1water
is heated more quickly by the fire, and is boiled away rapidly.
The
more salty the water is, the sooner it is condensed into salt. To prevent
the brine from leaking out at the points where the metal plates are fastened
with rivets, the caldrons are smeared over with a cement made of ox-liver
and ox-blood mixed with ashes. On each side of the middle of the furnace
two rectangular posts, three feet long, and half a foot thick and wide are
set into the ground, so that they are distant from each other only one and
a half feet. Each of them rises one and a half feet above the caldron. After
the caldron has been placed on the walls of the furnace, two beams of the
same width and thickness as the posts, but four feet long, are laid on these
posts, and are mortised in so that they shall not fall. There rest trans
versely upon these beams three bars, three feet long, three digits wide, and
two digits thick, distant from one another one foot. On each of these hang
three iron hooks, two beyond the beams and one in the middle; these are a
foot long, and are hooked at both ends, one hook turning to the right, the other
to the left. The bottom hook catches in the eye of a staple, whose ends are
fixed in the bottom of the caldron, and the eye projects from it. There are
besides, two longer bars six feet long, one palm wide, and three digits thick,
which pass under the front beam and rest upon the rear beam. At the rear end
of each of the bars there is an iron hook two feet and three digits long, the
lower end of which is bent so as to support the caldron. The rear end of the
caldron does not rest on the two rear corners of the fireplace, but is distant
from the fireplace two thirds of a foot, so that the flame and smoke can escape;
this rear end of the fireplace is half a foot thick and half a foot higher than
the caldron. This is also the thickness and height of the wall between the
caldron and the third room of the shed, to which it is adjacent. This back
wall is made of clay and ashes, unlike the others which are made of rock-salt.
The caldron rests on the two front corners and sides of the fireplace, and is
cemented with ashes, so that the flames shall not escape. If a dipperful
of brine poured into the caldron should flow into all the corners, the caldron
is rightly set upon the fireplace.
more salty the water is, the sooner it is condensed into salt. To prevent
the brine from leaking out at the points where the metal plates are fastened
with rivets, the caldrons are smeared over with a cement made of ox-liver
and ox-blood mixed with ashes. On each side of the middle of the furnace
two rectangular posts, three feet long, and half a foot thick and wide are
set into the ground, so that they are distant from each other only one and
a half feet. Each of them rises one and a half feet above the caldron. After
the caldron has been placed on the walls of the furnace, two beams of the
same width and thickness as the posts, but four feet long, are laid on these
posts, and are mortised in so that they shall not fall. There rest trans
versely upon these beams three bars, three feet long, three digits wide, and
two digits thick, distant from one another one foot. On each of these hang
three iron hooks, two beyond the beams and one in the middle; these are a
foot long, and are hooked at both ends, one hook turning to the right, the other
to the left. The bottom hook catches in the eye of a staple, whose ends are
fixed in the bottom of the caldron, and the eye projects from it. There are
besides, two longer bars six feet long, one palm wide, and three digits thick,
which pass under the front beam and rest upon the rear beam. At the rear end
of each of the bars there is an iron hook two feet and three digits long, the
lower end of which is bent so as to support the caldron. The rear end of the
caldron does not rest on the two rear corners of the fireplace, but is distant
from the fireplace two thirds of a foot, so that the flame and smoke can escape;
this rear end of the fireplace is half a foot thick and half a foot higher than
the caldron. This is also the thickness and height of the wall between the
caldron and the third room of the shed, to which it is adjacent. This back
wall is made of clay and ashes, unlike the others which are made of rock-salt.
The caldron rests on the two front corners and sides of the fireplace, and is
cemented with ashes, so that the flames shall not escape. If a dipperful
of brine poured into the caldron should flow into all the corners, the caldron
is rightly set upon the fireplace.
The wooden dipper holds ten Roman sextarii, and the cask holds eight
dippers full3. The brine drawn up from the well is poured into such casks
and carried by porters, as I have said before, into the shed and poured into a
tub, and in those places where the brine is very strong it is at once trans
ferred with the dippers into the caldron. That brine which is less strong is
thrown into a small tub with a deep ladle, the spoon and handle of which
are hewn out of one piece of wood. In this tub rock-salt is placed in order
dippers full3. The brine drawn up from the well is poured into such casks
and carried by porters, as I have said before, into the shed and poured into a
tub, and in those places where the brine is very strong it is at once trans
ferred with the dippers into the caldron. That brine which is less strong is
thrown into a small tub with a deep ladle, the spoon and handle of which
are hewn out of one piece of wood. In this tub rock-salt is placed in order