The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-11-24
SALT AND IT'S MANUFACTURE.
Over Two Million Tons Produced by
England Annually.


The salt has not lost its savour,n for
the production in this country is largely
drawn from many and increasing sources,
and under conditions of some interest II
may startle some to learn that in this country
we produce over 2, 100, 900 tons of salt yearly
We export a large quantity, it is true
over 900, 900 tons but there still remains
n vast quantity for manufactures, in curing,
and for the household. When the salt is
made it is valued at the works at consider
ably less than ten shillings per ton on the
average, so that the difference between the
original value and that when sold at retail for
the table may be understood. The young
est of salt fields is that of South Durham,
and its story is worth telling. Last year
it made more thnn q thousand tons of salt
weekly, and it is enlarging its production,
and that by processes peculiar.
Salt was accidentally" discovered Oh
reeside more than score of years ago, but
at such depth that for years nothing was
done to utilize the deposits, though they
were of large extent. In 1874 il was DEM
onstrated, by bore hole being put down,
that the salt also underay part of South
Durham but not till the year 1881 was it
lecided how the bed of salt should be util-
lied, and how it should be brought to the
surface from its depth of 1900 feet. The
method of reaching this salt was first by
what is called the" diamond borer.n This
borer ends in hollow crown, in the outer
edge of which are set carbonate crystals,
and the rapid revolution of this crown cuts
through the earth's strata, and extracts
cylindrical core. wrought iron tube IN
put in from the top to the bottom of the
bore hole, the lower portion, through the
salt rock, being pierced with apertures.
An inner tube is placed within the outer.
Now fresh water is allowed to run in the
and at the bottom it finds its way through
the holes to the salt, which thereby be-
comeU saturated, and, as brine, rises in the
inner tube nearly to the level of the inflow
ing water, whence it is pumped to the sur
face and thence to reservoirs. The boring
of the ground is costly and comparatively
slow. Whatever methods are adopted, il
is to the water that the task of bringing up
the salt in the form of brine is intrusted,
and that water having done its work, the
next thing to do is to get the water out of
it. A thousand gallons of water poured
down into the salt may take up some
twenty eight hundred weight Of IL, but
when water thus holds salt in solution it has
tendency at times of also taking earthly
matter, which interferes with the task of
boiling. But in the ordinary way, out Of
1000 gallons of brine twenty to twenty-five
hundreds weight of salt are yielded.
When the brine is brought to the surface
it is conveyed into reservoirs, and stored
till needed. Thence it is taken to the salt
pans, which are long and comparatively
shallow iron receptacles, heated from below
by fires, or by heat from boilers or fur
naces. Between the pans there is plat
form, enabling the workmen to collect the
salt. When the brine is raised by heat to
the temperature needed, salt crystals
begin to form, in regular cube shapes, and
to float on the top Of the liquid. Other
crystals attach themselves to the first FORM
ed, until little masses collect on the surface,
which would prevent futher capitalization.
Thereupon workman breaks the mass,
and 1t sinks to the bottom. and this crustina
If the brine and the removal Of the crust
goes on. And the task of the workmen is
TO prevent that which stops evaporation;
and finally to collect the salt, to draw it to
the side of the pans, and to lift it on to the
water-tight platform by the side, whence
the brine drains back into the pans. The
rapidity of process depends upon the in
tended use of the salt, and fneness and
coaseness of its grain. Salt for household
purposes, for instance, requires higher
temperature than the salt for fsh-curing
purposes or for the alkali works Eaglish
Pdpr.