APPENDIX B. 191 



house, cisterns, and saw mills of the Buffalo Salt Company, managed 

 by Sears & Holland, of East Saginaw, and represented in the ac- 

 companying view. 



This steam salt block is 140 feet long, 122 feet wide, and has an 

 elevation of 52 feet to the top of the ventilator. Height of ventilator, 

 16 feet. Included therefore in the above space are the inside set- 

 tlers, grainers, salt bins, and packing room. 



The inside steam settlers are 136 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 6 

 feet deep, made of 4-inch plank, well keyed together and tightly 

 calked. 



This block is supplied with seven grainers, 136 feet long, 'j^ feet 

 wide, and 16 inches deep. 



Over each grainer are the draining boards running the entire length. 

 Passing through each settler and grainer, and near the bottom, are 

 4-inch galvanized tubing, four to five in number, depending on the 

 size of the grainer, through which exhaust or live steam is forced. 



In the steam as in the kettle process, the brine is first pumped 

 into the outside settlers, where it is partially settled. It is then 

 drawn into the inside steam settlers, where it is heated up by the 

 steam pipes and brought to saturation — that is, a point just preced- 

 ing the formation of salt crystals. It is allowed to remain until all 

 sediment of iron has fallen to the bottom, by which time it becomes 

 clear as crystal. 



The brine is now ready to be drawn into the grainers, which are 

 filled to about two thirds their capacity, or nearly full. As the 

 settled brine comes into the grainers quite warm and fully saturated, 

 it soon commences to make salt, which forms on the surface of the 

 brine, and then falls to the bottom of the grainers, when a new lot 

 of crystals are formed, to fall in the same way. The brine is also oc- 

 casionally stirred so as to make the crystals fine. Thus the evapora- 

 tion continues for twenty-four hours, the temperature being kept at 

 from 170° to 175° of Fahrenheit. The brine being sufficiently evap- 

 orated by this time, the workmen commence the " lifting." This 

 is done by first washing the salt in the brine that is left in the grain- 

 ers, and then taking it out with shovels and throwing it on the 

 draining boards, where it remains a number of hours for drainage. 



A large " lift " or " draw" fills the boards with salt, and it is a 

 beautiful sight to see the salt as it comes white and sparkling from 

 the brine. The salt should remain on the draining boards to drain 



