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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul citchd sont filmdes A partir de Tangle supdrieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 515 73 j^BI > (V l^ ,»■." ;••> t^' [COl'Y] /ii? lO'i'^ r ', ■»•• . ,.d.. -v:* { Ih'.cl ' V': '- .. ,.t i '" If ci i;ti';, *.;■ L , , , ^iv; '' r RP P O R T '■^' "^ ''* ■'■'' ''-■•'•^'^'^^^^^' ■''■'= ■ ON THE ^^ /■r\-^^'-:'::':>^^^%t Salt Resources of Goderich, -1 ff- PROVINCE OF ONTARIO, [CANADA WEST] BY '» J*, r 'i.O -«; --t;? ; C. A. GOESSMANN, Ph. D., SYKACUSE, N. Y. ■ rvY :nil ' The town of Goderich. Couniy of Huron, Province of Ontario, Canada, is located upon eievaled grounds along the southern biUilc of the Maitlmd River, at its entrance into lake Huron. It covers a considerable area of level l»nd, and contains about 4000 inhabitants. The majority of its private dvwlliiigs and stores areola respectable character. The ISireets, which are wide and spacious radiate Irom tne stately Court Housm's, which, trom its size, and the extent ol" the public grounds surrounding it, re- jirrsents the most prominent feature of the town. The sa lubrious atmosphere, due to its peculiar location, lias given to the town some reputation as a desirable Summer lesort. The Northern Branch of the Grand Trunk Rail Uoad terminates within the Town limits. Three passenger trains leave daily, the extensive R. R. Depot, »)y way of JStratfurd, for the East and West, while a single R. fi. track enters the Maitland River Valley, running along the bank of the River to the wharfs in the Harbor ot Goderich, where an extensive Freight Depot completes the Rail Road ar- rangenjents for Lake freight transportation. The Harbour of Goderich, at the mouth ol the Maitland IB protected by two projecting bluffs, and is quite wpaeious and easy ot access lor vessels of every description, which maintain direct communication with the ports of the lower and upi:)er Lukes during the season of Navigation. ..*^.^-. RSH The Maitland River encircles the Town from N. to E. of S. E., its bed gives evidence of a considerable change of its Tolume of water at different seasons, or, in consequence of particular local meteorological causes. The peculiar way m which the main body of water has worn out a part of the River bed in the vicinity of Goderich, presents decided ud vantages to rendei>th© River for several miles upwards, navigable; the constfutfiion of one or two locks, with some dredging, would secure direct navigation from the Lake to the localities which are favorable to the erection of works for an advantageous development of the pecuhar resources 9f X3odericii. Tl]|e baaiks of ther river within the vioimty of Goderich are either abruptly rising towards the Town or as- cending gradually in form of terraces. The present water- mark of Rfe' River is from eighty to one hundred feet below the level of the adjoining mainland upon which the north- ern and^eastem part of Goderich is located. A noteworthy featiirc' of the Maitland River is its frequent and abrupt windings, a fact which manifests itself not only in the vici- nity of Goderich, but characterises its whole course from its source to its entrance into Lake Huron. Its main di- rection is for 6 to 8 miles S. E. along the Grand Trunk K. It», turning suddenly to the N. E, /. , r, iv The lands which border on the Maitland River Valley, ere mainly level, (with here and there slight undulations,)! and are but partially under cultivation. The soil consists of a considerable depth of a drift, composed near Goderiph, of a gray clayish soil, which is largely intermixed with sand and gravel, and js apparently very productive. The gener- al aspect of the country at large is that of a rich woodland.