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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1879)
February, 1879. THE WEST SHORE. 4' John Barton, of Alameda, ii President of a alt manufacturing establishment at M t. Eden, on San Francisco bay, 22 milei from San Fran cisoo, which is locally known a the UNION PAClriO HALT WORK. They were established some 1 1 yean ago on an inland formed by the bay and what are known an Kden and Union City oreeks. This island comprises about 1,200 acres, and is entirely owned by the company. It is divided by dykes into immense reservoirs, whioh are numbered, No. 1 being nearest the bay. Upon the termina tion of the winter rains, aud as soon at the wcathor becomes settled, operations at the manufactory commence. From j0 to 80 men are employed in the yards, they being under charge of a foreman, Mr. A. B. Wiuegar, who has occupied this position for 1 1 years, and is considered one of tho most experienced and capable salt-makers in tho United States. The kkhkkvoihh Are put in thorough repair, lovees overhauled, and everything put in readinosa, and sea-water is then let into reservoir No. 1, through numer ous small gates. This reservoir is 300 aorea in extent When this "catch" has remained in the reservoir from 20 days to four woeks, it is then discharged into reservoir No. 2, 280 acres m extent, and a fresh supply let into No. 1. The lint "catch" is then, after remaining in No, 2 about the same length of time, transferred into No. 3, No. 2 being llllod again from No. 1, and No. 1 from the ocean. In the same manner the brine is discharged into reservoir No. 3, 100 acres in extent, whence it is emptied into the LIMINO 1'ONIlH, Nos. 4 and 5, where the limo is precipitated to the Imttom. When the briuo has readied a atrongth of 17 (hydrometer) all the lime h crystallized at the bottom of the pond, aud the liquid then begins to orystalliao salt This process of removing the impurities is only practiced at these works, and is one of the reasons of the superior ciuality of their salt In boiled suite, tho rapid and unnatural method of crystallization forces the lime to settle with the salt, and thus sheets its purity. When the liquid is known to have discharged its lime it is emptied into the numerous CKVHTAI.I.IZIKH l-ONPH, As occasion may require. For the finer grades of salt these crystallizing ponds have wooden lloora, and when the deposit is completed these Moors are "raked," the salt in large crystals being scraped into heaps, shoveled into baskets, transferred on small hand cars to tho edge of the yard, where it ii dumped into hnge pyra mids, whence it is sacked and transferred to the company's mills on Sacramento street, where it is dried, ground into various grades, and finally prepared for the market. The salt, from the time its manufacture is commenced until it is delivered to the purchaser, is iunm.ni Kxcluaivsly by the company. It is transported by their own schooners, hauled by their own drays, put up in sacks of their own manufac t ure, aud ita brand printed thereon by their own printing press. This complete business arrange ment ia due to the sagacity of Mr. llarton, who ha given the business hia individual atteution from the time be first became identified with it some 16 years ago, until the present time, when it stands without a rival in siae aud amount of business. The works have a capacity of 20,000 tons per season, and their average annual production is 12,000 tone. For a description of the work we are in debted to the editor of the Alameda Argiu. A THOI'ICAL SOKNK. Luxuriance of vegetation aud an apparent stillness and calm are attributes of all tropical scenery, as most people who have seen views of places in low latitudes well remember. Those who have resided in such localities vouch for the fact that this stillness is not appareut, but real, and applies to tho peoplo as well as ths country. In most tropical couutries tho iuhab. itanU are comparatively iudolunt, aud a large proportion of their time is passed iu idleness. Wo all know that tho olfoct of a hot day in this country ou most people is to cause them to seek somo shudy nook whore thoy can lie and rest, aud dose away tho afternoon iu contented laat uoss. Those of us who havo experienced these hidings will excuse iu a measure, tho residents of Mexico, Central America or the South Sea islands for their idleness, when we remember that a tropical climate, with ita many days uf warm weather is likely to influence those peo plo as warm days do us. The tropical scene thowu on this iage is one taken iu the interior wooi ruiiP for papkk. Tho asaroity of paper material has of late years led to quit a large employment of wood pulp as a mixture with other fibers in th man ufacture of paper. Kxprinoe, however, U beginning to show that tins addition to th usual paper stook is vary prejudicial to th lasting quality of ths material. I'rof. Ku Iraux recently called atUntion to th suhpvt in a lootura delivered at Ulpaio, pointing oat that, aa th papor used iu tho Herman public nlfiuos is mainly composed of wood, th de struction from natural cause, of any important olllcial records, may b expected. He limit then- duratiou to about 16 years. Thia refsranc ia to writing papsr, in which hut a small quantity of wood Ia used. Mow much greater must l.e th loss and iiieonvnlnc in th cas of printed books, into whioh a vry large proportion of wood enters. According to I'rof. ltouloaui a authority, all our libraries, if made up of paper so adulterated, will have to be renewed every In or 20 years, instead uf Tiibt hav a man ia Bodi ,Cal, who, years ago, occupied an N0U,(M0 marble front baild log, and did a large biao ia New York, sad who ia bow working for a livelihood. A HCKNK ON A TIIOHCAI. ISLAND. of Tahiti, and the iilaco looks Ilk a pleasant ono to pass a fw idle hours. A Vknkkasi.i Hue. Hush. -At WMhls Cstheilral there is a rose bush whioh is believed to Im over a thousand years old. In recent years it seems to have been getting into decrepi tude, and fear have been entertained that it was going to die. Ih help ol th most re nnwmxl gardeners has been called iu to prevent this, if possible, and asveral foreigner hav l en on the spot for tins purpose. Whether it be due to their endeavors or not, the old thing saeiiis to have taken fresh heart again. Out of th root knuha uf the bush a new sprout has appeared, which is growing s vigorously that there i good hope that this venerable roee slock may yt "rmnw it youth." Mkax Distaxi.1 or Watrm Moisvi im. -Herman Herwig eon. hides that no two molecu lar layer in water can be more than l-M of a millionth of a millimeter apart, and thai th saan i true with regard to to mean distance ol adiaeent molecular rioters. Mir William Thomson had previously estimated th l value of the same distaste at O.I milboulhs of a millimeter. These two estimates, on be ing less than four-fold th other, furnish satis factory appro iimeUou to th Ira vale, slaw, Jrr I'tft. a. Cass. i r... i i ,...i. ..i ... i. ,i. ..... osation nssnn J 1 1 i ss ,w with paper made from th usual fillers. A i.aiit was the mlhr of a nir little hy about three years old. Tho whooping cough prevailed in their neighborhood, aad ths south sr became very much alarmed lest her boy would tak it Hh hal talked so much about It and worried over it that she had inf.- led the child with hr fear to such au extent that h would scarcely leave bar eld. Ou night after th little fallow had been put to bed end to sleep, a iaokaa was drlrsn past ths house, and when just opposite set un his h haw, he haw With a shriek ths little fellow was oat of bad, scream lllg at (lie top ol his Voice "The Whooping cough ia Doming, mamma; the whooping cough Is coming. KaoBMot's Mi bmakisi I'MBt, Kipturer hav recently reported th diseovery of aa enormous sulHnarin plant in th North I'acifiu noeaii It ia known to butaabrts a the aVaero rssfs ifrUtra. Is said to dwarf all vegetable products yst known by its prodigious propor tions. It grows soenetiBM to such a sis a to cover vast area of sea bed, ose specimen having been discovered that neeupied by measurement three s.pisr.. uiilss, while ths Men wa sight