ON THE ROCK-SALT DEPOSIT OF PETIT ANSE: 
 LOUISIANA ROCK-SALT COMPANY. 
 
 REPORT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 AMERICAN BUREAU OF MINES. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 AMERICAN BUREAU OF MINES, 44 EXCHANGE PLACE. 
 
 1867. 
 
ON THE ROCK-SALT DEPOSIT OF PETIT ANSE: 
 LOUISIANA ROCK-SALT COMPANY. 
 
 REPORT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 « 
 
 AMERICAN BUREAU OF MINES. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 AMERICAN BUREAU OF MINES, 44 EXCHANGE PLACE. 
 
 1867. 
 
5 53, G3 
 A (Tw 3 
 
 AMERICAN BUREAU OF MINES, 
 
 No. 44 Exchange Place, 
 
 New York, January 4, 1867. 
 
 Messrs. Chas. A. Weed, F. J. Pratt, and Charles P. Chouteau : 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 We have the honor to hand you the Report of the Bureau on a recent 
 examination of the Rock-Salt Deposit of Petit Anse, conducted by the 
 Board of Experts, to which your inquiries were referred. 
 
 GEORGE D. H. GILLESPIE, 
 
 President. 
 
 GEORGE R. A. RICKETTS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2016 
 
 https://archive.org/details/onrocksaltdeposiOOamer 
 
Board op Experts, i 
 
 American Bureau of Mines, V 
 
 No. 44 Exchange Place, New York, Bee . 24, 1866. ) 
 
 G. D. H. Gillespie, Esq., President of the Board of Trustees : 
 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 The Board of Experts has the honor to transmit herewith its unani- 
 mous Report: on the Salt Deposit of Petit Anse Island, Louisiana. 
 
 This Report is based upon the preliminary examination of Mr. C. 
 Elton Buck, of this Board, and the notes of a more detailed investiga- 
 tion by Dr. C. A. Goessmann. Consulting Correspondent of the Bureau, 
 who was charged by the Board with the duty of a personal study of the 
 deposit, and an inquiry into its commercial relations. 
 
 For the Board of Experts, 
 
 R. W. RAYMOND, J. P. KIMBALL, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Vice -President. 
 
ON THE SALT DEPOSIT OF PETIT ANSE 
 ISLAND, LOUISIANA. 
 
 Petit Anse Island is situated in Parish St. Mary, in Louisiana, in 
 Long. 91° 51/ West of Greenwich, and 29° 52' North Latitude, about 
 four miles north of Vermilion Bay, and nine and a half miles, by the 
 present road, south of New Iberia. The distance to the latter point, 
 however, is only about seven miles by air line. 
 
 The island consists of 2210-48 arpents of upland. An arpent — the 
 old French measurement employed in Louisiana — is about one-seventh less 
 than an acre. 
 
 Fifteen hundred arpents are at present under cultivation, the re- 
 mainder being woodland, pasture, roads, &c. 
 
 The island is divided between two owners, Judge D. D. Avery, and 
 Mr. John Hays, the property of the former including 1,380 arpents of 
 the upland, and that of the latter comprising the remainder, 860 arpents. 
 
 A luxuriant growth of forest trees, consisting of magnolia, live oak, 
 hickory, gum-tree, maple, hackberry, black walnut, and cypress, covers a 
 portion of the island. Of these varieties, cypress is the most abundant, 
 and furnishes the principal building material. 
 
 The immediate vicinity of the island is occupied by extensive sea 
 marshes and cypress swamps, stretching west and southwest from six to 
 to twenty miles. To the north, for about two miles, the surface is covered 
 with tall sea-grasses and scanty brush ; to the east and southeast, for many 
 miles, the swamps are covered with heavy cypress forests. 
 
 From the highest point of the island, a hill on Hays’s property, 180 feet 
 above the tide-water level, the eye commands a wide prospect, comprising, 
 on the west, the Vermilion Woods, nearly up to Vermilion ville, Miller’s 
 Island, and a broad sheet of prairie, with dwelling houses, and groves of 
 timber; on the north, the forests of Bayou Teche, as far as Jeaneretts, 
 and the Au Large Prairie ; on the east, the Cypremort Woods ; and on the 
 south, the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
8 
 
 The only land communication with the island is a plank road, crossing 
 the Bayou Petit Anse and the marshes to the north for nearly two miles, 
 and continuing as a prairie-road to New Iberia. The plank road is of 
 recent construction, having been built during the late war to accommodate 
 the salt transportation of Petit Anse. 
 
 The nearly circular form of the island, and a surface configuration 
 varied by hillock, valley, ravine, pond, pasture, forest, and cultivated 
 field, give it a picturesque appearance, in the midst of swamp and 
 prairie. 
 
 The general trend of the hills is N. N. W., and S. S. E., with which the 
 valleys mainly correspond. This leading configuration has been somewhat 
 modified by the sudden and heavy rains of the Gulf coast, which have not 
 only lowered the height of the hills, and filled up to some extent the val- 
 leys, but also produced, by the action of torrents, new channels and ravines, 
 with their own subordinate topographical features. It is difficult, in par- 
 ticular cases, to distinguish the older from the more recent action. Probably 
 all the present surface features have been affected by the same causes ; 
 although there is evidence that the terrain has been exposed to glacial 
 action, of which more will be saip hereafter. 
 
 The top soil is an umber-colored sandy loam, generally a foot or more 
 in depth, and underlaid by a subsoil of sand, more or less coarse, fre- 
 quently containing lenticular clay-masses of various size. 
 
 The agricultural products of Petit Anse are mainly cotton, sugar 
 cane and corn. 
 
 The fertility of the soil is very great. It is claimed that it produces 
 two to three hogsheads of sugar — 1,400 pounds each— to the acre. 
 Oranges, sweet potatoes, and garden vegetables of every variety, may be 
 cultivated with great success, many kinds yielding annually three crops. 
 
 Springs are sparingly distributed, and only flow during the rainy seasons. 
 Several attempts have been made to obtain more permanent supplies of 
 water, by sinking wells ; but, as might have been expected, with very limited 
 success ; since the only conditions of supply depend upon surface perco- 
 lation, and the imperfect reservoirs afforded by occasional masses of clay. 
 These sources are, at the best, naturally inadequate; and for long periods 
 they fail entirely. The main supply of fresh water is therefore derived 
 from cisterns, and natural or artificial ponds, in which the rain is collected. 
 
 The temperature of the island is at no time of the year oppressive. 
 According to data obtained from Judge Avery, the maximum heat is 90°- 
 95° F. ; and the lowest for many years has been 19° F. ; the average 
 
9 
 
 being about 65°-70° F., taking day and night the year round. March 
 and April, the latter part of November, and the first part of December, 
 are the more rainy seasons. The situation of the island near the Gulf 
 coast renders the rains sudden and severe, frequently torrent-like. 
 
 Other meteorological phenomena of a violent or unusual character 
 are, comparatively speaking, unknown. The only recent instances on 
 record are the partial destruction of a crop by storm in 1856, and a 
 hurricane which visited a neighboring parish in 1862. 
 
 The families of Messrs. Avery and Hays are at present the only 
 residents of Petit Anse. Of these, the oldest inhabitant is John Hays, a 
 Pennsylvanian by birth, who settled on the island in 1790, at the age of 
 fifteen, and has lived there seventy-six years. He relates that on his 
 arrival he found the island covered with dense forest, and not only 
 uninhabited, but totally without traces of human habitation. The 
 Indians then living in the vicinity were the Attakapas. He invited them 
 repeatedly to join him in hunting the bear, panther, wild-cat, and deer ; 
 but they refused, saying that the spot had once been the scene of a great 
 calamity to their race, and that they had never since visited it. , 
 
 From the numerous relics which have been discovered in the recently 
 excavated salt-pits, it is evident that this island was inhabited before 
 the period of which we have any historical record. Jesse McCaul, 
 digging for salt springs, many years ago, is said to have found, two 
 feet below the surface, an Indian earthen spoon, and a buckhorn ; also a 
 nearly entire skeleton of a supposed mammoth (portions of which were 
 afterwards sent to the Smithsonian Institution). Numerous arrow-heads 
 of stone, and other Indian remains, have also been discovered from time 
 to time ; and in the recent excavations, pottery and basket-work have 
 been exposed in considerable abundance. The baskets are bag-shaped, 
 and constructed of split wild-cane, quite similar in style and material to 
 the Indian baskets of the present day. Mr. D. M. Avery has found two 
 pots, fitted into each other, one foot in diameter at the top, 9|- inches at 
 the bottom, and 8-9 inches high. The immense quantity of fragments 
 of pottery already found on the island leads to the supposition that it 
 was manufactured on the spot by a resident population ; and, indeed, Mr. 
 Avery found what he considered a furnace, originally built in the side of 
 a ravine. The part remaining, 6 feet long and 6 feet high, indicated an 
 2 
 
10 
 
 oval shape. The front wall and fireplace had been undermined and 
 washed away, and the remainder has now suffered a similar fate, so rapid 
 are the changes produced by pluvial influences in this region. 
 
 Deductions based upon the juxtaposition or superposition of these bones 
 of extinct species (supposing them to be clearly established as such), relics 
 of human industry, and accumulations of vegetable decay, require much 
 caution, since the locality is, and has evidently always been, subject to 
 great and rapid superficial changes ; and as the material now found in 
 the valley where the salt-pits are located is to a considerable depth the 
 same which formerly covered the hillsides, it is obvious that no conclu- 
 sions as to relative age can be drawn from mere difference of level. The 
 layers now exposed by the pits may be the washings from many different 
 strata, and contain remains of widely varying antiquity. 
 