^ Forests of Beech, Maple, Ash and Oak, extend one hun- dred mil^ or more along the lake shore through Huron and Bruce Counties northwardly, and Lanibton County, towards the South. The Lake shore as a general rule is represented to be easy of access, affording a direct shipment gjf wood and lumber, by Lake, to the localities desired. ,i,iPntil quite recently Goderich presented but little interest beyond the mere fact of being a healthy and pleasant Lake shore town, , located at the Northern branch of the Grand Trunk Railroad, and serving ias a convenient place of tran- sit from Canada to the Michigan and Upper Lake Ports. To-day, Goderich claims to possess within its own limits attd its immediate vicinity, a Salt resource of considerable extent and of superior quality. The discovery of this valu- able resource was aecidental. Parties engaged in search- '};• ing for oil resolved to close up their wofks, without rega^rd to results, by going to the depth of one thousand feet. HTav- ing attained the depth of 960 feet, a highly saturated brine Was struck, instead of oil, and the well was at once con- verted to the manulacture of boiled salt, and is yet theonly one worked lor the purpose of making Salt, at Goderich. The first information of the existence of a salt manufac- turing establishment at Goderich came into my hands through the office of the Salt Co. of Onondaga, about the 80th March, 1867, by a circular issued by Greo, Rumball & Co, of Goderich, dated Dec. 21, 1«66, in which they an- nounced the completion of their works. Th^e actual in aiiu- facture of salt commenced, I presume, latfe in the fall of 186$. The mere fact of striking salt water instead of oil, changing the basis of operation from oil to salt, would' have attracted little attention, had not the advertisemenl? been accompanied by a letter of Professor T. Sterry Hunt; a distinguished chemist of Montreal, in which he states hfg analytical results with the remark, that the Goderich brine Was the most concentrated possible, and, at the same time, the purest known. A glance at the analytical statement could not but confirm me in the correctness of his con- clusions. Professor Hunt, says, "the brine tested was ob-"» tained on the 24th August, 1866 ; its specific gravity waS' found to be 1.205 equal to 100 degs. salometer. Oneihooe^i, and parts of the brine contained •' ,j r^/,-vl' Common Salt :«iJ u> ».lir., 259,000 'wiO .:idki'i Gypsum, 1,882 Chloride of Calcium, 0,432 ** -, Magnesium, 0,254 niiV' ■,;-j ♦•"A Saline Matter,. 261,668 «^'* .!« Hi'J Professor HttAt adds , " it appears that a wine pint of that brine will yield 2260 grains of salt and that 21.6 gal- lons will give a bushel (66 pounds) of salt," &c., &c. Taking into consideration, under such circumstances, th»* geological character of Goderich and vicinity^ a quite live-* ly interest was felt, and personal local enquiry in regard ta» the nature and extent of the newly opened Salt region de- cided upon. The results thus far arrived at by myself majju be summed in the following statement: . -..i; . <>m ^ii i (t> Firstly. The present brine of Goderich is not t)Hiy otid '^ 6 of the most conconlratod known, bwt also one of thn pnro- ej»t (rt), if not the purest, at present turned to practical use lor the manufacture ot Salt. Secondly. That the salt bearing region apparently ex- tends tor more than h/yelve miles S. K. of (ioderich, and thus covers a much larger area than at present has been established. Thirdly. That Goderich possesses, in a higli degree, all necessary additional resources and facilities for the manu- iacfure ol salt, and its transportation to all the important commercial points on the Western Lakes, and is therefore the most formidable competitor the Salt works of the State of New York have ever yet had to contjBnd witk. .j In the following pages [ shall present some of the most important details obtained in the course of my examina- tions and inquiries upon which the foregoing three state- xnent<< aje based. Soon after receiving the information above mentioned, samples of brine and salt from the God- erich works were received from reliable parties. The brine thus obtained (April 1867,) was perfectly clear and colorless, and remained in that state lor some time ; it set- tled afterwards 9 small quantity ol Gypsum (commonly called Plaster): no trace of Peroxyd of Iron can be noticed in that sample of brine even at the present time. I sub- jected the brine to a careful analysis, which gave the fol- lowing result : ^' Specific gravity 1.105, equal to 93 <5 Salometer at 58 ^ Fahr. One thousand parts ot that brine contained ComttibnSalt .ntTrlcV' 