In this connection it may not be uninteresting to note the amount of commerce that passed through the Detroit river in 1872. The following figures are made from information derived from the custom houses and boards of trade at Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Toledo, Sandusky, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Tonawanda, and Welland Canal, and for which we acknowledge our indebtedness to the courtesy of George W. Bissell, Esq., of the Detroit Board of Trade.

TONNAGE OF FREIGHT THROUGH DETROIT RIVER IN 1872.

TONS.

Lumber, 971,977,349 feet, which reduced to tons amounts to.. 1,943,954 Coal....

Grain, 75,146,567 bushels, equals

Flour, 800,034 barrels, equals.

.....

1,100,196 2,028,857

86,403

ENTERED AND Cleared at DetroIT, NOT BEFORE INCLUDED.

It will be seen by comparing the above figures with those we have given for the State, that over seventeen per cent, in value, of the lake shipping is owned in Michigan; and that the carrying capacity of the vessels of Michigan amounts to over twentyfive per cent, or more than one-fourth, of the whole tonnage of the lakes. The apparent discrepancy between the two per cent. ages is accounted for by the fact that the lumber barges heretofore

alluded to, possess a much greater carrying capacity, in proportion to their cost, than other vessels. As most of these barges are owned in Michigan the apparent discrepancy will be readily

understood.

It will be seen by the foregoing that the commerce of the lakes increases enormously from year to year, notwithstanding the number of railroads that span the continent and traverse the State in all directions. This wonderful growth of the lake marine, however, no more than keeps pace with the demands of trade in the great Northwest. Nor is there any prospect in the near future of any diminution in the rate of increase. The time is not far distant when the loading of ships at our wharves with merchandise for Liverpool will be the rule instead of the exception. Quite a large direct trade with Europe has already been established; but with the building of canals now in contemplation, or the enlargement of those now in existence, that trade will swell to enormous proportions.

42

CHAPTER XXXIX.

MINERAL SPRINGS OF MICHIGAN-THEIR DISCOVERY-ANALYSES OF THE
WATERS-THE LOCATION OF EACH-THE ST. LOUIS SPRING-
ALPENA-MIDLAND-EATON RAPIDS-SPRING LAKE-LANSING-
FRUITPORT-BUTTERWORTH'S OWOSSO-HUBBARDSTON-LESLIE-
MOUNT CLEMENS.

Within the last four or five years Michigan has acquired a national reputation as a watering place and a resort for invalids. This is owing to the discovery that the water flowing from artesian wells in various parts of the State is highly charged with various minerals that are recognized by physicians as valuable in the treatment of disease.

The first discovery of this kind was made at St. Louis, Gratiot county, in the summer of 1869. In that year a company began boring for salt water. At the depth of 200 feet a vein of water was struck which spouted up to the height of twenty-four feet above the surface. The tube was three and a half inches in diameter, and it delivered 300 gallons of water per minute. The water was beautifully clear and cold, and to the taste was barely perceptibly alkaline. It was not saline, and was therefore abandoned for manufacturing purposes. An accident finally revealed the fact that pieces of iron or steel held in the water a few minutes became charged with magnetism. This led to further experi ments, resulting in the discovery that the water possessed medical properties invaluable in the treatment of various forms of disease. An analysis of the waters was made by Prof. Duffield, which confirmed the opinion as to their value, and the wells soon became a resort for hundreds of the afflicted. This led to further scarches in different parts of the State, and the result is that nearly a hundred wells of water have been found to possess (as their friends claim) magnetic properties. Upwards of twenty of these have

been advertised as containing mineral qualities, and those that have been analyzed show the statement to be correct. It is proper to state in this connection that the question in regard to the magnetic properties claimed for these springs is still an open one.

HON. A. C. BALDWIN.

AUGUSTUS C. BALDWIN was born at Salina, in the State of New York, December 24, 1817.

When but five years of age, he lost his father by death, and was thrown upon his own resources for support. By unremitting industry, he gained a comfortable livelihood, and acquired a thorough English education.

Michigan, where he studied
He began the practice of his

In 1837, he settled in Oakland county, jaw, and was admitted to the bar in 1842. profession at Milford, but soon removed to Pontiac, Oakland county, where he has since resided, and where he is still in regular practice.

Scientific men differ on this point; but as to their mineral properties there is no room for doubt.

In the following pages the analyses of the more prominent wells will be given, the order of their arrangement having no reference to the date of their discovery or their value in the treatment of disease. In regard to the latter point, the analysis will be the best guide; some being adapted to the treatment of one class of diseases and others to another. It is not in the province of the historian to discriminate. Many of them are extensively patronized, and thousands of remarkable cures have been reported.

ST. LOUIS MAGNETIC SPRINGS.

St. Louis is a quiet and pleasant little town of about 1,500 inhabitants, situated about 34 miles west of Saginaw, and is reached by the Saginaw Valley and St. Louis Railroad. It has four hotels, capable of accommodating three or four hundred guests. A commodious bath house has been erected at the well, and is under the supervision of Dr. Silas Kennedy, resident physician. The following analysis of this water was made by Dr. Samuel P. Duffield, of Detroit Medical College. It is calculated on the imperial or wine gallon, S. G. 1011.

Mr. Baldwin was a member of the legislature of Michigan in 1844 and 1846; prosecuting attorney for Oakland county in 1853 and 1854, and representative for the (then) fifth congressional district of Michigan, in the Thirty-eighth Congress of the United States, serving upon the committee on agriculture and the committee on expenditures in the Depart ment of the Interior.

His political affiliation has always been with the Democratic party. He was a delegate to the national Democratic conventions at Charleston and Baltimore in 1860, and at Chicago in 1864.

He has devoted a considerable portion of his fortune to the acquisition of an extensive library in the departments of law and literature. In 1871, he was in possession of one of only three complete sets of American Reports in the United States, for some single volumes of which he paid as high a price as $75. This valuable and rare collection was sold to the Bar Association of Kansas city, Missouri. His private library consists of about 7,000 volumes, and his collection of paintings is one of the finest in Michigan.