 The surface formation along the 1ST. O., Opelousas & Great Western 
 Railroad, from Algiers towards Brashear City, belongs to the Mississippi 
 Delta, consisting of clay bottom lands, frequently overgrown with cypress 
 and live-oak forests. 
 
 The surface-soil, an intermixture of organic matter with the 
 original deposit, is black and plastic, and from six inches to one 
 foot in depth, and underlaid by a light-colored clay, which is char- 
 acteristic for the whole region. The surface is generally below the 
 level of the Mississippi, and protected by levees; but it rises gradually 
 towards Brashear City, where the banks of the Atchafalaya are 
 some fifteen feet high. This rise continues westward along the Teche, 
 and an interstratification of gravelly soil between the surface and the 
 clay bottom makes its appearance. Along the Bayou Teche, the land 
 is sufficiently elevated to be secure against overflow, and is occupied 
 by numerous sugar plantations. This district is known as the “ Garden 
 of Louisiana.” At New Iberia, the banks of the bayou attain a height 
 of nearly twenty feet. 
 
 The characteristic delta-clay is found underlying all the lands sur- 
 rounding Petit Anse Island. Being comparatively impermeable to 
 water, it prevents natural drainage, and portions of the prairies between 
 Petit Anse and New Iberia are often overflowed after heavy rains, thus 
 seriously obstructing communication. This evil could be obviated by 
 artificial drainage, but nothing of the kind has ever been attempted. 
 
11 
 
 The peculiar features of the formation of Petit Anse Island are : 
 
 1. The occurrence of superficial strata entirely different from the delta- 
 clay, preserved, probably, by their elevation, from the general denu- 
 dation of the region. 
 
 2. The occurrence of rock-salt as an underlying deposit. 
 
 These two features will be considered in their order. 
 
 Petit Anse Island is one of five elevations which occur in a bT.W. 
 — S. E. line, amid the otherwise level delta lands of this district. They 
 are: Dupuy Island, Petit Anse, Weeks Island, Cote Blanche, and Belle 
 Isle. Upon the other four, no explorations have been made to ascertain 
 their geological character. It may be that they are also patches of the 
 same formation preserved on Petit Anse. 
 
 The surface-soil of Petit Anse, as has been observed, is dark loam. 
 Beneath it occur layers of coarse and fine sand, gravel, and clay in lenticu- 
 lar masses. In some places the sand is cemented by peroxyd of iron, and 
 friable pink sandstone, and arenaceous concretions of peroxyd of iron 
 are frequently observable. These various materials are irregularly 
 stratified, generally in curved lines, as if resulting from the action of 
 currents and eddies. They do not conform to any one definite direction or 
 order, but occur in different succession, and sometimes reversed. In 
 short, they display all the phenomena of deposits subjected to the action 
 of currents, sometimes direct, sometimes obstructed. A reversal of the 
 order of deposition is observable in those localities where more recent 
 denudation and re-deposition might be naturally presumed to have taken 
 place. It is difficult to determine what is the original, and what the 
 modified stratification. 
 
 The stratigraphical changes have been produced by currents, exposure 
 to weather, and occurrences of tough clay-masses, a single circumstance 
 of such unimportant character being sufficient to set in operation a train 
 of ever increasing change. The heavy rains of the Gulf coast have been 
 of course the principal agents in these later processes. The sand and 
 pebbles are of decided silicious character, and much water-worn. The 
 drift contains no carbonates and no protoxyd of iron, but worn fragments 
 of erratic rocks, silicified wood, and even boulders of 60-70 lbs. weight 
 occur in it. One boulder of porphyritic diorite was observed by Dr. 
 Goessmann, which had been taken from one of the pits on the island. It 
 weighed some 70 lbs. This is probably the most southerly boulder yet 
 discovered in the Mississippi Yalley. Prof. Hilgard has discovered but 
 one other locality south of Yicksburg. 
 
12 
 
 All these phenomena of constitution and configuration correspond 
 most closely with the description given by Prof. Hilgard in his Report on 
 the Geology of the State of Mississippi, and in later papers, of the forma- 
 tion to which Prof. Safford, of Tennessee, first gave the name of the Orange 
 Sand. The recognition of the Orange Sand upon Petit Anse is confirmed 
 by Professor Hilgard after an examination of the specimens collected by 
 Dr. Goessmann upon the island. 
 
 The actual exploration of these strata has been confined to a limited 
 area, within one valley and its branches, at the southeast corner of the 
 island, where the salt-pits are located. In opening these pits, according 
 to the account of the workmen, the material passed through was the same 
 as that exposed on the hillsides, namely, gravel and clay, containing 
 remains of vegetation similar to that of the neighboring marshes ; i. <?., 
 sedge and marsh grass — in tolerable preservation. The salt was found 
 immediately covered by a dark fetid clay, 2 to 2-§- feet thick, full of marsh 
 grass and gravel, and containing also the bones of extinct animals. 
 
 For purposes of more accurate observation, a pit 5 by 3j- feet in size 
 was dug, under the direction of Dr. Goessmann, 30 feet from the present 
 shaft house (see map). 
 
 This exposed the following section 
 
 Ft. hi. 
 
 Surface-soil (black). . . . . . . . . .12 
 
 Lighter colored sandy soil. .......20 
 
 Dark sandy soil (containing pottery, vegetable remains, ashes, char- 
 coal, and burnt clam-shells), . ..... .10 
 
 Coarse sand and gravel. ........ 0 6 
 
 Sand, with clay (dark ; full of vegetable remains and pottery). 0 6 
 
 Reddish sand (here and there cemented with hydrated peroxyd of 
 
 iron), gravel and pottery. . . . . . . ..50 
 
 Sand (containing nodules of clay, and well preserved parts of) 
 common wild cane-roots and stems). 
 
 Sand (changing to greenish blue from reduction of the peroxyd j 
 of iron) and water from the N. W. corner of pit. 
 
 [At this point (11 feet) it was necessary to timber the pit, to keep 
 out quicksand from the layer above described. This is the 
 most troublesome stratum to pass through which occurs on the 
 ground.] 
 
 11 8 
 
13 
 
 Ft. In. 
 
 Brought forward . . . . . . . 11 8 
 
 Blue clay with abundant vegetable remains, pottery, and burnt 
 
 clam-shells. ..........20 
 
 Coarse gravel without clay. . 16 
 
 Clay, gravel and sand (greenish yellow, very hard and tough, con- 
 taining wild cane). ........10 
 
 Clay (greenish yellow with gravel, and interspersed with drift 
 
 sand) 3 0 
 
 Salt 19 2 
 
 Immediately overlying the salt, the clay for one or two inches has a 
 black color, as if bituminous. This is probably caused by infiltration of 
 surface waters through the humus above. 
 
 The water, tested at a depth of 14 feet, was strongly saline, showing 
 at 56° F., 40° salometer, representing 10 to 11 per cent, of saline matter. 
 Analysis of these solid constituents shows this to be a solution of the 
 underlying salt. 
 
 Dr. Mallett, who had very favorable opportunities to see some of the 
 larger pits open and to observe a greater area of the salt, states that the 
 deposit bears decided marks of erosion by the action of water, that 
 its surface is undulating, and that the mass itself is dry, and receives 
 moisture only by percolation through the soil — a statement which is con- 
 firmed by Judge Avery and Col. H. S. Greenleaf. The saline character 
 of the water in the pit dug by Dr. Goessmann seems to confirm those 
 observations, since neighboring pits were full of water, which had 
 absorbed salt from below ; and, as they are higher in situation than the pit 
 referred to, the brine naturally finds its way into the new excavation. 
 Dr. Goessmann observed that the water came into this pit at the rate of 
 about 4 feet in 24 hours. 
 
 Further evidence as to the configuration and extent of the salt deposit 
 is afforded by the tables given in the Appendix, and by the maps and 
 diagrams herewith transmitted, viz. : — 
 
 A map of the island — correct as to outlines. 
 
 Topographical map, with borings. 
 
 Tabular statement of borings. 
 
 Profile of surface. 
 
 These are all the work of Mr. Herwegh, a Swiss engineer, and are 
 considered trustworthy, with the exception of the internal features noted 
 
14 
 
 on the first map, which have somewhat changed since that map was 
 executed. From these data, it appears that the salt has been struck only 
 at one point above high-tide level, viz. : the point marked U on the map, 
 where salt was obtained 33 - 9 feet below the surface, and D73 feet above 
 high tide. The other extreme is presented in boring B, where the salt 
 was struck at a depth of 40 feet from the surface, 31 *78 feet below high 
 tide. This indicates from N. to S. a difference in level, on a distance of 
 1,900 feet, of 33‘51 feet. In like manner, between stations A and T, a 
 distance of 2,030 feet, there is a rise from W. to E. of 17'29 feet. Without 
 discussing at length the observations recorded in these maps and tables, 
 it may be remarked that the borings have been confined mainly to the val- 
 ley, which apparently has been the channel of the greatest erosive action. 
 
 It is a coincidence worthy of note, that the highest level of the salt is 
 found towards the maximum accumulation of the Orange Sand. Evi- 
 dently the configuration of the upper surface can, under these circum- 
 stances, afford no data concerning the depth of the salt. 
 
 The deepest pit has been sunk in the salt for 38 feet, without showing 
 any change in its structure or purity — an indication of a greater thick- 
 ness. Unfortunately, the instruments used in the borings were too imper- 
 fect to be entirely relied upon, and totally inadequate to the work of 
 deep explorations, whether as to the thickness of the deposit itself, or as 
 to the position of its upper surface in the hills. Its superficial extent is, 
 for the same reason, still undetermined. It is proved to exist under a con- 
 tinuous area of at least 144 acres ; but its thickness is an economical 
 condition of much greater consequence than the area, since a greater 
 thickness will facilitate mining operations. On the basis of the area and 
 thickness already ascertained, and making due allowance for roofing and 
 flooring in the mines, we may conclude that there are some 7-8 million 
 tons of workable material already proved to exist. How much more it is 
 impossible to say. No salt has been discovered on the Hays portion of 
 the island. 
 