241,433 Gypsum ^ 5,433 Ies of brines tested by Prof. Hunt and' wyself differ m the strength about 1 .75 per cent of (Salt) Chloride of Sodium. The difference in reirard to the per- centage ot Gypsum, which affects but little the relative commercial valuK, may find satisfact(iry explanation either i a) I had no chanco to examine tlio brine of Saltvillo, Va. — and pro- «r oa that aooauiit to speak btw positively Uuru, H' •-f- ,:"f ill varirttions of the salt deposits, &c. from which the brine*- orginated, or in the circumstances under which the saline solutions have been formed. The percentage of Gypsum obtained by mys'^lf, is still some\A'liat less than that con- tained in the brines of Onondaga, N . Y. Comparing the results of both analyses, in r<'gard to the per centage ot* Chloride ot Sodium contained in the Goderich brines with that known to be in the average brines ot Onondaga (al)oat 16 per cent.,) we notice that the Goderich brine in either case exceeds the former by .*)() per cent of salt, or more ; whilst the per centage of obnoxious deliquescent chlorides contained in the bnne of Goderich. amount only to 1-4 or 1-5 of tiiat found in the bnnes of Onondaga. A sample of salt from the Goderich works gave the fol- lowing results : p,, ^mAA-y-i' ,. ^^, (jy, Snlphateo! Lime (Gypsum) w /u. 1.4306 ^^ '^•^'oride of Calcium ,..,...;;? 0,0072 " " Magnesium ' ,; , * :• 0,0313 •• '• Sodium (salt) : ..^ ■ 97,0309 Vm .,*■"■ Moifitur^ ki'i • i ,'• 4, U.» J. ■Ih 'i i-'s :>.; , — 1,5000 100,000 This sample of Salt in a dried state would contain not jfiss than y8.5 per cent, of chloride of sodium or pure salt; it ranks consequently foremost among the common Fine SSalt (boded) in the market. The percentage of the de- liquescent chlorides of calcium and magnesium, com- . pounds, which are considered the most obnoxious com- ponent parts ot brine or salt, compares most favorably with the best foreign and domestic Salt. In fact the composi- tion of l!ie Goderich brine is such as to warrant a priori, with but little care, a superior salt — Common, Fine and Coarse. The commercial value of the brine of Goderich, in consequence of its superior purity and strength as com- pared with the brine ol Onondaga is, judging from the pre- vious statements, quite obvious. The 1 '•higan and Ohio River brines, 1 need scarcely add, have still less chance to compete successfully on anything like equal terms. .,1 improved, subsequently, my chances for gathering in- formation, by visiting twice the Town of Goderich and its vicinity. I was at Goderich for the iirst lime during the Jatter part of June, 1867, and again towards the last i. of December of the same year. At my first visit I saw one well with boiling works attaciied to it, and heard of another one being fairly started. 1 found the first well on •eac(i visit in good running order, fully supplied with brine, and turning out a large amount of most superior Salt of a fine grain and in appearance similar to the Liverpool Fine.^ The samples ot brine and salt, ot which I stated the analy-^ aes above, were taken from this establishment. ■' '' "^ It The following is a briet description of the first Salt Man- ufacturing Establishmeut at Goderich. The welt and works are located upon the North side of the Maitland River; east of a large bridge, which secures the communi- cation between Goderich and its outskirts on the opposite river-bank, upon an elevation of about 25 or 30 feet above the present water mark, and about one mile and a half from the mouih of the Maitland River in the Harbor of Goderich. The well is stated to be exactly lOOO feet deep with iron cubing to almost its entire depth. The pump, which iias been connected with it for raising the brine to the supply tanks oithe boiling works, is bui two inches in diameter, and is worked by a twenty-five horse power engine. The priginel bore of the well is five inches in diameter — the upper portion of the iron tubing IS stated to be four inches, while its lower portion is smaller. The fpesh water circulating between the various layers of limestone, which overlay the saliferous rocks, rises with- in eight feet of the surface of the surrounding grounds in its immediate vicinity ; the brine itself partaking but little of an artesian character. The grounds m the rear of the works ascend quite abruptly to the general level of the lands along the Maitland liiver in that District. They re- port, that in sinking the well, they passed through from 25 to 30 feet of coarse gravel, .