21 
to answer best in the long run. The price of salt is so 
low, and the manufacture such a bulky one, that costly and 
elaborate apparatus has never been found to answer. Com- 
paring the life of an ordinary open salt pan, such as is used 
in the trade almost universally, with that of any of the 
numberless patented pans that have been tried, it has been 
found that it costs less to manufacture salt by it, and that 
the pan is far easier to repair. 
The pans used in the manufacture of salt are made of 
wrought iron, and riveted together like boilers. Under 
each pan are three or four fires, extending about five feet 
from the front of the pan. The pans are set upon brickwork, 
and the flues are continued under the whole length of the 
pan and thence lead to the chimney. Occasionally there is 
a chimney to each pan, but more often one chimney answers 
for several pans, as many as 16 fires often being connected 
with one chimney. The pans used for boiling the fine salts 
rarely exceed 33 to 35 feet in length, or the brine could not 
be kept boiling all over the pan. The surplus heat which 
in the coarse salt pans would be utilised to make salt for 
another 30 or 40 feet is passed under what is called the hot- 
house, where the boiled salt which is made into lumps or 
loaves is dried. Over this stove is a loft or storing room 
where the lump salt is kept dry and warm. The quantity 
of fuel consumed in making salt is very large. For making 
a ton of common coarse salt about 10 cwt. of slack or other 
cheap fuel is used. For making a ton of boiled salt about 
13 cwt. of ‘ burgey ’ or ‘ through ? coal is used. It is found 
that ordinary slack will not get up and maintain heat enough 
to keep the pans boiling. 
The number of pans now in existence in the various salt 
districts is as follows 
Winsford 638 
Northwich 458 (At Droitwich 151 
Middlewich 13 pans). 
Sandbach 69 
1178 