 The quantity of salt available for mining is estimated as follows: 
 
 144 acres contain 6,272,640 square feet. 
 
 Assuming the average depth of the salt to be 40 feet, and 
 allowing 9 feet for roof and 6 feet for floor, we have 26 
 
 feet as available thickness, or a mass of ... 166,816,000 cubic feet. 
 
 Deducting 30 per cent, for pillars and waste . . . 47,044,800 “ “ 
 
 There remains available salt 109,771,200 “ “ 
 
 The salt has a specific gravity of about 2 2, or nearly 16 cubic feet to the ton. 
 
 109,771,200 cubic feet, reduced to tons, gives, therefore, 7,318,080 tons. 
 
 It is sufficiently evident that this estimate may safely be regarded as a minimum, 
 
15 
 
 since it may be indefinitely increased by future discoveries of an extension of the salt 
 deposit, either in area, or thickness, or both. Even supposing that the salt is but 40 
 feet thick, as above assumed, if a safe and solid fioor were found to underlie it, so as 
 to render a floor of salt in the works unnecessary, the amount of available material 
 would be increased nearly 25 per cent., since the six feet of salt left as a floor could 
 then be extracted. 
 
 The geological age of this deposit .cannot he positively determined 
 until the strata underlying the salt shall have been exposed. 
 
 In lack of a systematic survey of Louisiana, the geological relations 
 of this locality have not been satisfactorily traced. General as well as 
 special analogy points, however, to its Tertiary age. 1 * 
 
 Concerning the nature of the deposit, however, many circumstances 
 favor the theory that it is a secondary one — resulting from the evapo- 
 rations of brine-springs, originating from beds of rock-salt in some older 
 geological formation — and not a direct residuum from any sea. This ex- 
 plains the entire absence of intercalations of gypsum, and the extremely 
 small proportion throughout the mass, of the other salts which are found 
 in the present ocean, and proved, by geological evidence, to have always 
 existed in sea water. These foreign substances, and especially gypsum, 
 or the sulphate of lime, crystallizing by evaporation according to their 
 relative solubility, are found interstratified and segregated in salt-beds of 
 known marine origin, in such a manner as to indicate, in the usual forma- 
 tion of rock-salt, successive overflows and evaporations. 3 
 
 1 Rock-salt occurs in all sedimentary rocks, from the ancient palaeozoic to the tertiary forma- 
 tion . — Bischof Chem. Geol., vol. i., p. 350. 
 
 Although a large number of the principal sait deposits of Europe occur in Mesozoic rocks, 
 especially in the Trias (as that of Cheshire in England, of Schonebeck and Stassfurth in Ger- 
 many, of Hallein and Ischel in Austria, of Lothringen in France, and of Box in Switzerland), from 
 which circumstance it is sometimes called the Saliferous System, the famous deposits of Cardona 
 and Peralta in Catalonia, and of Wieliczka in Poland, are of Tertiary age. Other well-known Ter- 
 tiary salt deposits occur in Tuscany, Sicily, and Armenia. 
 
 " In salt deposits directly from the sea, beds of rock-salt are found alternating with gypsum. 
 This circumstance is explained by the fact, that, when sea-water is concentrated by evaporation, 
 its saturation point as regards sulphate of lime being sooner reached than as regards chloride of 
 sodium, the deposition of the gypsum must begin much earlier than that of the salt. Hence the 
 floor of every such deposit is, as must be expected, gypsum ; and every layer of this deposit is 
 the precursor of a deposit of salt from a fresh supply of sea-water, since the deposition of gyp- 
 sum cannot happen twice in the same sea- water after being once succeeded by the deposition of 
 salt. When, as is sometimes the case, gypsum forms the last deposit in a rock-salt formation, 
 the sea-water from which these were separated may have flowed away before the deposition of 
 chloride of sodium began ; or, under the action of erosive influence, the salt next in order may 
 have been subsequently removed. 
 
 At Buffleben, in Thuringia, and at Stotternheim, it is -only after passing through gypsum 
 layers 1574 to 149 feet in thickness that rock-salt is reached. At Stebnick, in Gallicia, the bore 
 passed through loam containing gypsum, then through loam containing a few grains of salt, 
 through a salt layer two feet in thickness, through clay with gypsum, and at length arrived at 
 pure fock-salt In this way seven different salt layers of greater or less thickness and purity, 
 alternating with saliferous clay and sandstone, had been passed through. Also the saliferous 
 formations of Wieliczka consist of layers and large masses of salt, which are separated by clay, 
 marl, and anhydrite. At Artern, rock-salt was first penetrated after passing through thick 
 
16 
 
 The entire absence, up to this time, of all appearance of successive 
 deposition in the salt of Petit Ause, indicates that it is an accumulation 
 from re-solutions, not from an original marine brine. Salt lakes and 
 pools fed by springs, and forming accumulations of this character, are now 
 active in various parts of the world — in Northern Asia, Hungary, Siberia, 
 Ceylon, Algiers, and Brazil, and on a more extended scale in the Dead 
 Sea, Elton Lake, and Great Salt Lake, though in the latter the deposition 
 of salt has not yet taken place. 
 
 If, in the deposit of Petit Anse, there ever were soluble impurities, 
 such as chloride of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, to any considerable 
 extent, they were in the uppermost portions, which have, undoubtedly, 
 been carried away by erosion. There is abundant proof that this salt 
 deposit was formerly exposed on the surface, as in the case of the 
 salt deposit of Wieliczka, and the rapidity with which fresh water in the 
 pits attacks and dissolves it, indicates the extent to which ■ erosion may 
 have been carried. A stop was put to this action by the accumula- 
 tion of diluvium, which, being highly argillaceous, protected the salt 
 from further destruction. 
 
 The Salt occurs as a solid crystalline rock, of a saccliaroidal texture, 
 the individual crystals being indistinctly aggregated, and interspersed with 
 microscopic crystals of gypsum. It is dry, hard, and, so far as it has 
 been explored, homogeneous. Its taste is purely saline, and its com- 
 position may be considered fairly represented by the following analyses, 
 the first of which was made by the late Dr. Riddell, Professor of Chem- 
 istry in the University of Louisiana, and the second by Dr. C. A. Goess- 
 mann. According to these analyses, the dry salt contaius, in 100 parts : 
 
 layers of gypsum. These were bored to a depth of 87 J feet without reaching the floor of rock- 
 salt. In the bore at Schoningen, at a depth of 1,710 feet, pure rock-salt, aud at 1,721, anhydrite 
 and gypsum were passed through ; at the depth of 1,819 feet, rock-salt, with a little gypsum 
 and anhydrite, again appeared. In the bore at Stassfurth the first traces of rock-salt appeared 
 in anhydrite at a depth of 792 feet. Since that time 1,000 feet of rock-salt have been bored 
 without reaching its floor . — Bischof Chem. Geol., vol. i., p. 383. 
 
 The rock-salt of Northwich and Middlewich in Cheshire lies in two beds principally. The 
 depth to the first bed at Northwich varies with the undulations of the laud, and also slightly 
 with the irregularity of the bed itself, from 96-159 feet. At Winsford the depth is 189 feet. 
 The thickness of the upper bed varies at Northwich from 84-90 feet. Below this, and separated 
 from it by a bed of indurated clay, 30 feet in thickness, containing thin beds of salt, occurs the 
 second or great bed, 96 feet thick at Marston, and 225 feet thick at Winsford. At Northwich 
 the first 00-75 of rock are impure, the salt being contaminated with much clay and bituminous 
 matter. In the next 12 or 15 feet the salt is much clearer; and this portion only is worked. 
 The clear portion corresponding to this is worked at Winsford at a depth of 210 feet in the rock. 
 — Muspratt's Chem as Applied to the Arts, vol. ii., p 898. 
 
17 
 
 
 I. 
 
 11. 
 
 Chloride of Sodium . 
 
 98-88 
 
 98-8823 
 
 Sulphate of Lime 
 
 0-76 
 
 0-7825 
 
 Chloride of Magnesium 
 
 0-23 
 
 0-0030 
 
 Chloride of Calcium 
 
 0-13 
 
 0-0036 
 
 Moisture . 
 
 
 0-3286 
 
 
 100-00 
 
 100-0000 
 
 An analysis by Dr. Goessmann, of the rock salt of St. Domingo 
 (Neyba), is subjoined for purposes of comparison. This salt contains in 
 
 100 parts : 
 
 Chloride of Sodium 98’33 
 
 Sulphate of Lime 1’48 
 
 Sulphate of Magnesia .... 0’06 
 
 Chloride of Magnesium .... 0-04 
 
 Insoluble (Clay) 0-01 
 
 Moisture ...... 0-07 
 
 99-99 
 
 By this and further comparison, 1 the salt of Petit Anse is distinguished 
 for remarkable purity. Its superiority has, indeed, been already recog- 
 nized in the Southern market. 
 