(drift mass) after which they entered a series of layers of harder and softer greyish lime- stone — sometimes interlaid with a similar colored softeif elayish deposit, usually ot limited thickness. After having- reached the depth of 960 feet, much softer rocks were struck; they noticed for the first time in entering them a saline "Watpr of considerable strength, and ceased boring after perforating these softer rocks 40 feet, making the entir^ depth of the well 1000 feet. These softer rocks are reprfes- ented to be layers ot Shales, Gypsum and Koek Salt. JDuti' ing the first attempt of pumping it is claimed there were brought to light, suspended in the brine, real crystals of V4' J: ofl *'if0 Rock Salt, Whatever the rejil fact of the last statement in that particnlar may have been, I did not presume lo decide. I do not, however, hesitate to express the belief, that at least, a real salt deposit in a a very pure state could not be liar from a locality, from which brines of the composition and concentration as above had been taken. ni- to 95 ^ Salometer,at 58 ° Fahr. 1 have tested the brine twice (June and December of the past year) directly from the well. I noticed on these occasions but little varia-' tionin strength, within the limits above stated, and feel 90 on ftccount in that iho;!, (jUito' ho tislunt concern iri^^iVs pres- ent sthbility in (juality. Tl)r dnily .supply ol* hnne has been sullicienlly ohtablishod lo >vaiTaiil Iho prat-tieabiJity of adding a third block of sixty kettK's to ihe prei«ent o»- tablishmcnt^— counting thu8, three blocks of one hundnHl and »ixly-two keltles lo one well, with a tvro inch pump. The proprietors ot the works expect to meet a part of the Jarger supply ol brir;« required for the future, by pnmpin .i>> ^ * t r; , > . i •. J •"." t '>r '1 fvf oil The boiling works coii?iist at present of two blocks ol fiity-lwo kettles each: the capacity of *he kettles rangeh from 120 to 140 gailoni*; five men are in attendance during the day -•nd three during the night, besides ihe engineer for the pump. 'I'he c'eaning of the kettles, by means of fresh water during daytime, accounts for the increased force of workmen during that period of lime. Sixteen cords of hardwood are consumed, of which one cord and a half have to be counted lor running the pump; a cor*! Taking this view, I need scarcely add, that the sutseqiienf ,' j statements concerning the present financial operatiQiui.ttfjj.r the Goderich Salt Works, may claim more interest on ac-,j|^ count of what they «M^§^e.s/, than what they now pre^em^,^.^ The salt manufacture is carried on by a joiht-stoQk cpni^^jji pany; the original stock for sinkiiig well and constfuctiaa ' the block, &f^ , was ten thousand dollars (the expense ^,f,. sinking was >r6000) ; when the manufacturing of salt 5^'-,, _^ gan, the capital was increased by an additional subscripr^^ tion of $4000, of which but |70O were raqiiired ^9 )^ j^. called in The Company manages its business throiigl},,..j one of its stockholders, and all the salt made is sold td,Q^|^, ,f party at one dollar iw^enty-five cents per barrel at tjoja.-^j works. Six months after the works commenced ooefatiottej^^^.j^j a dividend of 15 per cent, was paid to the stockholde|'j^;jj',. and at the end of the year a further dividend was declariscl ., ^ of 36 pet cent, making a clear profit of 50 per cent, ftir th^e!'. j j first year in spite of many incidental expenses arising frboji a jii*st attempt at starting an entirely new businpss, and % ;5 production of salt three to four bushels less to a cord of •*, hard wood, than at Syracuse, where a brine is worlied wHfch contains fifty per cent, of salt ((Jhlorid of ^S94;iui)Qi|^. ^ less, than that at Gcderich. |,_ . r,;j lifVor The following figures are given to me as a fair repres^Qr , ks are B 1« t ! I $32 20 tif 'Vlv -tvf: ;r^ -[^.iiV^ tation of their expenses for the p^st year; six days opera*^ ,» tiott every week; ten months operation; 95 to 100 barrels ', per day; 24,000 barrels annual production. One hundred barrels cost, as follows, viz: Wood, ' u. V . ,,^^SfWtaf}J. Labor '^^■^-•'^'^'-^ '0^ ^-<--' ,! -¥r*^' Cartage, ■v^. l<.u.:^:.in.