@he Scientif~ic Gugquivrer. 
“OCTOBER, 1888. 
The Sali Industry in Cheshire." 
By Lucy E. BOoo.e. 
Part II. 
WILL now give a short account of the works. The brine, 
as it springs up through the holes, contains from 25 to 27 per 
cent. of salt, and of this salt about 98 per cent. is pure sodium 
chloride, the only impurities being from 1—14 per cent. of 
CaSO, and a trace of MgCl,. Sometimes water will get in from 
shafts, causing the brine to become weaker. As it will not rise 
spontaneously to within 60 yards of the surface, it has to be 
pumped up into a great reservoir. It is noticed that every week, 
after the pumps have been at rest for Sunday, the brine rises in the 
shaft. The reservoir is connected by pipes with large evaporating 
pans, which can be filled as required. ‘These pans are on the 
average 50 to 60 ft. long by 25 ft. wide, and 2 ft. deep, They are 
made of iron, or in most cases now of steel plates, riveted together, 
each plate being 2 ft. by 9 ft. and from ¥% to 3 in. thick. 
The pans are set up on brick and iron-work, and underneath 
each pan are four furnaces, which are kept alight night and day 
while the pans are in use. The furnaces are fed with small slack 
coal brought from the adjacent counties. | The CaSO,, of which, 
as I said, the brine contains a small quantity, being so very 
slightly soluble in water (only 1 in 500), precipitates as soon as 
evaporation begins, thus purifying the salt. This, however, creates 
one great difficulty in connection with the pans. In spite of all 
the care that may be taken, a part of this will adhere firmly to the 
bottom of the pan, the result being that the pan very soon gets 
burnt. From this cause each pan requires large repairs about 
every three months, and when this takes place the furnaces have 
of course to be let out, and the pans emptied and raised bodily up 
from the brick-work in order to rivet new plates on. This is natu- 
* From Zhe Pharmaceutical Journal. 
VoL, III. 10 
