178 



Repokt of the State Geologist. 



All of these springs issue from the Medina sandstones, exept the one in 

 Penfield, which, according to Professor Hall, is from Medina marl. 



In Orleans county, town of Kendall, salt was formerly manufactured from 

 the brine of a spring on lot 137, and other salt springs occur in the town. 

 Near Holly in the town of Murray, there are several salt springs and limited 

 quantities of salt were made previous to the opening of the Erie canal. Near 

 West Carlton, while digging a well for fresh water, brine was found that yielded 

 a pint of salt to two gallons of water. 



Springs of salt water were found on Johnson's creek in the town of Yates, 

 and near Fairhaven in the town of Gaines. 



Salt works were erected in 1805, at a spring north of Medina in the 

 township of Ridgeway, by the Holland Land Company, and opened for the 

 use of settlers. Considerable cpiantities of salt were made here, and roads were 

 built for the especial purpose of connecting the works with the " Old Buffalo 

 road " on the south, and the " Oak Orchard road " at the north. 



In Niagara county, salt was formerly made from the brine of a small 

 spring in the town of Somerset, near the mouth of Fish creek. Other springs 

 of brine too weak to be of commercial value are found issuing from the banks 

 or beds of Eighteen-mile creek, Johnson's creek and Golden Hill creek. 



These brine springs issue from red sandstones and shales directly, or 

 through the thin coating of soil spread over them ; and these sandstones and 

 shales belong to the upper part of the Medina group. They form the surface 

 rock over a narrow belt of country varying in width from one mile in Wayne 

 county to about eleven miles in Orleans county, and lie adjacent to lake 

 Ontario from Oswego county to the Niagara river. They are the most ancient 

 rocks exposed in the state of New York west and south of the eastern end of 

 lake Ontario. 



The south line of the Medina outcrops extends in a generally eastern 

 direction from near the northeast corner of Wayne county across Cayuga and 

 Oswego counties, thence in a southeasterly course to Saltspringsville in Otsego 

 county. 



The outcrops of this formation in the territory mentioned, are also the 

 lowest in elevation above the sea, the top of the formation at Oswego Falls 

 beings approximately 340 feet A. T., 93 feet above the level of lake Ontario. 

 Its highest exposure is in Orleans county, where the most elevated outcrop is 

 about 550 feet A. T. and 300 feet above the lake. 



Springs of the OUnton, Niagara and Salina groups. No brine springs 

 of any consequence are known to exist in the narrow strip of country lying 



