60 BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



ployed, which are usually as long and wide as the grainers but 

 6 feet deep and provided with 4 rows of steam pipes about 1 

 foot above the floor to heat the cold brine drawn into them 

 from the outside cisterns as required. Although the 6 rows 

 of steam pipes in the grainer have an entire length of from 550 

 to 750 feet (suspended in the brine 4 to 6 inches above the 

 bottom of the grainer and with 8 to 10 inches of brine above 

 them) and a heating surface of from 700 to 1000 square feet, 

 a great deal of the steam supplied to them is not condensed, 

 and therefore passes from the grainer pipes into the settler 

 pipes (sometimes passing through a steam trap to separate 

 the condensed water) to heat the brine of the settlers. 

 Whenever there is a surplus of steam, for instance while the 

 lifting of the salt from the grainers is going on, the direct 

 steam is used for the same purpose. To produce the best 

 quality of salt the pickle in the grainers must not become 

 overcharged with calcium and magnesium chlorides, which 

 can only be done by removing from time to time the inferior 

 pickle. Since this pickle contains from 18 to 20 per cent of 

 salt, too valuable to go to waste, it is discharged into a set 

 of grainers on the ground floor of the building, called lower 

 or divided grainers. They are placed either directly under 

 the upper grainers, in which case they are but 8 feet 

 wide with 4 steam pipes, or in some other convenient 

 place. The pickle is heated in them by uncondensed steam 

 and condensed water coming from the steam pipes in the 

 settlers and upper grainers. The product of these lower or 

 divided grainers in consequence of the low temperature at 

 which the salt is made in them, is very coarse, often having 

 an inferior color. The salt is removed from them at longer 

 intervals — every 6 or 10 days according to circumstances 

 and the remaining pickle is discharged as useless. The 

 removal of the salt into the bins, etc. does not differ in any 

 essential from what has been stated in regard to the other 

 methods. 