 So far as knowu, the discovery of the salt was made, in 1791, by John 
 Hays, who found a spring while hunting. Soon afterwards, Jesse McCaul 
 bought nineteen acres of land including this salt spring, and began the 
 manufacture of salt by boiling. The supply was too limited, however, 
 to pay the expenses of the operation ; and, after digging several wells 
 with little success, he abandoned the enterprise. The springs were then 
 neglected until 1812, when the price of salt rose to such a height, in 
 consequence of the war with Great Britain, that John C. Marsh renewed 
 the production, continuing till 1815, when the price fell again, and 
 he suspended his operations. Judge D. D. Avery, who subsequently 
 
 1 For further comparisons of salts from different localities, and of the several commercial 
 brands, see the excellent tables of Dr. Campbell Morfit, in Muspratt's Chemistry as Applied to the 
 Arts, vol. ii., p. 905; also New American Cyclopcedia, XIV., p. 297. 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 became owner ol the island, commenced boiling again during the year 
 1861, when salt had become dear by reason of the blockade. For the 
 purpose of increasing the supply of brine, Mr. John Marsh Avery, his 
 son, attempted to deepen the wells, and, at the depth of 16 to 17 feet, 
 on the 4th of May, 1862, struck the solid rock-salt. Mining by means 
 of pits was soon introduced under the auspices of the Confederate 
 government. The order in which the pits were opened, and other par- 
 ticulars concerning this period of activity, are given in a statement in 
 the Appendix. Mining continued until an expedition, sent by General 
 Banks, by way of New Iberia, attacked the island, April 17, 1863, and 
 destroyed the works on the 20th of the same month. 1 
 
 The amount of salt removed during these eleven months, according to 
 Judge Avery’s statement, was twenty-two millions of pounds. From four 
 to six hundred men are said to have been working, day and night, in mining, 
 barreling, and loading the salt in wagons. From one to five hundred 
 teams are reported to have been at one time on the island, coming from 
 every Southern State, and waiting for a supply. The various pits were 
 worked by the owners, the government, and contractors. The average 
 price of the.salt was 4^ cents a pound. 
 
 The large pits remaining as the results of this extraordinary activity 
 are not only useless for any rational system of mining, but, by admitting 
 quicksand and water, may become sources of great inconvenience, unless 
 carefully filled up, or converted into shafts. 
 
 It is certain that the mode of mining in pits, as hitherto carried 
 on, would be wholly impracticable for any length of time ; since to 
 continue a large production in this manner would require a constant 
 increase in the number and size of the excavations, and expose the salt to 
 contamination from sand, and to the action of rains, which could not fail 
 eventually to destroy the mines, and reduce operations to the old basis of 
 boiling. A consideration of still more immediate and vital importance is 
 furnished by the peculiar shifting nature of the overlying strata, which 
 cannot be disturbed extensively without incurring the danger of slides of a 
 disastrous nature. 
 
 1 A previous attempt in November. 1862, made b.v way of Vermilion Bay, in gunboats 
 had proved unsuccessful. 
 
19 
 
 For commercial reasons, also, the salt should be mined dry, in order to 
 avoid the expense of subsequent drying. Indeed, there remains but one 
 method of permanent mining ; namely, that by well-constructed shafts, 
 and protected galleries in the salt itself. The extraction of salt will be 
 carried on by workings upon the plan of so-called compartments or squares, 
 supported by walls and pillars, as in the mines of Wieliczka in Poland, 
 and of Yic and Dieuze in the east of France. On no account should the 
 earth-strata immediately overlying the deposit, or on either side of it, be 
 disturbed, except by the necessary shafts. Some of the present pits may 
 be turned to advantage as shafts, or at least rendered harmless by such 
 an alteration. 
 
 The proper course is, tirst of all to bore to the bottom of the salt (or, if unexpect- 
 edly thick, as far as practicable), for the purpose of disclosing not only its thickness, 
 but also its stratigraphical conditions. Should the mass prove free from layers of clay 
 or gypsum, the question of the position and kind of workings' will depend principally 
 upon considerations of permanent economy and mine-construction. If, on the other 
 hand, such layers be encountered, their position will determine the level of galleries 
 and mode of operations. The conformity of the rock-salt of Petit Anse to the general 
 rule, of the occurrence of gypsum as a floor to such massive deposits, may be expected. 
 Should the bottom of the salt be struck within a depth of 200, or even 300 feet from 
 the surface, a main shaft should be sunk as deep as practicable without penetrating the 
 gypsum base so as to let in water, and galleries laid out at a low level. Should the 
 thickness of the rock-salt much exceed this limit, workings deeper than 200 to 300 feet 
 would be long deferred. This depth of shaft would give two or three tiers of workings, 
 and the protection of an ample roof to the uppermost, and powerful barriers between 
 those on different levels. 
 
 The common practice of reversing the proper order, and working the upper levels 
 first, should be avoided. Indeed, the low cost of sinking in the rock-salt of Petit 
 Anse, and the speed with which it can be carried on, remove the inducement which 
 exists in the case of deep mining in hard rock, to gain time and save expense by 
 subverting the true economy of the mine. 
 
 It is believed that by a suitable location of shafts, one main or engine-shaft may be 
 made to suffice for drainage and hoisting for many years to come. Accessory shafts 
 for ventilation and provisional hoisting (bucket-ways and man-shafts) may be sunk as 
 convenience requires, with reference to an ultimate plan. 
 
 The present shaft of the Company may be cribbed, and sunk deeper, and made, 
 perhaps, to serve as a main, or as an auxiliary, shaft, according to the plan adopted. 
 
 A thorough system of surface drainage should be one of the first under- 
 takings, in order that the washings of the hills may not sink into the earth, 
 or accumulate as they now do in temporary ponds near the mines. 
 
 There are no serious engineering difficulties to be overcome in under- 
 taking such a system of mining ; and the deeper the salt deposit extends, 
 the easier it will be to open within it capacious and perfectly safe work- 
 ings. The salt itself, so long as it is protected from the free action of 
 water, is a strong and solid rock, which will offer no obstacles to steady 
 mining. 
 
 Powder should not be used in the mines, since it blackeus and peue- 
 
20 
 
 trates the salt. Blasting should be but rarely resorted to, and, when neces- 
 sary, some other compound, such as gun-cotton, or mtro-glycerine, should 
 he substituted. 
 
 The machines used for under-cutting in European coal mines might be 
 introduced to advantage, provided the salt retains its homogeneous char- 
 acter. 
 
 Pumps will be necessary in sinking shafts and in working the mines; 
 but the chief object of the engineer should be not merely to pump water 
 out of these workings, but, as far as possible, to prevent its entrance ; since 
 any influx will prove, not a constant, but agrowing evil. 
 
 The salt may he ground and packed for market either at the mines, 
 or at New Orleans, or eventually at New Iberia. It is well, however, to 
 consider the advantage of keeping under one management the work both 
 of raising the salt and its preparation for market, by locating a mill at the 
 mines, and shipping ground-salt in sacks or barrels from the island. 
 The comparative rates of labor probably favor this plan, and any extra 
 power at the mines may be used for this purpose. By thus delivering 
 marketable salt from the mines, repeated handling will be avoided, while 
 the requisite bags or staves can be supplied by vessels returning from 
 New Orleans. 1 
 
 There are live miners’ dwellings near the old pits, forming what is called Miners’ 
 Village. These will afford accommodation for five miners’ families, and a number of 
 boarders. They are planked and battened frame houses. Other dwellings will be 
 required, so as to give to families separate tenements. The substantial shed over the 
 Company’s shaft can be altered into a regular shaft house. There is already a stable, 
 at a convenient distance from the present works, capable of accommodating eight 
 animals. 
 
 In addition to the improvements already made, the following expenditures will be 
 required to inaugurate fully the plan indicated: — 
 
 1. On the Mines proper — 
 
 Work on the present shaft ........ $3,000 
 
 Two additional shafts (estimated at 200 feet) .... 7,000 
 
 Gangways (2,000 feet), and tools for mining 5,000 
 
 Gangway tracks (2,000 feet, 16 lbs. T-rail) .... 1,600 
 
 25-horse steam-engine, boilers, &c., with setting of same . . 10,000 
 
 Pump and gear for engine shaft 2,500 
 
 Horse-whims, &c., for two sub-shafts 1,500 
 
 Cars for gangways 3,000 
 
 Dump, with screen, &c. 2,500 
 
 Covered shute at landing ........ 3,000 
 
 $39,100— $39,100 
 
 1 At Stassfurth, the mills in use for grinding rock-salt are constructed like the common coffee- 
 mill. Twelve of these grind, together, 300 centners (1,684 tons) per hour, or 2,835 pounds each. 
 The ground salt from these mills then passes over horizontal mill-stones, by which it is convert- 
 ed to fine powder. This combined operation is performed at a cost of six pfennings (If cents) 
 per centner (113.42G lbs.) 
 
21 
 
 2. On Mink transportation and surface improvements — 
 
 Railroad and track to new landing (-J m.) 7,500 
 
 Cars for do. 6,000 
 
 Mules 2,500 
 
 New landing opposite month of Saline Bayou .... 5,000 
 
 Superintendent’s house 3,000 
 
 Office, $500; store, $2,000; blacksmith’s shop, $800. . . 3,300 
 
 20 miners’ houses, @ $500 ; additional stables, $500 . . . 10,500 
 
 $37,800— 37,800 
 
 3. ON GENERA!, IMPROVEMENTS — 
 
 Road to New Iberia, and road on island $10,000 
 
 Draining and filling up old shafts 2,000 
 
 General contingencies of all kinds 30,000 
 
 $42,000— 42,000 
 
 4. ON TRANSPORTATION TO New ORLEANS — 
 
 Dredging channel, tug-boat, &c. (estimate not possible : it is 
 presumed that this work, with the cost of warehouses, ma- 
 chinery for handling and crushing the salt, wherever located, 
 will require a provision of, say) $50,000— 50,000 
 
 5. Outlays in the nature of advances — 
 
 For stocking the store $2,500 
 
 For carrying on the general business, shipping salt, &c., until re- 
 turns are made, a reserve of, at least 50,000 
 
 $52,500— 52,500 
 
 Grand total $221,400 
 
 An eventual expenditure of $250,000 from the working capital should, therefore, be 
 provided for, though it is evident that this sum need not be immediately laid out. 
 Possibly some returns from sales may be obtained before the whole has been expended. 
 At all events, there would be a considerable amount of salt on hand to the credit of 
 the Company. 
 
