Re: Morton Salt in Silver Springs (was: (erielack) Salt Traffic - EL Salt Covered Hopper

[pat.moore_@_att.net]

Bill (and list)...

Yeah, it is getting a bit off-topic I suppose.  The interested reader can find all sorts of interesting articles about the Retsof mine collapse on-line, both of the scientific and of the newspaper variety.  The change in mining technique might have been partly to blame, but a scientific article that I ran across suggested that it was only a matter of time before they ran into something underground that would cause significant problems, that being an unknown underground deposit of brine and natural gas.  Supposedly, by the time the mine had the partial collapse, the underground cavern covered an area roughly the size of Manhattan!!!  Wow.

All the mines in western NY were after the same rock salt-bearing layers, which actually extended south under Pennsylvania and then north and west underneath much of Ohio, Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and southern Ontario.  It was closer to the surface in some places than others, very close around Syracuse (think Onondaga Lake).

As I understand it, International Salt was taken over by Akzo Nobel, which pulled out after the Retsof mine collapse.  A new company, American Rock Salt, actually owns the new mine (at Hampton Corners).  A spur was built off the old DL&W main to serve the new mine.  For those of you who have never driven I-390, you drive right past the new mine near the exit for Mount Morris.

- -pat moore


- -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Bill K." <pontiac_@_dreamscape.com>
>
I'll keep this short since it's O/T, but the original mine on the G&W collapsed 
due to them simply not leaving pillars thick enough to support the ground above, 
as they dug.  Eventually they'd dug out and left enough open space it caused a 
sinkhole, it also apparently leaked a lot of salt into the Genesee River with 
the resulting pollution killing off a lot of fish.  Or so I've been told, anyone 
> really curious could probably google up more details. 
> 
So they had to dig a new shaft in another location and that ended up being 
> connected to the rail world via G&W's stub of the former DL&W main.
> 
Technically this is all Rochester & Southern now, although GWI industries still 
exists, they merged the G&W into the R&S some time ago.  GWI owns and operates 
rail lines all over the world these days, including multiple lines in the US and 
> Canada, plus Australia and England I believe.  
> 
> 
> Bill K.
>   
> 
> 
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