224 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 



STEEN SALINE. 



" The Steen Saline is fourteen miles north of Tyler. It covers about ten 

 acres of land, and is surrounded by high hills, in which limestone is found. 

 Twenty furnaces were run at this saline during the war, making twelve 

 thousand sacks of salt daily. It takes one hundred and ninety gallons of the 

 water to make a bushel of salt."* 



Thus it is seen that a large quantity and excellent quality -of salt can be 

 manufactured at both of these salines, and it is to be hoped that intelligent 

 capital will at an early date take hold of and develop them to their full 

 capacity. 



TIMBER. 



Every part of the county is well wooded. Not only the bottoms along the 

 creeks and rivers, but the uplands and highest divides are covered by a dense 

 forest growth. The forests are composed of the short-leaf pine, hickory, 

 maple, sassafras, walnut, cottonwood, persimmon, mulberry, black jack, pin 

 oaks, post oaks, water oaks, white oaks, sweet gums, elms. etc. In the bot- 

 toms all kinds of creepers are seen, such as rattan and grapevines, which often 

 make the forests a perfect jungle. The woods are utilized for all kinds of 

 domestic purposes. The pine for making lumber; hickory and oaks for fuel; 

 the various kinds of oaks are used for fencing posts, cross- ties, and for rail 

 fences and cotton baskets; while quite recently a chair factory has been started 

 in Tyler which utilizes several kinds of hard woods for making chairs and 

 various small articles of furniture. At the present rate of consumption it 

 will be many years before a scarcity of wood is felt. 



WATER SUPPLY. 



Good wells of the purest freestone water can be obtained at any point in 

 the county at a depth varying from ten to one hundred feet, while running 

 streams and mineral springs are met with every few miles. The mineral 

 springs are generally chalybeate in character, though a few springs are met 

 with which are very pure and almost free from mineral matter. 



*S. B. Buckley, loc. cit. 



