through the vapor of the vapor. It was subsequently taken upstairs by an endless little bucket chain. Bucket loaded and unloaded itself automatically. Upstairs, grinding is over. Salt intended for the purpose of milk is the soil between granite rollers and those intended for table use are fed through ordinary flour mill.
A number of young women wore "flashy prints" and with their hair tied up with "variegated veils," scooped salt into a small cotton bag and sewed it with "amazing speed." The bags were then packed in casks and shipped to the market.
The salt quality analysis of 1876 made by Butter and Cheese Exchange reported that Syracuse Milk salt was superior to others and had a lower level of total impurities. There has been a longstanding prejudice by dairymen against Onondaga salt due to perceived impurities that are proven to be false.
Salt manufacturer
In 1850, singer Jenny Lind made a professional visit to Syracuse, performing at a concert at the National Theater. He ended up staying an extra day to visit the salt fields. An enterprising marketer quickly appreciated the possibility of advertising from visits and historical records showing that in a short time, the Jenny Lind salt brand was placed in the market.
In 1860, local manufacturers united and formed the Salt Company of Onondaga. The property is worth $ 3,200,000.
During 1874, Ashton Salt Mill operates in the town of Geddes, on the western edge of the city and Saginaw Salt Works is located to the southwest of the city in Onondaga town. In the same year, several other salt producers operated within the city limits including; G. A. Porter & amp; The company, Haskin's Salt Mill and J. W. Barker & amp; Company.
In 1878, Geddes was the home of the Western Coarse Salt Company, Turk Island Foreign Salt Company, Salt Company Geddes Coarse, Union Coarse Salt Company, Cape Cod Salt Company, W. & amp; D. Kirkpatrick of No. 7 Wieting Block, Draper & amp; Porter, W. B. Boyd, Mrs. S. O. Ely and J. F. Paige.
During 1879, the city directory had a list of salt manufacturers Excelsior Dairy Salt Company located at 1 Syracuse Savings Bank Building, McChesney & amp; Caten at 81 East Water, N. Y. S. Salt Springs at 58 North Salina, Salt Springs Solar Coarse Salt Company from 6 Wieting Block and Star Salt Mills in 8 North West. There are also listed people like Robert Young from Green Point Road, Samuel H. Burritt and George A. Porter, both from the Basin near Court Street.
In 1893, The American Dairy Salt Company, Ltd. has a public office in Clinton Block no. 1 in Clinton Square. The Onondaga Coarse Salt Association is a manufacturer of coarse or diesel salts including; milk , table , normal , both and fertilization salt. In 1884, Thomas Gale was president, J. W. Barker was secretary and Thomas Malloy was treasurer. In 1893, Thomas K. Gale was still president, Thomas Malloy was the recipient and treasurer, W. H. H. Gere was vice president, and Lewis A. Hawley was recording a secretary. In 1910, the company sent salt to Canada.
Revenue and costs
Income derived from salt making is paid to New York State Treasury and credited to public funds.
In 1874 the total amount of salt produced was 6,029,300 bushels and the paid duty was $ 60,293. In 1875, the number rose to 7,179,446 bushels and the paid duty was $ 71,794. During the same period, a fee of $ 65,972 meant total revenue was $ 66,115.
Solvay Process
In 1888, the Solvay Process Company established a chemical plant along the southern shore of Lake Onondaga to produce soda ash from halite and limestone found within the bedrock. The concentration of wells and springs at Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation has gradually diminished over the years and this forces the company to seek additional saltwater sources.
Salt wells tapped into halal places (common salt) at local Salina shale near Tully, New York, 15 miles south of the city were developed in the 19th century. Saltwater flows north of Tully is the source of salt for "salt springs" found along the coastline of Lake Onondaga.
The company drilled several deep test holes in the southern area of ​​Syracuse and finally found a halite deposit at a depth of 1,216 feet (371 m) below ground level at the southern end of the Tully valley. More than 120 wells were drilled into four halal beds on the eastern and western sides of the southern part of the valley from 1890 to 1986. Saltwater was withdrawn from the valley of Tully valley water over a 96-year period resulting in extraction of more than 96 times. millions of tons of salt.
Lake water level
The Onondaga Lake booth was lowered in 1822 for the construction of the Erie Canal which permanently lowers the water level around the lake.
In 1882, the lake's water level was lowered after the outlet to the Seneca River was dredged. As a result, the low swampy area at the northern end of downtown Syracuse is dried and filled. The wetlands are removed, which has a positive effect greatly reduces the malaria threat for the urban population growing.
The water level at Lake Onondaga reappeared when Barge Canal was completed in 1918.
Saltwater to cool
From the mid-19th century until the beginning of the 20th century, many salt-producing companies were also established in the Onondaga River Basin. Some of these efforts dug or drilled wells into the underwater aquifers and gravel to get water for cooling purposes to be used in the production of items such as beer and dairy products as well as the storage of perishables. Wells are also used to regulate the temperature in office buildings and storage.
The water obtained from this well has an almost constant temperature of 50-52 Â ° F and ranges in chemical properties from salt to brine. Water is then discharged and flowed back to Lake Onondaga. Although this process does not use a salt source, it extracts salt water from the ground water system and releases it into freshwater streams. Ultimately, this increases the salinity of the surface water system.
The use of ground water for cooling purposes in the area decreased and finally stopped with the advent of air conditioning. Currently unknown total salt is withdrawn from the aquifer system, as well as the exact number of wells or their location. The existence of these wells is apprehensive because the old and decayed casing can "provide hydraulic connections between saltwater and aquifer pebbles and surface water systems."
