THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I915 51 



may be considered as within the salt-bearing district, although the 

 deposits are not absolutely continuous throughout the area. Rock 

 salt is not encountered usually at less than 800 feet or so from the 

 surface, since the beds are very soluble and it is only under a pro- 

 tecting cover of considerable thickness that they have been pre- 

 served. They are known to continue far to the south of the Salina 

 outcrop where the dip carries them to depths of over 3000 feet. 

 The distribution of the salt beds and the industry based on them 

 have been described by Merrill and Englehardt in Bulletin 11 of 

 the New York State Museum, " Salt and Gypsum Industries of 

 New York." Further and more recent data on the geology of the 

 beds will be found in Luther's " Geology of the Livonia Salt Shaft " 

 in the 13th Annual Report of the New York State Museum and 

 " Salt Springs and Salt Wells of New York and Geology of the 

 Salt District " in the 16th Annual Report of the Museum. Many 

 records of salt wells are assembled in the papers by Bishop, included 

 in the 5th Annual Report of the New York State Geologist and the 

 45th Annual Report of the State Museum. 



The most recent exploration for salt has been in the vicinity of 

 Portland Point, Cayuga county, on the east side of Cayuga lake, 

 south of Ludlowville or Myers wmere the International Salt Co. 

 has a brine works. According to information supplied by Fordyce 

 A. Cobb, Esq., of Ithaca, the well was started in May 191 5, and 

 completed in August of the same year. The locality is about 10 

 rods north of the Cayuga Lake Cement Works, near the Lehigh 

 Valley Railroad Company's tracks. Rock (limestone) w T as en- 

 countered at 11 feet. The salt bed was reached at 1484 feet. The 

 upper 17 feet of salt was somewhat shaly and impure, but between 

 1501 and 1548 feet depth a fine quality of rock salt was passed 

 through. No attempt toward development of the deposit has as 

 yet been undertaken. The drill test is of interest as showing the 

 continuation of the Ludlowville beds to the south, over a part of the 

 interval between that place and the next proved territory just north 

 of Ithaca where the Remington Salt Co. has a plant which derives 

 brines from wells 2100 feet deep. 



