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