22 
 
 It remains to consider how the salt should be transported to commercial 
 centres. 
 
 There are several routes by which the salt of Petit Anse may in future 
 be carried to market. They are not all practicable at present, nor are 
 those the most available now which will probably be the most advan- 
 tageous hereafter. Several of these routes will be briefly described and 
 discussed. 
 
 1. Navigation by way of the Bayou Petit Anse, Vermilion Bay , 
 Southwest Pass, and thence direct to New Orleans, Galveston , and other 
 ports. This route can be made available at less expense than any other, 
 since it requires only one-half or three-fourths of a mile dredging in the 
 bayou. If barges are used on the bayou, it will be necessary to establish 
 a depot at Southwest Pass, and reload the salt in sea-going vessels. 
 The best course, if practicable, would be to employ small schooners, which 
 could navigate both the bayou and the sea, and thus avoid the necessity 
 of reloading. 
 
 If it is desired to bring salt to market and realize its value, during the 
 first year of operations, probably the best course for the Company would 
 be to dredge the Petit Anse Bayou at its own expense, furnish a tug-boat, 
 and then contract for carrying with individual captains of schooners. 
 There is sufficient competition in the coasting trade to facilitate such an 
 arrangement. It should not cost more than $3.00 a ton to carry salt, in 
 this way, from Petit Anse to New Orleans or Galveston ; and this without 
 reference to the daily'produetion of the mines. 
 
 2. Railroad transportation to New Iberia, and navigation by the 
 Bayou Teche to Brashear City on Berwick's Bay, and from there either 
 by way of Berwick's Bay to New Orleans, or by the Atchafalaya and 
 connecting bayous to the mouth of Red River. 
 
 Transportation by this railroad from Brashear City to New Orleans 
 is at present out of the question, as its use would require a re-handling 
 
of the salt at Brashear City ; and would also subject it to the excessive 
 tariff’ of freights charged by the railroad company. 
 
 An important advantage presented by the New Iberia route would be 
 its opening to the mines a traffic with that town, a point of future 
 commercial importance, and convenient as a centre of supplies, and as a 
 basis for the mercantile operations of the Company . 1 This town is situated 
 on the line of the projected extension of the Opelousas Railroad, and 
 will therefore be a station on the great Texas route. The Houston 
 Railroad is already constructed to the Louisiana line, and will be con- 
 tinued to New Iberia, to form a junction with the New Orleans, Opelousas 
 and G. W. road. New Iberia may then, without difficulty, become a centre 
 for the packing business, consuming the cattle of Texas and the salt of 
 Petit Anse. Meanwhile, the Salt Company would find advantage in the 
 facility of procuring workmen and materials ; and, the railroad being 
 once constructed from the island to New Iberia, salt could be transported 
 to New Orleans by water more cheaply than in any other way, until the 
 whole line of railway communication be complete, and the railroad 
 company offer reasonable terms, which it does not at present seem 
 inclined to do. 
 
 A second great advantage of the New Iberia route is the opportunity 
 offered for shipping salt to the mouth of Red River, which is the best 
 place for a main depot to supply the markets of the Mississippi Yalley. 
 This route requires surveys and thorough examination ; but it is said by 
 navigators to be practicable. It is not recommended as immediately 
 available : but the fact that it may become so is an argument in favor 
 of the New Iberia railroad. 
 
 Finally, the route via New Iberia has the great advantage of being 
 an internal one, and putting the mines in direct communication with 
 
 1 New Iberia is situated in latitude 30° N., and longitude 91° 45' W. of Greenwich, on the 
 right bank of the Bayou Teche, the banks of which are, at that point, above 15-20 feet high. 
 
 The inhabitants of the town, from 1,500 to 2,000 in number, are largely of French descent. 
 
 The Teche is navigable up to this point for steamers and barges of considerable size. 
 
 The town is surrounded by a large area of highly fertile land, not subject to overflow, and 
 cut up into small farms. 
 
 From this point run three weekly stages to Texas, and communication is had three times a 
 week by steamer with Martinsville and Brashear City. It will be a most important station of 
 the New Orleans and Houston Railroad, and is already a principal stopping place for Texan 
 drovers. The main business is at present the lumber trade. Several saw-mills are in operation. 
 The condition of affairs seems prosperous. 
 
 The prices of living are about the same as in New Orleans. Wages range as follows : — 
 
 White male labor, $25 to $30 per month, with board and lodging. 
 
 Colored male labor, $10 to $15 per month, “and found” — an item amounting to about $150 
 annually. 
 
 Colored female labor, $7 to $10 per month, “and found.” 
 
 Fuel per cord, at dealers’ rates, $2 to $2.50 per cord. 
 
24 
 
 numerous local markets ; whereas, in shipping by sea, all the products 
 must go to one depot, and be re-distributed. By the assistance of direct 
 communication with the interior, the Petit Anse salt could command all 
 these markets with ease. 
 
 These facts render it certain that sooner or later the main communica- 
 tion of the island will be with New Iberia. The only objection to the 
 opening of this route at once is the cost of the railroad (about eight miles) 
 from the mines to that point, which ought to be deferred until the mines 
 are in successful operation. It is therefore recommended that the route 
 via Bayou Petit Anse be employed for the present, and the railroad to 
 New Iberia be looked upon as a future necessity. The prairie road from 
 the island to New Iberia should, however, be immediately improved, as, 
 for many reasons, easy communication is desirable. The outlay of 
 $10,000, to render this road permanent, would soon be reimbursed in the 
 saving of time and labor in teaming ; and the road would be available 
 afterwards as a foundation for the railway. 
 
 The result of a mining enterprise, based on the Petit Anse salt deposit, 
 depends— 
 
 1. On the character and extent of that deposit; 
 
 2. On the existing demand for the product of the mines ; 
 
 3. On the possibility of competition with existing sources of supply. 
 
 The first of these heads has received sufficient explanation. Concern- 
 ing the demand for salt, which ought not to be exceeded by the production, 
 it may be remarked that the importations of English and West Indian 
 salt into New Orleans, according to the commercial statistics of that port, 
 for three years previous to 1860 (after which period the normal conditions 
 were deranged by the war, and have scarcely yet been restored), were as 
 follows : — i 
 
 Year. 1857-58. 1858-59. 1859-60. 
 
 English salt . . 669,873 640,866 852,324 sacks. 
 
 Turk’s Island salt . 168,557 183,935 368,620 “ 
 
 These sacks contain about 210 pounds, or three bushels each. The 
 quantity of English salt being assumed at 700,000, and that of Turk’s 
 Island salt at 200,000 sacks annually, and one-third of the English salt 
 being subtracted as fine salt, we have a total importation of about 
 700,000 sacks — a little over 70,000 tons — of coarse salt imported into New 
 Orleans. Allowing 30,000 tons for the rest of the Southern ports, we have 
 a grand total of 100,000 tons per annum of that quality of salt with 
 
25 
 
 which the Petit Anse rock-salt is especially able to compete. This 
 represents a daily production of 350 tons, at the most ; more than which 
 will glut the Southern market. By great cheapness of mining, the Petit 
 Anse salt can be carried into more distant fields, to compete successfully 
 with foreign and native coarse salts upon grounds hitherto considered their 
 own. The whole importation of English coarse salt, for instance, is stated 
 to have been, before the war, four times as great as that of the single 
 port of New Orleans. 1 It is a question to be determined hereafter, how 
 far north the Petit Anse salt could be profitably sent. Doubtless, under 
 the protection of the present tariff, its prospects are good ; but an import- 
 ant question is whether, without protection, this salt can compete success- 
 fully with foreign importations, in the Southern market. 
 
 The Petit Anse salt is here considered as competing mainly with foreign salt, imported 
 through the Southern ports. Hence, only the importation of English and West Indian 
 “ coarse-fine ” at Now Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, and Mobile, has been assumed 
 as a basis of calculation concerning the market open to the product of Petit Anse. The 
 extent of this market is limited by the cost of production and transportation. At 
 present, St. Louis may be considered the northern limit, since at that place the English 
 salt, transported via the Mississippi, meets the native manufactured salt of the Northern 
 States. As has been already observed, it is uncertain how far beyond this present limit 
 the Petit Anse salt can be profitably carried. 
 
 At Syracuse, solar or coarse salt amounts to about two-sevenths of the whole 
 production; at Saginaw, about one-half. Ohio manufactures but a very small propor- 
 tion of solar salt — mainly at Zanesville. 
 
 The working capacity of establishments for the manufacture of salt within the 
 United States exceeds in every instance the demand of their respective markets. Syra- 
 cuse could manufacture more than twelve million bushels ; while Ohio and Michigan, it 
 is claimed, could increase their production almost without limit. A monopoly, inde- 
 pendent of cost of transportation, is therefore out of the question. 
 
 The statistics of production and consumption for the whole United States, previous 
 to the war (in 1858), were as follows: — 
 
 New York produced 
 
 7.000. 000 bushels (@ 56 pounds). 
 
 4.000. 000 “ “ 
 
 Ohio “ 
 
 Virginia “ 
 
 1,900,000 
 
 U 
 
 Pennsylvania “ 
 
 1,000,000 
 
 U 
 
 Kentucky “ 
 
 250,000 
 
 U 
 
 Florida “ 
 
 100,000 
 
 U 
 
 Texas “ 
 
 25,000 
 
 u 
 
 Massachusetts “ 
 
 15,000 
 
 u 
 
 Michigan “ 
 
 5,000 
 
 u 
 
 Illinois “ 
 
 5,000 “ 
 
 u 
 
 Total home manufacture, 
 
 14,300,000 “ 
 
 
 Foreign importations, 
 
 17,165,000 “ 
 
 
 Total consumption, 
 Equal to 881,020 tons. 
 
