﻿II] 
  General 
  Geology 
  : 
  Economic 
  Products 
  125 
  

  

  know, 
  never 
  been 
  worked. 
  Hopkins, 
  who 
  examined 
  the 
  region 
  

   in 
  1 
  87 
  1, 
  found 
  numerous 
  weak 
  brine 
  springs 
  issuing 
  from 
  

   material 
  of 
  Port 
  Hudson 
  age. 
  He 
  was 
  inclined 
  to 
  consider 
  them 
  

   of' 
  very 
  doubtful 
  economic 
  importance. 
  He 
  reported 
  a 
  stratum 
  

   of 
  salt 
  crystals 
  five-eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  thick 
  and 
  18 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  Capt. 
  L. 
  D. 
  Corley's 
  well.* 
  

  

  About 
  two 
  miles 
  southeast 
  of 
  Winnfield 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  lick, 
  known 
  

   as 
  Cedar 
  lick. 
  Its 
  waters 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  used 
  to 
  any 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  extent 
  for 
  making 
  salt. 
  

  

  Five 
  Islands. 
  — 
  By 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  salt 
  deposits 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  Five 
  Islands. 
  Salt 
  was 
  made 
  from 
  brine 
  springs 
  

   on 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  at 
  intervals 
  from 
  1791 
  to 
  1862 
  when 
  a 
  large 
  

   deposit 
  of 
  very 
  pure 
  rock 
  salt 
  was 
  discovered. 
  This 
  was 
  mined 
  

   extensively 
  in 
  1862 
  and 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  '63. 
  Then 
  there 
  came 
  

   a 
  period 
  of 
  inactivity 
  ; 
  but 
  since 
  1879 
  when 
  the 
  mines 
  were 
  

   reopened 
  the 
  output 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  considerable. 
  In 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  of 
  1895 
  salt 
  was 
  discovered 
  on 
  Cote 
  Carline 
  but, 
  thus 
  far, 
  

   no 
  use 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  of 
  it. 
  In 
  December, 
  1896, 
  salt 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  on 
  Belle 
  Isle, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  summer, 
  on 
  Grand 
  

   Cote. 
  Companies 
  were 
  organized 
  to 
  mine 
  the 
  salt. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  

   of 
  the 
  junior 
  author's 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  Islands 
  (May, 
  1899), 
  only 
  the 
  

   mine 
  of 
  the 
  Avery 
  Rock 
  Salt 
  Mining 
  Company 
  on 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  

   was 
  producing 
  salt. 
  On 
  Belle 
  Isle, 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Company, 
  and 
  on 
  

   Grand 
  Cote, 
  Myles 
  and 
  Companj^ 
  were 
  hastening 
  their 
  shafts 
  

   toward 
  completion. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  mining 
  rock 
  salt 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   Company 
  proposes 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  fine 
  grade 
  of 
  table 
  salt 
  by 
  artificial 
  

   evaporation. 
  P'or 
  a 
  more 
  complete 
  account 
  of 
  these 
  deposits 
  see 
  

   special 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  Five 
  Islands. 
  

  

  Conclusions. 
  — 
  The 
  great 
  purity 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  salt 
  

   deposits 
  on 
  the 
  Five 
  Islands 
  has 
  been 
  discussed 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  

   report 
  on 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  it 
  only 
  remains 
  to 
  mention 
  the 
  fact 
  

   again 
  here. 
  The 
  northern 
  salt 
  springs 
  have 
  only 
  paid 
  under 
  the 
  

   unusual 
  conditions 
  which 
  existed 
  during 
  the 
  war. 
  It 
  is 
  believed, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  railroad 
  communications 
  

   these 
  springs 
  will 
  again 
  become 
  of 
  value. 
  It 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  

   very 
  hopeful 
  sign 
  that 
  the 
  Arkansas, 
  Louisiana 
  and 
  Southern 
  

   Railroad, 
  now 
  building 
  from 
  Minden 
  and 
  Sibley 
  southward, 
  

  

  * 
  Hopkins 
  3d 
  Annual, 
  p. 
  178, 
  1872. 
  

  

  