-v^vr<.j **H^^i*^' Oil, &c., vrwtri ; Interest on Capital, i'j'ii :,!; (UA t;.!'ii. Leaving to stockholders, even at those figures, j^33 pet 100 barrels over and above seven per cent, interest on the capital invested. If, in addition to these figures, wc take into consideration, that the cord of hard wood, at present produces but 84 J bushels, which at a low estimation is but two thirds of the amount we mighii expect, judging from analogy, we are forced to the conclusion, that the prdspects of the Company are highly flattering. In con- sequence of the great success of the first enterprise a live- ly interest was aroused at Goderich; other piarties embark- ed in the new business; a second well was started about three-quarters of a mile to the south-east, upon the opposite sido (south side) of the Maitland River, and in close prox- imity to the freight house oi the Grand Trunk Rail Road. In sinking the well they passed through 95 feet of clay and gravel, entering subsequently the same series of sand- stone and clayish limestone rocks, which has been met with in the flrst well, and also the shales; they stopped boring at the depth ol 110 1^ feet after having penetrated fifteen feet of rock salt. The well was finished after eight months working, November last, 1867. I examined this locality during my second visit, December, 1867, of which I shall speak from hence. Many changes could be noticed after an interval of six months. The first salt works, doing an extremely profitable business ; liock Salt struck within the outskirts ot Goderich, the confidence in the extensive character of the Salt resource greatly strengthened; seven derricks, lining both sides of the Maitland River, erected, ot which four stood close to the R. R.; privileges for switches to the contemplated works secured; contracts for the construction of works offered; part of the building ma- terial for some of the works procured, and ten companiss reported to have been organized. There were apparently il -' .1 • 'i 1 > n (I 'A H ■r^ ..a ths iiy all ter an hin sive yen ted, for for ma- lias itly t; i\ i \ but three causes whleh governed the situation, viz.; the period of time (6 to 8 months) required to sink a well through 800 to 900 feet of hard rock; secondly, the lateness of the season, and thirdly, the want of capital, owing tc extensive losses in oil speculations. In addition to these causes may be stated, that a certain class of business men, in consequence of the recent report, that rock salt had been struck at Clinton, 12 miles south-east of G-oderich — within one or two hundred yards of the Grand Trunk R. R., concluded there was too much salt to make its manu« facture pay under the present commercial situation of Can* ada. ",•■,■;. ■' ■ •■■■ ,. : ■■ ■■■■- ? -^n-m-': .•■? Th*? consumption of salt outside of those parts of Catia* da, which can procure English salt at low cost, is set down to be equal to six hundred barrels per day. The leading men of Goderich are fully aware of their condition, and feel by no means discouraged ; they are prepared to offer in- ducements to outsiders to get started; they hint at protective home legislation in certain emergencies, and feel quite confident, trusting in their superior resources of valuable brine, their extensive supply of fuel and lumber and their decided advantages of transportation, to be able at a not very distant day, to enter our lake shore markets, even under the present tariff. Whether their expectations may be realized I propose to answer by treating the points of advantages raised, in addition to what has been said in the foregoing pages, scimewhat more in detail, each one under its particular heading. Resources of the supply of Brine at Goderich and U» vi- ^nity, ^ \,., When describing the observations made at the first well, I reported the presence of rock salt at the termination of the well was supposed to be proved beyond doubt in consequence of bringin^up