20 BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In 1878 salt was found at a depth of 1279 feet in a well 

 bored for oil in the village of Wyoming, Wyoming county. 

 This well was one of a number bored by order of the 

 Vacuum Oil Co. of Rochester at various points in the west- 

 ern part of the state. In this boring a bed of salt 70 feet 

 thick was found. As a result of the discovery of salt at 

 Wyoming a well was bored at LeRoy under a contract be- 

 tween the citizens of that place and the Vacuum Oil Co. by 

 the terms of which the expense was borne by joint subscrip- 

 tion. This well was started in December 1878 and no con- 

 siderable mass of rock-salt was found, but in March 1879, 

 at a depth of 610 feet a copious supply of brine entered the 

 bore. 



In August 1 88 1 a company was organized at Warsaw for 

 the purpose of investigating the deposits underlying that 

 place, and in October salt was found at a depth of 1620 feet 

 in a well bored near the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg 

 R. R. The stratum of salt here proved to be 80 feet in 

 thickness. In 1882 another company, the Crystal Salt Co. 

 of Warsaw, sank a well at the locality now known as Salt- 

 vale. Here a satisfactory deposit of salt was also found. 

 In 1883 a we H was bored by Dr W. C. Gouinlock near the 

 Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg R. R. station. There salt 

 was found on May 5 at a depth of 1640 feet, and on the 

 same day it was reached in the Stedman, Humphrey and 

 Webster well near the Erie station. Following these pioneer 

 explorations a number of companies sank wells and began 

 operations in making salt. The Empire and Hawley Com- 

 panies located near the Erie R. R. track south of Warsaw, 

 and at Wyoming and Castile salt factories were established 

 during the same year. Works of considerable capacity 

 were also erected at Silver Springs and began operation in 

 January 1885. Other wells were sunk near the Erie R. R. 

 at Warsaw and the Eldridge well between Warsaw and 

 Rock Glen was bored. Alexander Kerr Bros. & Co. of 

 Philadelphia bored a well at Rock Glen. In 1883 salt was 



