﻿222 
  FORTI-SEVENTH 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM. 
  

  

  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  Salt 
  Co.'s 
  works 
  at 
  Piffard. 
  Salt 
  was 
  

   reached 
  at 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  1,002 
  feet. 
  The 
  bed 
  was 
  thirty-one 
  feet 
  

   thick 
  and 
  very 
  clear. 
  

  

  This 
  well 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  rock 
  salt 
  was 
  found 
  east 
  of 
  

   the 
  Genesee 
  valley 
  proper. 
  

  

  This 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  field 
  was 
  watched 
  with 
  great 
  

   interest 
  by 
  a 
  New 
  York 
  lawyer, 
  Mr. 
  Martin 
  L. 
  Townsend, 
  who 
  

   had 
  his 
  summer 
  home 
  at 
  South 
  Livonia. 
  He 
  made 
  many 
  excur- 
  

   sions 
  into 
  the 
  salt 
  district, 
  and, 
  having 
  scientific 
  tastes, 
  made 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  rocks 
  overlying 
  them. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  his 
  investigations 
  he 
  formed 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  

   the 
  salt 
  beds 
  became 
  clearer 
  toward 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   western 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  which 
  separates 
  Conesus 
  lake 
  from 
  

   the 
  Hemlock 
  lake 
  valley 
  was 
  a 
  favorable 
  location 
  for 
  a 
  salt 
  

   mine. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Townsend 
  had 
  the 
  courage 
  of 
  his 
  convictions, 
  and, 
  in 
  i 
  885, 
  

   he 
  selected 
  a 
  spot 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  ravine 
  near 
  the 
  tracks 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  

   Erie 
  and 
  Western 
  railroad, 
  one-half 
  mile 
  north 
  of 
  Livonia 
  

   Station, 
  and 
  about 
  two 
  miles 
  a 
  little 
  south 
  of 
  east 
  from 
  the 
  

   Lakeville 
  wells, 
  and 
  contracted 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  Percy 
  to 
  put 
  

   down 
  a 
  test 
  well. 
  

  

  This 
  well 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  located 
  in 
  an 
  ancient 
  drift- 
  filled 
  channel 
  

   in 
  the 
  rocks, 
  once, 
  perhaps, 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  a 
  pre-glacial 
  

   Conesus 
  lake, 
  and 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  expensive 
  one 
  — 
  340 
  feet 
  of 
  grave], 
  

   quicksand 
  and 
  clay 
  were 
  encountered 
  before 
  bed 
  rock 
  was 
  

   reached.* 
  At 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  1,189 
  feet, 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  very 
  clear 
  salt 
  

   thirty-two 
  and 
  one-half 
  feet 
  thick 
  was 
  reached. 
  

  

  No 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  lower 
  bed 
  of 
  salt, 
  as 
  the 
  

   quality 
  and 
  quantity 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  one 
  entirely 
  satisfied 
  Mr. 
  

   Townsend' 
  s 
  expectations. 
  The 
  great 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  drift 
  

   deposits, 
  however, 
  made 
  the 
  locality 
  an 
  unavailable 
  one 
  for 
  mining 
  

   purposes 
  and 
  no 
  use 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  well. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  Conesus 
  lake 
  is 
  819 
  feet 
  A. 
  T. 
  The 
  Lakeville 
  wells 
  are 
  824 
  

   feet 
  A. 
  T. 
  with 
  fifty-four 
  feet 
  of 
  drift; 
  the 
  first 
  rock 
  there 
  is 
  779 
  feet 
  A. 
  T. 
  The 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  Townsend's 
  well 
  is 
  1,008 
  feet 
  A. 
  T, 
  with 
  340 
  feet 
  of 
  drift, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  

   bed 
  rock 
  is 
  668 
  feet 
  A. 
  T. 
  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  this 
  old 
  channel 
  is 
  therefore 
  at 
  least 
  

   151 
  feet 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  102 
  feet 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  first 
  

   rock 
  in 
  the 
  Lakeville 
  wells. 
  The 
  present 
  outlet 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  is 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  

   mile 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Lakeville 
  wells. 
  

  

  