fine crystals of rocksalt suspend- ed in the brine, by aid ot the pump, which raised the lat- ter. As no sample of rock salt, thus obtained, could bo produced for identification, 1 hesitated somewhat in ac- cepting the theory, then favored at Goderich. I held the opinion, that such a rapid change from saturation to even seventy-five degrees Salometer and back again could not be presumed to be due to a mere contact of Iresh water with solid rock salt in so short a space of time; the pre- fii^mption of saliferous rock permeated with fine crystals of salt appeared to be a more probable cause. Whatever may be the local condition of salt, is in itself, here, ot no partic- .14 f>i i iilar consequence, since one year's operation hiw 8eitl^d all doubts about a safiioient supply of superior brine to in- , «tiie au advantageous worliing in thnt instance. • . . f ;-..;, The second well, which as I statd belore.is sunk on tlie 1 ? opposite side (south side; of the Maitland river at a distance .f. of about three-quarters of a mile from the first one, towards * , the soutl>iast, has established the presence of Rock Salt, J One of the proprietors of that well, the Hon. JVl- C. Capi- - eron, Miember from that distnct, procured me some satn- ..'iplesof ilocjv Salt as furnished by the sand pump; they en- - 1 tered, according- to statement, filteen to sixteen leet in tne - J^ock Salt, These samples of Rock Salt gave by their peculiar Iraciure and size, evidence of a colorless^ Bock -f Salt deposit of great hardness. 1 visited the wellfor the " i. purpose of collecting brine ior analysis, 'attd ^teisting its depth. 1 failed to succeed, lor the well beih"; ] ttjit)ed to 150 feet, had filled up partly with aclayish miia, ■ iifi consequence of the fresh water drainage; the water stood ;t0 about loOieet below the surface, and it was fresh on t6p; ;th^,mud. which stuck to the te»{ bucket, was a decidedly ;,|mi» saline test, and resembled much in color a mass bt .crushed blueish shade ol" the Onondaga Salt group in o^r iTJoinity. Taking all the various information obtained iu ,i regard to the second well into consideration, and the con- V elusions we have to arrive at are quite obvious; the actual l-pi^esence of Rock Salt, renders, under the accompanyitig* ;,iircutn stances, a good supply of superior brine quite cer- .ttUQu Thegeneral confidence in thesc^onditions manifests itself in the tact, that fiom lour to five derricks have since beeii Erected in the neighborhood of the second well lining . the R. R, .Track to the east and west. Tne extent 6f ; ;; ground thus Tar explored would in itself be sufficient to tflqpport the manufacture of Salt on an extensive scale. The id.i«JOvery of Bock Salt at Clinton (from 12 to 14 miles to ^ the . south->east of Goderich) under similar geological con- -dilioDs has added much to satisfy all parties in regard to lh0 question ot an abundant supplf. The well at. Clin- ton is owned by Mr. Kani>ford : iliave visitei the locality The wiell was finishe I ^ at three weeks belore my arrival. ^ Mr. R. wis absent; he resides in England and had left for that country to complete arrangements for the erection qif Salt Works. .^,}j,,iif^) -a. v. it is stated they passed through alx^Tlt 80 to 90 feet dnft m^^^s, then through 960 to 970 feet ot clayish limestone rmk» like those at Goderich, and 30. la 40 feet of brittf- M bearing shales, penetrating finally 15 feel in the Koeic 3alt. The well is 1185 ieet deep. I obtained some aalt represented to have been made from the brine of that well; if such is the case, lis composition must prove, tjuite sag* gestive in regard to the general character, of the Salt bear-, ing basin, which apparently underlies that section of Canada. The Salt was of a hard grain and had been .