@he Scientific Gnuyuirer. 
SEPTEMBER, 1888. 
The Salt Industry in Cheshire.” 
By Lucy E. Boote. 
Part I. 
FEW weeks ago I was staying near Liverpool, and had 
the opportunity of one day going over to Cheshire to 
see some salt-works. I certainly knew before of the 
existence of salt in Cheshire, but the whole process 
of obtaining it was entirely new to me, and though I 
do not suppose others are as ignorant upon the subject as I was, 
still I venture to offer you a short account of it, hoping that it will 
not be wholly uninteresting. I was fortunate enough to be taken 
over by one of the owners of the salt estates, and he has been 
extremely kind in giving me information and specimens. 
Before entering upon a description of the works, it will be 
perhaps better just to refer to the manner in which the Cheshire 
salt-beds lie. For this I must ask you to look at the diagram. 
This represents a vertical section of part of Cheshire. The 
top line represents the surface soil, about 6 feet in depth. This 
next stratum, tinted brown, consists of marlstone and limy clays 
mixed with sandstone, 180 feet, then comes a layer of solid flag- 
stone about 3 feet thick. Immediately below this is the top 
stratum of rock-salt coloured pink. ‘This is about 120 feet thick. 
After this comes another layer of marlstone 35 feet, and lastly the 
lower stratum of rock salt about the same depth as the upper one 
—1.é., 120 feet. In this lower stratum of salt are situated all the 
mines worked at the present time. There does not seem to be 
very much known about whether the strata are continuous or not, 
but it is known that flagstone is found all over the Weaver valley, 
though not all over Cheshire. 
Rock salt was first discovered in England in the year 1670 by 
* From Zhe Pharmaceutical Journal. 
‘Vou. III. 9 