 31,465,000 
 
 
 1 The yield of the Cheshire salt-field for 1864 was 58,030 tons of rock-salt, and 695,558 of 
 refined, against 65,136 tons rock, and 754,700 refined, of the year previous. From Stoke and 
 Droitwich, in Worcestershire, in 1864, the total supply was 167,000 tons, of which about 40,000 
 tons were exported. For the same year, 17,245 tons of rock-salt were raised at Belfast, Ireland. 
 
 From the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were exported to the United States 
 the following quantities of salt: in 1862, 147,302 tons (£44,044); 1863, 69,181 tons (£26,977); 
 1864, 86,208 tons (£36,623). — Mineral Statistics, London, 1865. 
 
26 
 
 For the present production full statistics are wanting. Virginia has fallen off 
 largely, in consequence of repeated destruction of the works during the war. Michigan, 
 on the other hand, has increased its annual yield, which is stated to have been, for 
 1866, 60,000 bushels of solar, and 1,650,000 bushels of fine, making in all 1,710,000 
 bushels, an amount which falls short, however, of the production of 1865, by 400,000 
 to 450,000 bushels. 
 
 In an official report to the Government by General Banks, in 1862, 
 it is stated, that the average price in New Orleans of Liverpool ground, 
 so-called, alum-salt, in sacks (commonly known as l ' coarse-fine”), has been, 
 from on shipboard, during the last fifteen years, about 50 cents per sack of 
 about three bushels (70 lbs.), or one quarter of a cent per lb., including 
 the cost of the sack. This would he about $3 (gold) per ton for the salt 
 alone — a price scarcely exceeding the cost at Liverpool. It is the well- 
 known policy of English manufacturers to break down competition by 
 selling at cost if necessary, until they have gained control of the market ; 
 and the opportunity of shipping salt as ballast almost without expense, in 
 vessels coming for cotton, enables them, in the present instance, to sell at 
 the above rates. Those rates are the lowest, however, that the English 
 manufacturer will he able to afford ; and if American mines can once 
 .compete with them, the market will be won. At present, the tariff gives 
 a protection of 18 cents per 100 lbs. in bulk, and 21 cents in sacks, 
 barrels, or other packages, or at least $3.60 (gold) per ton. 
 
 According to all the information which can at present be obtained, the 
 cost of lump salt on board vessel at Petit Anse should not exceed $1 per 
 ton, when the mines are fairly open; 1 and transportation to New Orleans 
 (300 miles) should not exceed $3 per ton. The agent of the Mississippi 
 Valley Towboat Transportation Company offers to carry the salt from 
 New Orleans to St. Louis (1,200 miles), in sack or in bulk, unloading 
 included, for $1 per ton, which amounts to $3.50 for the carrying alone. 
 This compares very favorably with the propositions made to the Salt 
 Company for the sea-transportation of less than one quarter the distance. 
 The salt could be put in New Orleans, then, at a cost of $4 per ton, and 
 in St. Louis at $8. 
 
 The estimate of $3 per ton, as the maximum cost of transportation from Petit Anse 
 to New Orleans, is based : — 
 
 1. On the representations made to Dr. Goessmann by experienced navigators, not 
 interested in any contract or scheme with the Petit Anse Company. 
 
 2. On the analogy of the coastwise coal-trade of the Atlantic States. 
 
 3. On the rates of transportation now ruling on the Lower Mississippi and the Gulf 
 of Mexico. 
 
 1 The cost of raising salt at Stassfurth is something less than 2-J silver groscheu (6 cents) per 
 centner (113.426 lbs.); or about $1.06 per ton, which is the price at which it sold, without prepa- 
 ration, in 1864. 
 
27 
 
 The estimate of one dollar per ton a9 mining cost is reckoned upon an annual yield 
 of not less than 80,000, nor more than 100,000 tons. 
 
 Such a yield can be looked for only after the preparatory work of sinking shafts shall 
 have been completed, and the driving of gangways made extensive progress. The pro- 
 duction of the first year would only comprise the amount of salt removed in these 
 preparatory workings. The regular shipping business of the Company may be deferred 
 until the second year, or even later ; or the salt may be shipped from time to time, as it 
 accumulates. A uniform daily production during this period can scarcely be expected. 
 
 The greatest difficulty in connection with these estimates is the uncertainty of the 
 present data concerning the extent — especially the thickness — of the deposit. In case 
 this should largely exceed the present ascertained limits, the plan of workings could be 
 proportionately extended, at a somewhat diminished ratio of original outlay; since 
 many permanent improvements are made at the outset once for all, and, within certain 
 bounds, the greater distribution of running expenses also follows from the greater scale 
 of operations. 
 
 To approximate, therefore, to an estimate of the cost of production, the condition 
 of settled and regular working must be given — a condition which depends altogether, 
 as to time, on the skill and energy with which developments are carried on. Mean- 
 while, there seems no reason to doubt that a yield of 15,000 (or more) tons may be 
 expected from the shaft and gangway workings, during one year of judicious and 
 skilful development. This should be more than trebled the second year, and so on 
 until one set of horizontal workings shall reach their highest capacity, approximately 
 assumed at 80,000 to 100,000 tons. 
 
 Should the salt prove sufficiently massive or thick to admit a second series of 
 workings, the hoisting capacity of the shaft will be the only limit to the production of 
 one set of workings within double the maximum of the first tier (or 160,000 to 200,000 
 tons). 
 
 As a part of the cost of production, account is taken of salaries and wages, wear and 
 tear of machinery, fuel, implements, and feed for animals ; and of the interest on 
 original capital expended in mining works proper. The interest on capital laid out in 
 roads, vessels, dredging, warehouses, and other surface improvements, is not included, 
 but must be made a lien on the profits of the enterprise. 
 
 In the absence of exact American precedents, it is believed that the conditions of 
 labor and construction in American coal-mining afford the best analogy to the case 
 under consideration, due allowance being made for the great difference in wages, in 
 favor of the proposed enterprise. 
 
 A miner will probably take out in stall-workings from 8 to 12 tons of rock salt per 
 diem , at an actual cost for wages, tools, and appliances, of 30 to 40 cents per ton. The 
 margin between this sum and the ultimate cost of $1 per ton, amounting, as it would 
 to some $50,000 per annum on a yield of 80,000 tons, is ample to cover all other 
 expenses of production above enumerated, together with a reasonable allowance for 
 contingencies. 
 
 It should be distinctly understood that the estimate given for this production does 
 not apply to the cost of salt taken out in sinking and driving. This labor is to be 
 regarded as permanent improvement, the expense of which, may, or may not be covered 
 by the mineral extracted. 
 
 The present price of English “ coarse-fine ” salt in New Orleans is 
 $16 per ton, of which perhaps $5 is the cost of the sacks, and $6 the 
 United States duty, leaving $5 currency as the price of the salt. 
 
 It is evident that the salt of Petit Anse might possibly drive the 
 English salt from the market without a tariff, but that with one it 
 would certainly do so, by virtue of its superior purity and cheapness. 
 
 A few words are needed as to the prospects of increased demand in 
 new directions, and the uses to which this salt is best adapted. 
 
 The applications of salt depend largely on its grain or physical con- 
 
28 
 
 dition. For dairy purposes, time-grained boiled salt is generally pre- 
 ferred ; for table and other domestic uses, the market may be considered 
 as equally divided between the two kinds ; while for packing, the coarse, 
 hard crystals of solar or rock-salt ai’e almost exclusively used. 
 
 A field of unlimited extent may be opened in the use of salt for 
 manufacturing purposes. A protective duty on foreign soda would create 
 a home consumption of hundreds of thousands of tons of salt annually, 
 for the soda manufacture alone. 1 
 
 The facts above detailed indicate the true policy of a company under- 
 taking to develop the resources of Petit Anse. That policy should be, — 
 
 1. To expend as little as possible in extensive outside investments 
 before the mines are successfully in operation. 
 
 2. To take advantage of the tariff to obtain and hold the Southern 
 market. 
 
 3. To proceed, after these results are attained, to open permanent 
 routes of communication, and extend operations to the utmost limits 
 warranted by transportation. 
 
 4. To encourage as much as possible the manufacture of soda in the 
 South. 
 
 The construction of a railroad to New Iberia would require an outlay 
 of some $150,000 apart from the expenditure for improvement of naviga- 
 tion, mines, machinery, buildings, wagon-roads, &c. — above estimated at 
 about $250,000. For future enlargement of operations, the means should 
 be drawn mainly from the earnings of the enterprise itself. 
 
 From the foregoing statement the following conclusions may be 
 presented : 
 
 1. That the salt deposit of Petit Anse Island is one of superior 
 quality, and already proved to be sufficiently extensive to afford a basis 
 for mining on a large scale for many years, and that its real extent is 
 indefinitely greater than has been so far discovered. 
 
 2. That a demand for such salt already exists, which would absorb a 
 large production. 
 
 1 The consumption of salt in 1852, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, for the manufac- 
 ture of alkali, was 137,547 gross tons. This amount was used in the production of soda-ash, 
 71,493 tons; crystal soda, 61,044 tons; bicarbonate of soda, 5,762 tons; bleaching powder, 
 13,100 tons; total value of products, £1,234,580 By doubling these figures the present yield 
 and value of the manufacture may be approximately determined — the manufacture in Lancashire 
 having greatly increased of late years. — Muspratt’s Chem. as Applied to the Arts, vol ii., p. 938. 
 