^ubjected to much handling. T iSot being familiar with the mode pursued in its manu- facture, 1 pretier to retain the results of my analysin. The geological character of the rocks which inclose tha Salt re- source at Godericla and its vicinity, may be surmised from the geological maps ol Canada, published by the distio- guishfd officers of the geological board of Canada — they are the same which out-crop in our vicinity — the shales of Onondaga Salt group. .Judging merely from a cheml- cal point of view, 1 presume Goderich and its vicinity io be &>t the head of an extensive Salt deposit, resting in a de- pession of the (:)nondaga Sail group, which, if my result! m regard to the Salt obtained at Clinton may be relied od* appears to incline towards the South East or South. Al- though no systematic investigaiion of the Salt resourceis has as yet been made, sufficient has transpired in conse- qnence of accidental observation, to entitle to the boHef iti jtsextensive charapier. -.-.iiiiuu onJ Resimrces of Wood and Lumber for Ftiel^ Bm rels^ conkim- tian of Buildings 4*c. Very little remains to be said in this connection. Cana- da &nd the adjoining lake^khores are the acknowledged store houses for these demands. Syracuse draws a large proportion of its materials for th? manufacture of barrels from these localities. The general character of the grounds adjoining Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, is that of a well timbered wood land. The cord of wood sells at Goderieh in the general market, for two dollars; what its price wiJl be, if wood-land at the present market price (ten to fifteeii dollars) is secured in localities along the lake shore, which, as a general rule, PS I am informed, is on account of its elevation easy of access, can be better decided Dy parttPii acquainted with the details, bearing upon that questions than I am prepared to state. The price of chopping a cora of wood has been formerly fifiy cents — lately seventy-fiv^ cents. Even if the forests g id become exhausted, thif bituminous Coal of Ohio by way of Cleveland, might be made available under proper management, at less ^osi t '.' ;th«in the Salt Company of Oaoridaga and«t its' ' pfi^g^rti ar- t raiigement is able to secure. We have therefore to con- . cede the correctness of the second advantage clahTaed at Godttrich. ^^i'i" i mp'!t^ u^ili . Facilities of Trmsportdicm. x']^^ ^^ i Goderich being located at the termination of (he Grafid Ttunit K R. hasalltheadvantai^es for inland trade so lar as K. R. transportation can be made serviceable. A num- ber of the contemplated works are clustering around the • terminus of the R. K.; the K. R. Company has consented • to the construction of switches from these works to the -iFreight Depot; the loading of cars for the interior trade can consequently be done to some extent at least at the > works; a connection by rails of the R. R. depot, in the -town of Goderich, with the R R. freight house and wharfs inside ot the harbor, furnishes also direct communication with Lake Huron. The packed salt may be thus trans- ferred upon sailing vessels with but little delay, and I pres- ume but small expenses, for it may prove ultimately to be the best policy of the R. R. Company, as far as freighting business is concerned, to establish reas- onable rates, for they cin expect to control only the inland trdde within a limited district. The facilities offered by the Maitland river, which terminates in the harbor of God- erieh,(must eventually check a R. R. monopoly even with- in the Province of Ontario. M. 7t*» 1 \ '>\ have me«lioned, on a former occasion, that the pecu- liar way in which the bed of the Maitland river has been worn out towards its termination, would favor projects t6 render that river from the harbor upwards for probably several miles navigable, along localities most recommend- able for the erection of works. The salt once on board ot vessels, has all the advantages of lake transportation. Par- ties familiar with the lake trade state, that ten cents might be considered a high figure for carrying a barrel of salt to Chicago, if arrangement for regular transportation cOuid be made. The river outlet may act as I mentioned beford as a check against high freight rates of R. R. Company, for the salt may be carried upon that route through Lake Huron and Greorgian Bay, in consequence of which it may not pnly be distributed along the shores of the latter, but be. sent by way of the OoUingwood and Toronto R. R. into the heart of Canadargi?cHiu*ijyqo*i- m It ar- con- ;d at Jraiid BO lar num- d the sented to the trade at the in the wharfs j cation trans- I