PLACES OF INTEREST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18786, 15 June 1929, Page 18 (Supplement)

PLACES OF INTEREST.

Winsford. (Where salt is made.) A lovely morning in September, we, left Liverpool in our car and journeyed to Widnes. Here we crossed from the Lancashire side over the river Mersey to the Cheshire side to Runcorn. To do this we were carried over by what is called the Transporter; this is a sort of lift which, instead of going up, takes you across the river. You just drive on to a platform and sit in your ca * and off you go, about ten or twelve vehicles at a time, horse waggons and all sorts of delivery vans, etc. From Runcorn we went on to the salt towns of North wick and Winsford. My father called on an old friend of his and we were permitted to visit the salt works of the Salt Union Company, Ltd. We often see salt lying in a salt sprinkler, but I never thought I would see what appeared to me to be mountains of silt! One very lofty room had salt reaching from floor to ceiling. Then there are the brine pans, as they are called, like our swimming baths with huge furnaces underneath. It is extremely hot in these brine rooms and men scoop the salt with big shovels into receptacles. These receptacles are of different sizes, 50 to the ton, 120 to the ton, and 160 to the ton. The wooden receptacles are then put into a drying room. We were told block salt is not so much in demand as the trade has developed more into packet salt. We saw the packet salt department making the packets, boxes, etc. packing the salt and loading on to the barges or flats. The river Weaver flows by the works, and a steam barge will tow two or three or more flats from the works to Liverpool, where the salt is then loaded on board the big ships and sent to all parts of the world. Unfortunately there had been an accident a week before we visited Wins-r-srvl. A salt mine had collapsed. No human life was lost, but we were told by our friend there were four beautiful ponies down the mine and they could not get them out, so they had to shoot them. On our way back we passed through Northwick and sawmany houses out of shape owing to them sinking, caused by the underground workings. This was one oi the most enjoyable outings we had. although no great distance from our headquarters. Liverpool. Cyril Robb.