Western Competition
After the Civil War, the salt industry began to decline. In 1876, there was an increase in competition with the strongest rivals in Michigan and Canada. Any possible effort to improve salt water to put Onondaga salt in a position to "cope" with its new rivals and increase state revenues.
Throughout the early 1870s, the State has taken several steps such as sinking a new deep well to increase the salinity of the average brine taken from the reservation, thereby reducing the amount paid for coal used to reduce it to salt and make it more competitive. in the market.
The state also experimented with several methods to more efficiently eliminate steam coming out of boiling salt water without satisfactory results. Chemists spend seven years and more than $ 100,000 in an effort to use "superheated" steam through steam pipes as well as hot air applied in various ways to aid evaporation in kettles and to save fuel. Furnaces and patent grates are also tried without sufficient results to pay additional fees.
The Godrich vapor was built at great cost but abandoned as a failure. Two devices did produce good results including Godrich's plan with "hanging tube" and Gilson's cylinder , although unconscious fuel savings made "general adoption" out of the question.
In November 1882, an experimental well was submerged in Wyoming County, New York, at a depth of 1,350 feet (410 m). It reveals the "widespread extension" of the Wyoming salt basin . The salt is "very pure and in large quantities." The pumped salty water is almost 33 percent stronger than the Syracuse salt basin . Both places are part of the Onondaga Formation. The Wyoming precipitate is located south of Rochester and in the neighborhood of Warsaw and Batavia in Western New York.
During March 1885, a vein of salt was found near Phelps while an oil company was boring for oil near the city as high as 20 feet (6.1 m). According to a newsarticle; "The news of the discovery goes like fire through parts and property owners are overjoyed." Soon after, a wealthy company in Phelps and Clifton Springs was formed to manage the mine. The pumps were soon installed and a large factory was built during the summer of 1885.
In addition, many new salt reserves are found in the west in Wyoming and Utah.
End of production
In 1900, in addition to competition from western salt producers, increasing costs both for the manufacture and transportation of finished products, plus the discovery that salt salinity at Lake Onondaga weakened, contributing to the end of the salt industry in Syracuse.
During 1908, New York State auctioned pipelines, pumping machines and reservoirs into private industries. Inspector Salt Springs, who reported to the State Legislature of New York, was left in 1914. After the production of salt was stopped by the State, he fell into the hands of private industry, although some of the land was still owned by the government.
The salt industry's death, despite its importance for decades, was surprisingly hardly noticed by the townspeople. The economy is booming and features include the central location of Syracuse combined with rail and canals, access to raw materials and the presence of gypsum, salt water, and limestone, and a large labor supply, all combined to appeal to a diverse range of industries. Finally, the area devoted to salt work becomes more valuable as the plant's location and the old industry "are forced out."
In 1920, most of the salt produced was used to pack fish and ceramic production in local companies such as Syracuse China. Salt is also used for local de-ice trains and trolley tracks during the winter months. In addition, salt water is in demand by chemical companies like Solvay Process Company which gradually replaces salt producers along the shores of Lake Onondaga.
In 1922, the windstorm left much of the salt yard in ruin. Some improvements were made and the industry fought together until August 1926, when the last nine salt workers drew the last batch of saltwater and the salt industry closed its doors. The Onondaga Coarse Salt Company, the last manufacturer, has been in business for 125 years.
With the discovery of Trona's massive sodium carbonate deposit in 1938, near Green River in Wyoming, the Solvay process became uneconomical and the Solvay Process Company plant was permanently closed in 1985. No Solvay currently operates in North America; However, throughout the world the process remains a major source of soda ash.
The closure of Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation in the early 20th century and the end of saltwater mining in the southern part of the Tully Valley at the end of the 20th century marks the last round of salt mining in the Syracuse region, but groundwater flows throughout the southeast. Lake Onondaga in Syracuse still allows salt water from 1,000 feet (300 m) below the southern Tully valley to flow by the gravity of feeding the salt springs around the lake where Salina's shale contains no halal beds.
Salt city
The rapid development of this industry in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the nickname of Syracuse as "The City of Salt." From 1797 to 1917, Salt Onondaga Salt Reservation generated over 11.5 million tons of "finished" salt. In addition, saltwater withdrawal from the Brinefield Tully valley by Solvay Process Company over a 96 year period resulted in the removal of more than 96 million tons of salt.
The days of salt production in Syracuse are long overdue, however, the city still respects the industry in names like Salina Street which is the main road through downtown, Solar Street, Salt Springs Road and the city of Salina, New York. There is also a pocket area in Syracuse called Salt Springs.
Museums and Salt Gardens
Salt Salt Onondaga's abandoned salt reservation became a dumping site in the early 20th century, however, the Great Depression brought new life to the region when Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt converted State land into Onondaga County during the New Deal era. Funding from the Employment Assistance program, and the Onondaga Region Emergency Employment Bureau organization helped the county turn the area into the Long Branch Park during the early 1930s.
Included in this project is the construction of a Salt Museum built around a "still standing" chimney. The building stands on the site of Sampson Jaqueth Salt Manufactory which was founded in 1856. A third of the original chimneys survive. The museum opened in 1933 and is still operating. The museum is operated by the Onondaga Region Garden Department and is closed during the winter months.
Maps Salt industry in Syracuse, New York
News article
See also
food portals
References
External links
- Salt Production in Syracuse, New York - United States Geological Service, November 2000
- The Onondaga New York Salt Works (1654 - 1926) - Science Tribune: Bell, Valerie Jackson, October 1998
- Onondaga Lake History - Onondaga Community College, 2010
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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