29 
 
 3. That the English and West Indian salts, which now supply this 
 demand in the Southern States, can be supplanted with ease by that of 
 these mines ; and with profit, so long as the tariff continues to afford pro- 
 tection. 
 
 4 . That new demands may be created, increasing to an unlimited 
 extent the consumption of this salt. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 I. 
 
 From the following tabular statement of Borings, it appears that salt has been 
 struck in Borings A, B, E, G, R, T, and U. To these must be added the working pits 
 numbered on the map from 1 to 10. A line drawn through the outermost borings of 
 this group, say from A to E, B, U, and A again, would inclose the space of about 144 
 acres, referred to in the text, as the area proved to be underlaid by salt. 
 
 Further discussion of the data afforded by this table will be found in Art. II. of this 
 appendix. 
 
 The top of the piles at Avery’s Landing are taken as high-tide level = 100. 
 
 Date. 
 
 Holes. 
 
 Level, High 
 Tide = 100. 
 
 Deptil 
 
 Level of Bottoms 
 below High Tide. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 
 
 
 ft- 
 
 ft- 
 
 
 Aug. 3 and 4 
 
 A 
 
 114-27 
 
 35-00 
 
 20-73 
 
 Salt. 
 
 Aug. 6 and 7 
 
 B 
 
 108-22 
 
 40-00 
 
 31-78 
 
 Salt. 
 
 Aug. 9 
 
 O 
 
 111-04 
 
 37-00 
 
 25-96 
 
 
 Aug. 10 
 
 D 
 
 100-08 
 
 38 00 
 
 37-92 
 
 
 Aug. 11 and 13 
 
 E 
 
 105-21 
 
 31-50 
 
 26-29 
 
 Salt. 
 
 Aug. 13, 14, and 15 
 
 F 
 
 111-55 
 
 53-50 
 
 41-95 
 
 
 Aug. 16, 17, and 18 
 
 G 
 
 110-37 
 
 31-00 
 
 20-63 
 
 Salt earth. 
 
 Aug. 20 
 
 H 
 
 102-59 
 
 36-50 
 
 33-91 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 98-89 
 
 46-96 
 
 48-07 
 
 . 
 
 
 K 
 
 126-65 
 
 42-00 
 
 15-35 
 
 
 
 L 
 
 128-92 
 
 34-00 
 
 5-08 
 
 Auger broke. \ ^ 
 
 
 M 
 
 128-56 
 
 35-00 
 
 6-44 
 
 Auger broke. \ S 
 
 
 N 
 
 115-32 
 
 21-25 
 
 5-93 
 
 D 
 
 
 O 
 
 125-77 
 
 44-00 
 
 18-23 
 
 m 
 
 
 P 
 
 121-65 
 
 41-00 
 
 19-35 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 122-64 
 
 44-00 
 
 22-36 
 
 
 Oct. 15 and 16 
 
 R 
 
 108-20 
 
 27-50 
 
 19-30 
 
 Salt. 
 
 Oct. 16 and 17 
 
 S 
 
 101-52 
 
 46-80 
 
 45-28 
 
 
 Oct. 19 
 
 T 
 
 131-56 
 
 35-00 
 
 3-44 
 
 Salt. 
 
 Oct. 20, 22, and 23 . 
 
 U 
 
 135-63 
 
 33-90 
 
 1-73 above. 
 
 Salt. 
 
 
 V 
 
 142-97 
 
 41-40 
 
 1-57 above. 
 
 
 
 w 
 
 125-35 
 
 47-30 
 
 2195 below. 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 133-71 
 
 
 
 
31 
 
 I I. 
 
 The comparisons made in the Report between Stations U and B, and Stations A and 
 T, may be also extended to other opposite stations; for instance, 
 
 Station Q is 1,860 feet north of Station R. 
 
 At Q, we have : level of ground, 22-64 feet above tide ; depth of hole, 45 feet ; no 
 salt at 22 - 36 feet below high tide. 
 
 At R : level of ground 8 - 2 feet above tide ; depth of boring, 27'5 feet. Salt struck 
 at 19 '3 feet below high tide. A difference of at least more than 3 -06 feet in the level 
 of the surface of the salt. 
 
 Station G is 2,700 feet west of Station U. At G, salt earth was found 22-63 feet 
 below tide. At U, salt was struck 1'73 feet above tide; giving a difference in level of 
 22'33 feet. 
 
 These comparisons indicate what has already been deduced from geological evidence, 
 namely, that the surface of the salt presents no uniformly inclined plane, like a stratum 
 upheaved or tilted, but slopes in different directions, having its highest discovered point 
 at U, and probably owing its configuration entirely to erosive action. It follows, there- 
 fore, that the absence of salt in 16 borings, even supposing these borings to have been 
 properly made, and, so far as they go, trustworthy, is no conclusive evidence of inter- 
 ruptions or sudden terminations of the deposit ; but must pass for an indication of only 
 local depressions in the surface. The question of its superficial extent is thus left open, 
 with strong probabilities in favor of a much larger area than the one now ascertained. 
 
 I II. 
 
 The following data, derived from a statement of Mr. John M. Avery, a son of .Judge 
 Avery, present a sketch of the history of the salt pits. Mr. Avery was charged by the 
 Confederate General, D. Taylor, with the general superintendence of the works. 
 
 The pits were ten in number, and are ranged in the order of their age in the following 
 table : — 
 
 No. 
 
 Name op Pit. 
 
 
 Depth at which Salt was Struck. 
 
 Depth in 
 the Salt. 
 
 4 
 
 Judge D. D. Avery’s Pit. 
 
 17 feet below the surface. 
 
 ft 
 
 38 
 
 3 
 
 Hays & Barlow 
 
 44 
 
 12 to 17 
 
 44 
 
 a 
 
 44 
 
 24 to 31 
 
 2l 
 
 Confederate Govt. 
 
 44 
 
 17 to 20 
 
 44 
 
 a 
 
 44 
 
 25 to 30 
 
 5 
 
 Mississippi 
 
 44 
 
 15 to 17 
 
 u 
 
 <4 
 
 
 12 to 15 
 
 6 
 
 John M. Avery’s 
 
 u 
 
 15 to 17 
 
 u 
 
 44 
 
 “ \ 
 
 9 
 
 Mcllhenny’8 
 
 u 
 
 14 
 
 u 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 10 to 15 
 
 8 
 
 Georgia 
 
 u 
 
 15 to 17 
 
 u 
 
 (4 
 
 44 
 
 15 to 20 
 
 10 
 
 Alabama 
 
 u 
 
 17 
 
 u 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 12 to 13 
 
 7 
 
 Opelousas 
 
 u 
 
 17 
 
 u 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 10 
 
 Kemarks. 
 
 First discov- 
 ery in Pit 4, 
 May 4, 1862. 
 
 In none of the 
 pits was there 
 any change in 
 the deposit at 
 the lowest 
 depth of work- 
 ing. 
 
 The present managers have opened an additional pit (called the “ shaft house ” upon 
 the map) northwest of No. 4. It is said to be 20 to 30 feet deep. Salt struck at 17 
 feet below the surface — the pit now 9 to 10 feet in the salt. It is being worked by 
 blasting, under the charge of Colonel Greenleaf. 
 
 Dr. Goessmann’s pit was located near the “ shaft house,” in order to benefit by the 
 bailing, which is continually going on in the above pit. 
 
32 
 
 IY. 
 
 The present course of the salt trade can hardly be considered established, as the 
 changes of tariff and irregularities in certain branches of exportation, influencing deci- 
 dedly our importation of salt, are still active as disturbing causes. The main fluctua- 
 tions are in the autumn season, when the peculiar condition of our export trade in 
 cotton and grain facilitates a large importation of foreign salt. 
 
 Y. 
 
 The cost of manufacturing salt is of course much higher than before the war. The 
 difference, however, is of more consequence to the consumer than the manufacturer, 
 since the duty on foreign salt enables the home product to compete with it. 
 
 The following statistics show the relative conditions of different establishments at 
 different times. The cost of boiled salt depends mainly on the price of fuel and the rate 
 of wages. Solar salt is generally somewhat cheaper. 
 
 Syracuse. — In 1857, one barrel of fine salt, containing 5 bushels or about 280 pounds, 
 cost the manufacturer, barrel included, $1.05, and was sold at $1.25; the barrel cost 
 about 26 cents. In 1865 the barrel of fine salt cost $3.27, and was sold at $2.35 ; the 
 barrel and packing costing 50 cents. For further illustration see the Annual Reports 
 of the Superintendent of the Onondaga Salt Springs — particularly the Report of Janu- 
 ary, 1866 ; also the Report of the Committee of the Senate of New York on the manufac- 
 ture of salt , March , 1863 ; also Testimony in Regard to the Distribution of Salt Water, 
 the Manufacture of Salt, &c., before the Assembly Committee , February , 1863. 
 
 Michigan. — Prof. Winchell stated, in 1862, the cost of making salt at Saginaw to be 
 64 cents per barrel of 5 bushels, without the barrel. In 1866. it is said that the cost of 
 one barrel of fine salt delivered on board the vessel is $1.25 to $1.30, and the market 
 price (in lots of 5,000 barrels) at Saginaw is $1.65 to $1.85. The price of the same lots 
 at Chicago is $2.20 to $2.35; or, in car-loads, at Saginaw, $1.90 to $2.00 per barrel; at 
 Chicago, $2.50 to $2.55 per barrel. 
 
 Freights from Saginaw to lake ports have been very high during the past year, 
 ranging as follows: — 
 
 From Saginaw to Chicago, per barrel .... 45-50 cents. 
 