pres- y to be far as 1 rcas- inland red by of God- n with- ; pecti- been (jects to robably nmend- oard ol »n. Par- might f salt to could beiord >mpany, ^ th Lake it may tter, but K. into Viewing, after these few remarks, the map of the north em and north-western portion of this Coniinoni we feel in- clined to yield to Goderich great facilities of traofporta- tion to most important commercial centres. -f: I have to make but a few remarks more before con eluding this Report. Past experience has apparent- ly settled the question of the success of the Goderich Salt, ; as far as the home market is concerned, The production of salt at present is but one sixth compared with their ^ home demand of about six hundred barrels per day. Six to eight, like their present boiling works, could furnish that demand; and as there are already six to seven wells lo- cated and partly started in addition to the one in running / order, the question arises, what will be next in order. '^ We may answer that question to ourselves; they will be '7 forced to look for access to our markets. „ " . v^ To carry that design into effect, they meet the provision, j| of our present tariff, "yvhich is twenty-lour cents (gold) on\^ one hundred pounds of packed salt and eighteen cents 7 on one hundred pounds of loose salt. Uow far ihey mayi^ be enabled to overcome that circumstance, may be adduced from the ioUowing figures. Syracuse Fine Salt sold at Chicago for two dollars and fifty cents during the past season, as I am informed The salt works at Goderich with but 34i bushels to one cord ofwood,cannot expect to com- pete with Syracuse salt : it falls threo bushels at least be- ■ nind in the yield of the same kind ot fuel at Syracuse; but its chances for competion change considerably, as soon as , the full amount of salt from the Goderich brine shall be produced with probably less labor. I stated, that that brine contained fifty per cent of salt more, than the brines of Syracuse, which additional amount to secure is not a' new problem to be dissolved; it is practically settled in re- gard to fine boiled salt in England. To count fifty-two bush- els to one cord of hard wood might be but fair. In regard to salt made by solar evaporation, it admits of no doubt, that the full difference in regard to the concentration of the Goderich and Syracuse brine, will find its corresponding figures In the final yield. Taking this view I can but agree with parties engaged in the salt business at Goder- ich, that seventy cents per barrel will be, before long, their manufacturing price at Goderich. Taking this fig- ure, which seems to be by no means too low, we find th© following result : / • > I^ j.i *'One Barrel of Salt, -Freight to Chicago, Duty on 280 lbs ft Salt» [packed] Storage, selling, land- V ing, etc , at Chicago •,-l!> f;i. ' Gold [140] Currency ^^ ■,!-'.■.-! ■ [i;i. •■'■ : ^''.''.il , . . 67 MO , . 948-I0O }. Ik'- . - 1<. .; ■/ r;., y, .i<\-) 2142-100 ,', iO;.. ..•. ^^ ' / Of'-' 1 68 62-100 2 36 8 100 .a These figures would leave about fourteen cents profit dr on one barrel of Fine Salt. Arrangements for sbippingico the salt loose, which might be perfected with less incon-,fM venience and expense at Goderich thao at Syracuse, would /^ give a still more decided profit to the operators at Goder- ,^ ich. The present salt works at Goderich, if once placed in the condition previously mentioned, might still realize,^ frdm 22 to 24 per cent, profit on the capital invested-* Without the existence of a protective tariff, the result is, to^ obvious to need lurther comment. ' ' , ! V - . * , ,,. , ' r ,' \i, > -• > i I ' feyRACuSE, Jan. 16, 1868! "V 'i'J ''.''i'lv.) rlilV/ ilol ; -♦■•'.> !; '..(!r CHAS. A.. GOESSMAN. V/r^'^. .. ill II .i'l .1 f "J ' -Ml I" f. , ■ *V:. ^ > ■ '1 <■ /.LI- ■ / ; ';i;*i ;?;,: lit;) -nlf ! jr: ■«■,•■; ; -W' f 'Mij,'fi'>:> m nti ..r i. ,„, ; - ... ;.., •<,',■ H ■ i j.t..v;i-i JiH-Ot :r,' ■•■ ■ ^ : iiUc'jX'IsLuiMKiiiu' 8-I0O 8 10Q^,; profit upping incon- , would , Goder- * placed realize ivested' It is too ,' ;:;o":' •I ' ■'- ' />i'i>. .^ 1 . ;■ .fn »/,(;' )-: [• ' ,4«; iu ,ii K!i ,;ij: lii;i 'nlf il^; i/; 7. Ai ;uil -"ii f>"r; -^ ■ . j.f:f,lj ,rlaf 1. •ciiiv/.uilui