146 
ECONOMICAL MINERALOGY. 
Carbonate of lime, with minute portions of oxide of iron and silica, 1.74 grains. 
Sulphate of lime,. 7.97 “ 
Chlorides of calcium and magnesium,.. 1.07 “ 
Chloride of sodium,... 122.86 “ 
133.64 grs. 
Gaseous substances, sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid. 
Another spring, quite similar in its character to that just described, is found on the marsh, 
a short distance from the Salina well, and about a mile from the preceding. The composition 
of the Salina sulphur spring, in a pint, is as follows : 
Carbonate of lime, with minute portions of oxide of iron and silica, 0.58 grains. 
Sulphate of lime,. 11.18 “ 
Chlorides of calcium and magnesium,. 0.96 “ 
Chloride of sodium,. 173.69 “ 
186.41 grs. 
Gaseous matters, sulphuretted hydrogen, with a minute portion of carbonic acid. 
These waters, therefore, seem to be weak brines, charged with sulphuretted hydrogen ; and 
it is a fact of some interest in connection with the history of the brine springs of this region, 
that the gas just mentioned is also evolved in considerable quantity by many of the pools and 
small collections of water found in their vicinity. To this may be ascribed, with much plau¬ 
sibility, the origin of the sulphate of lime, so constantly associated with the common salt in 
all the Onondaga brines. 
In the town of De Witt, three miles northeast of Syracuse and a mile north of the Erie 
canal, are the Messina sulphur springs. They are situated in a ravine, similar to that in which 
are found the springs of Manlius and Chittenango ; and they rise through a limestone forma¬ 
tion, on the surface of which are every where found masses of calcareous tufa. The tem¬ 
perature is uniformly 50° F. The water has a strong sulphureous taste,, but is not so highly 
charged with the gas as that of other springs. When it has been exposed to the air for a few 
hours, it becomes milky, no doubt in consequence of the decomposition of the sulphuretted 
hydrogen, and the subsidence of some of the less soluble salts. The whitish crust usually 
found near springs of this class, is observable here, and the tufa so abundantly met with un¬ 
doubtedly owes its formation to waters similarly constituted. I need scarcely add, that this 
water is used with good effects in many diseases. Its specific gravity is 1.00305 ; and its 
composition, in a pint, is as follows : 
Carbonate of lime,. 1.85 grains. 
Sulphate of lime,. . _.. 8.55 “ 
Sulphate of magnesia,. 1.36 “ 
Chloride of calcium, . 1.33 “ 
13.09 grains. 