 “ “ to Milwaukee, “ 45-50 “ 
 
 “ “ to Detroit and Toledo .... 40-45 “ 
 
 Rates of freight from Syracuse via Erie Canal were, in 1862: — 
 
 To Chicago and Milwaukee, per barrel .... 22 - 2 cents. 
 
 To Lake Erie ports, per barrel 17'6 “ 
 
 ( Vide Senate Report, 1863, and Testimony on the Distribution of Salt, &c., p. 4-5. 
 
 YI. 
 
 The following table shows the policy heretofore pursued by the United States Gov- 
 ernment in relation to this manufacture : — 
 
 A. — Duties on Foreign Salt. 
 
 1789 to 1798 — 6 cents per bushel of 56 pounds. 
 
 1798 “ 1807—20 “ “ “ 
 
33 
 
 1807 to 1812 — No duty. 
 
 1812 “ 1830 — 20 cents per bushel of 56 pounds. 
 
 1831—15 
 
 1832 and 1833—10 “ “ “ 
 
 1834 “ 1835—9-4 “ “ “ 
 
 1836 “ 1837—8-8 “ “ “ 
 
 1838 “ 1839—8-2 “ “ “ 
 
 1840 “ 1841—7-6 “ “ “ 
 
 1842 to 1846—8 “ “ 
 
 1846 “ 1857 — An ad valorem duty of 20 per cent., which, considering the valua- 
 tion of salt at the port of shipment, amounted, practically, to 1 cent, per bushel of 
 56 pounds. 
 
 1857 — An ad valorem duty of 15 per cent. 
 
 1865 — 18 cents on 100 pounds in bnlk, and 24 cents on 100 pounds in packages of 
 any description, or from 10 to 13 - 5 cents per bushel. 
 
 The average duty on foreign salt has therefore been, since the formation of the Gov- 
 ernment, 10 cents per bushel. 
 
 B. — Internal Revenue Tax. 
 
 1866 — On home-manufactured salt, a tax of 3 cents per 100 pounds, or about 1-7 
 cents per bushel. This leaves the protection of the tariff, at present, about 8-3 cents 
 per bushel. 
 
 The only State tax now imposed on the manufacture of salt is that which the State 
 of New York, owning the ground worked by the Onondaga Salt Reservation, collects 
 from the manufacturers whom it supplies with brine. This tax amounts to 1 cent per 
 bushel ; but it can hardly be considered a burden, as the State assumes the expenses of 
 pumping, inspection, and superintendency, and delivers the brine at the respective works. 
 
 y ii. 
 
 The present prices of salt in the various markets of the country are given below. In 
 order to understand the bearings of these figures, it is well to keep in mind the following 
 facts : — 
 
 One bushel of coarse salt weighs from 70 to 75 lbs. 
 
 One bushel of common fine salt (boiled) weighs from 56-60 lbs. 
 
 One bushel of salt, when not otherwise specified, is assumed to equal 56 lbs. 
 
 One sack of English coarse-ground salt is equal to three bushels of 70 lbs. each, or 
 210 lbs. The Chamber of Commerce at New Orleans has established a standard of 
 204 lbs., allowing 6 lbs. for loss of weight. 
 
 One car-load of salt is usually considered equal to 82-83 sacks of 204 lbs. each, or 
 about 16,800 lbs. 
 
 Fifty lbs. of salt are considered necessary, at New Orleans, for packing one barrel of 
 pork. 
 
 The usual ton employed is the light ton, of 2,000 lbs. avoirdupois, or 28-57 bushels 
 of 70 lbs. each. The English or heavy ton (2,240 lbs.) is taken as equal to 30 bushels of 
 coarse salt (70-75 lbs.) 
 
 One barrel of common fine salt (boiled) contains 280 lbs., or 5 bushels (56 lbs. each). 
 A barrel of coarse salt contains the same quantity by weight, and is estimated at 
 5 bushels of 56 lbs. each upon all price-lists, where other measure is not expressly men- 
 tioned. 
 
 The following statistics of market price are taken from the commercial lists of the 
 dates specified : — 
 
 New Orleans, Deo. 8, 1866. 
 
 English coarse and fine salt per sack — 
 
 In store $1 85 
 
 5 
 
34 
 
 In cargo, old .......... 1 65-1 7 
 
 In cargo, new . . . . . . . . . . 1 75 
 
 Delivered in the city, coarse . . . . . . 2 10 
 
 Delivered ill the city, fine . . . . . . . 2 15 
 
 Turk’s Island, per bushel 70-75 cts. 
 
 Memphis, Deo. 10, 1866. 
 
 Coarse salt, per barrel of 280 lbs. ...... $3 25-3 50 
 
 Coarse salt, per barrel of 7 bushels 4 25 
 
 Liverpool, per sack . . . . . - v • • • 2 75-3 00 
 
 Liverpool, per barrel, fine ........ 5 00-5 25 
 
 Oxford, Miss., Deo. 10, 1866. 
 
 Liverpool fine salt per lb., at retail 4 cts. 
 
 One carload (82-83 sacks), from Memphis, costs . . . $30 00-32 00 
 
 Columbus, Ky., Deo. 13, 1866. 
 
 Kanawha salt, fine, per barrel, 280 lbs. . . . . $3 00 
 
 Ohio Run salt, fine, per barrel, 280 lbs 3 25 
 
 St. Louis, Deo. 13, 1866. 
 
 English ground coarse, per sack, 204 lbs. .... $2 50-2 65 
 
 Turk’s Island coarse, per sack, 204 lbs. . . . .2 20-2 30 
 
 Onondaga, per barrel, 280 lbs. ...... 3 10-3 20 
 
 Kanawha and Ohio, per barrel, 280 lbs. . . . . . 3 10 
 
 Cincinnati, Deo. 14, 1865. 
 
 Ohio River Salt Co. and Kanawha Salt Co. sell — 
 
 Common fine salt, per barrel, 280 lbs. 
 
 Dairy salt, per barrel “ ... 
 
 Table salt, per barrel “ . . . . 
 
 Turk’s Island, per bushel ..... 
 Liverpool coarse, per sack ..... 
 
 Syracuse— Price List of 1866. 
 
 At the works of the Salt Co. of Onondaga : — 
 
 Fine salt, per barrel of 280 lbs. . . . . . . $2 35 
 
 Coarse screened, per barrel of 280 lbs. . . . . . 2 40 
 
 Ground solar, per barrel of 280 lbs. . . . . . 2 40 
 
 Factory filled dairy, per barrel of 280 lbs. . . . . . 3 00 
 
 Fine salt, per bushel of 56 lbs., loose ..... 38 
 
 Coarse, screened, per bushel of 56 lbs., loose .... 39 
 
 Solar, dairy, per bushel of 56 lbs., loose ..... 48 
 
 Factory filled dairy, per bushel of 56 lbs., loose .... 49 
 
 New York, Deo. 29, 1866. 
 
 Onondaga F. F. dairy, per sack of 240 lbs. . . . $3 00 
 
 Onondaga solar, per bushel ..... 55 
 
 Onondaga common fine, per bushel ...... 45 
 
 “ Ashton” English fine, per sack of 240 lbs. (dealer’s jobbing 
 
 prices, currency) . . . . . . . . . 4 25 
 
 Liverpool ground and Turk’s Island salt (dealer’s jobbing prices, 
 
 currency), per bushel of 70 lbs. ..... 65-70 cl' 
 
 Liverpool ground, wholesale, per sack, currency . . .1 90-1 5 
 
 . $2 80 
 . 3 25 
 
 3 50 
 
 . . 75-80 cts. 
 
 2 50 
 
35 
 
 y 1 1 1 . 
 
 Captain Trinidad, of the IT. S. Mail steamer, on the Bayou Teohe, considered r well 
 informed, favor9 the opinion that, by means of strong barges and tug-boats, salt may be 
 carried directly from Petit Anse via Vermilion Bay and the Mississippi, for 26 cents 
 per sack to New Orleans, and for 64 cents to St. Louis. 
 
 The Atlantic Steamship Company of New Orleans offers to carry salt from that 
 port, in quantities of 1,000 sacks, at the following rates: — 
 
 To Galveston, 40 cents per sack. 
 
 To Mobile, 45 cents per sack. 
 
 To Memphis, 35 cents per sack. 
 
 Above Memphis (to St. Louis), 35 cents per sack. 
 
 I X . 
 
 A. Distances from Petit Anse Island to 
 
 New Iberia — air line. 7 miles. 
 
 New Iberia — by present-prairie road 9^ “ 
 
 Vermilion Bay — from the present landing . . . . 4 “ 
 
 Berwick’s Bay — from the present landing . . . . 84 “ 
 
 Sabine Pass, Texas 120 “ 
 
 New Orleans 304 “ 
 
 New Orleans — from Southwest Pass, Vermilion Bay . 275 “ 
 
 Mouth of Mississippi 204 “ 
 
 Mouth of Mississippi — from Southwest Pass . . . 175 “ 
 
 It is thought that five trips may be made within two months from Petit Anse to 
 New Orleans. 
 
 B. Distances from New Iberia to Brashear Cisty. 
 
 By steamer (Bayou Teche) 72 miles. 
 
 By present highway 56 “ 
 
 By projected New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western R. R. 46 “ 
 
 C. Distances from Brashear City 
 
 To Algiers (opposite N. O.), by N. 0., Opelousas and Gt. W. R. R. 80 miles. 
 To Galveston, by steamer 21 hours. 
 
 D. Distances from New Orleans 
 
 To St. Louis, by the Mississippi River .... 1,200 miles. 
 
NORTH 
 
 P L yV N 
 
 PETIT ANS F E ISLAND. 
 
0 PORTION 
 
 PRY'S ESTATE 
 
SURVEYED PORTION