On the American side of the St. Clair
river, directly across from Sarnia, is
the progressive city of Port Huron,
Michigan, a place of about 22,000 popu
lation. Here we also enjoyed a day in
sightseeing. Comparisons are odious
so we leave them out but there is
abundant reason why this city is over
twice as large in population as its
neighbor across the river. It has im
mense shipping interests as well as
large manufactories of threshing ma
chinery and other lines. Under the
direction of L. A. Sherman, editor of
the Times, we enjoyed^a trolley ride
over the city and out to Lakeside park
and were given a reception at his resi
dence. Several railroads center here
and give competition. Large hotels
attract summer patrons and mineral
springs are also found. The salt in
dustry of Port Huron and vicinity is im
portant. Michigan furnishes today one
third of the total product. We visi-ed
one of the salt factories. Two layers
of salt are worked, one four feet thick
being down 1,600 feet below the sur
face and the other eight feet thick be
ing down 2,200 feet. Instead of min
ing this rock salt out like coal or iron,
iron tubes are run down to these salt
strata and water is forced down one
tube and after becoming impregnated
with the salt the brine is pumped up
through another tube into the great
vats where it is first heated moderately
until the impurities settle and then the
brine is drawn off into other tanks
where with greater heat evaporation is
rapid and the salt crystals form and
settle to the bottom where they are
raked off'by machinery. Another:
process of treating the brine is by the
vacuum pan process by which the brine
can be treated at a much lower tem
perature. The various grades are de
termined to a considerable extent by
the temperature at which the brine is
treated. The grain of the finer grades
is separated by sieves which run out
different sizes of crystals down to the
very finest. All the packing is done
by machinery. One machine fills 6,000
5-pound sacks daily without any care
except putting the sacks onto the feed
ing spouts. The sacks are sewed up at
both ends completely with the excep
tion of a minute opening at one corner.
