REPORT, &c. In obedience to the sixteenth section of chapter ninth, title ten, of the first part of the Revised Statutes, the Superintendent of the Onondaga salt springs, and the Inspector of salt in the county of Onondaga, RESPECTFULLY REPORT: That during the year 1834, there has been inspected in the town of Salina, 1,943,252 bushels of salt, of which the annexed table exhibits the quantity inspected in each village in the several months during said year. There has been expended in the engineer department during said year, $4,616.46; and there has been collected from that source $3,886.10. Since the last annual report there has been a considerable expenditure in excavating a large reservoir on the high ground about midway between the villages of Salina and Liverpool, made to accommodate the manufactories at the later place; also in searching for a better supply of salt water; and also in repairing the two old pumps at the village of Salina. One of these pumps failed in the month of September last, and was repaired (by making it mostly new,) and put in operation early in November after. Since the close of the canal navigation, the other one was examined and found so near worn out, that it was deemed advisable to repair it to prevent a failure at a season of the year when it would be inconvenient or impossible to supply the manufactories with salt water, without the efficient operation of all the pumps. This one has, therefore, also been repaired, and now all the public pumps are in good order. The number and extent of the salt manufactories, as exhibited in the annexed table, (shewing the present number and capacity,) it will be seen, are enlarged and increased during the year. Last spring, after the reduction of the duties on the salt manufactured in this State, the undersigned were admonished of the necessity of procuring more brine of the best quality, for the use of the manufacturers who receive their supply from the springs in the village of Salina, than the one spring there producing such brine will yield. For the purpose of enabling us so to supply them, we commenced boring a new well, several rods northerly of the other wells in Salina village, and have penetrated the earth about one hundred and seventy-five feet, but have failed in procuring a good quality of brine, and have abandoned that place. Some part of the last summer the best spring at Salina did not afford sufficient brine for the use of the several manufactories usually receiving their supply from that source. To remedy that deficiency as far as we were able, we were compelled to raise brine of an inferior quality, and mingle with the best. And after adopting this course, there was still a deficiency, which caused a suspension in the operation of nearly all the manufactories located in the village of Liverpool, for about one month in the best part of the season. The manufacturers of that village formerly received their supply of brine from a spring on the margin of the Onondaga lake, adjacent to their manufactories. But some time after that period, brine of a better quality was discovered in the village of Salina; after which the manufacturers of Liverpool found it impossible to compete with their neighbours, while using salt water of an inferior quality. They abandoned their spring, and sought salt water from other places. They have, for the last three years, been supplied from Salina, except about one month last summer, as before stated. The manufacturers at Liverpool manifest an anxiety to have a well bored near their old spring in that village, to the depth of those in the village of Salina, believing water of the same quality of that found at Salina, would be found there. The Superintendent has not acceeded to their request, inasmuch as there would be no water power there which he could use to raise the brine if discovered, as he is not invested with authority to take water from that level of the Oswego canal. To obviate this, we are informed the manufacturers of that village intend petitioning your honorable body to pass a bill authorizing the Seperintendent to take the water from that level, as he now is authorized to take it from the Salina level; and also making it the duty of the Canal Commission ers to take the Onondaga creek into said level, (if it shall be ascertained to be necessary,) to propel a pump to be erected there, in case good salt water shall be discovered. We think it reasonable that their prayer should be granted. The present erections for manufacturing salt in the town of Salina, (with a sufficient supply of brine,) in our opinion, are capable of producing three millions of bushels of salt. The springs at the village of Geddes have produced an abundant supply of salt water of the best quality for the use of the manufacturers of that place: And if like brine could be discovered in the villages of Syracuse and Liverpool, and thereby relieve the springs at Salina from furnishing salt water for those two villages, a very desirable object would be attained. NEHEMIAH H. EARLL, |