472 E. M. KINDLE SEPARATION OF SALT EROM SALINE WATER 



noted in a few days that a thin fihn of salt has formed a narrow linear 

 band around the inside of the glass and extended above the original sur- 

 face of the water. This film widens through evaporation of the water 

 around the sides of the glass, depositing a la3'er of salt on the glass just 

 above the npper margin of this film. The film of salt continues to ad- 

 vance slowly upward by capillary attraction and subsequent evaporation 

 of saline water until the top of the glass is reached. It then in the same 

 manner grows downward and eventually covers entirely the outside of the 

 vessel. If the supply of saline water is renewed from time to time, the 



Figure 1. — Salt Efflorescence 



The efflorescence has completely covered five vessels through the creep of the salt water 

 over the sides of the innermost vessel 



water will be found to flow out of the glass quite rapidly after the salt 

 incrustation is well developed and down over the outside in a continuous 

 trickling sheet. The glass if set inside a series of larger vessels will in 

 this way cascade its saline contents into each one in turn through the 

 medium of the salt film. Constant thickening of the salt layer on each 

 of the vessels is a concomitant feature of this barrier-climbing process. 

 The salt incrustations on the five vessels shown in figure 1 were produced 

 by placing salt water only in the inner vessel, from which it slowly cas- 

 caded into the others. 



