The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-26 00:00:00

is the vinous; this after a time passes into the acetone,
when the complete separation of the starch and gluten is
accomplished. The whole is then stirred, washed, and left
to settle, Lula t, iA supernatant liquor being drawn off, the
deposit is found to consist Of a white coherent layer of starch,
and above it a layer of thin mucilaginous matter called
slimes. This was formerly used for feeding pigs, but it is
now employed by calico printers in their " resist pastes,"
and by the patent gum manufacturers. The slimes are
removed by washing and sifting from the starch, which,
after further washing, is coloured, drained, and finished,
as will afterwards be described under the head of
rice starch. The fermenting process is objectionable
from the time that it consumes, the noxious character of its
products, and its serious destruction of valuable materials ;
hence another process is sometimes adopted, consisting of
kneading flour into dough in a running stream of water,
the starch passing off with the water, and the gluten re-
maining behind : by this means a larger yield of starch is
obtained, and the gluten is turned to good account by dry-
ing and pulverising it. It is now sold under the fictitious
name of semolina. A similar class of starch to wheaten
starch can be obtained from rye, barley, oats, buckwheat,
millet, and maize. _ _

To obtain starch from potatoes, they are first soaked and
washed, and then reduced to a pulp by rasping, during
which process a stream of water passes over the pulp, ex-
tracting the starch, which is afterwards separated from the
liquid by successive depositions and filtrations. The farina
so obtained, although suitable for many manufacturing
purposes, is unfit for food on account of its rank taste, and
is too hygrometric for laundry purposes, as it will absorb as
much as 35 per cent. water. Whilst thus charged with
moisture, if it be placed on a heated metallic plate it will
agglomerate and form into hard lumps, and in this way a
large quantity of artificial tapioca is made.
We have now to speak more particularly of the manufac-
ture of rice starch, and of the extensive works erected at
Battersea for that purpose, by Messrs. Orlando Jones and
Co., the original patentees of the process, and a view of
which we present to our readers. No more striking proof
of the growth of the starch trade could be afforded than is
exhibited by this establishment. It is a literal truth that
30 years ago this factory—such are its capabilities—would
have sufficed for the supply of the entire quantity of starch
of all kinds used for all purposes in the United Kingdom,
whereas since 1840, the year in which Mr. Orlando Jones
patented his process, such a demand has been created for
rice starch alone, that the Battersea Works, large as they
are, do not suffice for its supply , other well-known firms,
to whose processes we shall hereafter refer, are now, also
on a large scale, engaged in its manufacture.
The cause of rice not having been, until so recent a period,
rendered available as a source of starch, is that the gluten
it:contains is so minutely divided that its separation
is impossible under the old process of fermentation.
It was left to modern chemistry to discover an agent for
this separation. It is true that attempts were made at the
commencement of this century to treat rice with an alkali,
but it was not until Mr. Jones perfected his process in 1840
that the extraction of starch from rice assumed a practicable
form or met with any commercial success. His invention
co a sista in the ti eatment of rice by a caustic alkaline solu-
tion during the steeping, grinding, and macerating of the
grain. The alkali used is either caustic potash or soda, of
such a strength as to dissolve the gluten without destroying
the starch ; it must consequently vary with the character of
the grain, and hence the utmost nicety is required. The
rice, after being dusted and cleaned, is steeped and agitated
in this solution for 24 hours ; the liquor is then drawn off,
and the rice, after being washed, is crushed and ground be-
tween powerful millstones. It is thus reduced to a thick
paste, and is then pumped into large vessels called macera-
tors, in which it is again mixed with a further quantity of
the alkaline ley, and kept well stirred for a considerable
time. The gluten being now all dissolved, the starch is
liberated and can be separated by a process of precipitation.
The whole being allowed to stand, the fibrous matters and
crude impurities contained in the rice are first deposited,and
the supernatant liquor, containing the starch and gluten in
solution, is syphoned off into shallow depositing ranges.
The fibrous matter is pumped through a sifting apparatus
furnished with brushes (so as to separate the bran and
coarse particles, which are again passed through the mill),
and then washed and stirred repeatedly till it almost
ceases to yield starch. The fibrous deposit is then filtered
through cloths, drained in boxes, submitted to hydraulic
pressure, and thus formed into cakes, which are dried in
stoves and then ground into a fine flour, which, for the
stiffening properties imparted to it by the proportion of
starch it still retains, is highly valuable for many purposes.
To return to the starch. The liquor containing the starch
and gluten, which has been run into the depositing ranges,
is allowed to stand for 48 hours, when the starch will have
settled in a solid layer at the bottom, and the gluten is
run off to waste, no practical means of utilising it having
pet been discovered. The starch is then shovelled into close
vessels, where it may be submitted to atmospheric pressure
as a first means of purifying it from any remaining gluten,
and afterwards pumped through a pugmill into vats, where
it is repeatedly washed and stirred in pure water, of which
the firm have a copious supply from an artesian well. Tho
starch is then pumped into the colouring pugmill, where it
is blued, and any remaining alkali is here carefully neutra-
lised. From this pugmill it is run into boxes lined with
sheeting, where it is drained, and atmospheric pressure may
here again be used to facilitate its solidification. It is then
cut into square blocks, which are placed on tiers of chalk
for a first drying. It is next submitted to a crusting pro-
cess in highly heated stoves, then scraped, packed in paper,
and again placed in heated chambers. It is in this last
process that the crystallisation or the splitting up of the
starch into the well-known prismatic forms takes place.
When this final drying 1,3 completed the starch is ready fur
the market.

That this process is successful in extracting from the
rice a pure and neutral starch, the best practical evidence
is afforded by its largo find increasing consumption ; end as
high scientific authority for our assertion, we may refer to
the certified opinions of Professor Graham, Professor
Urande, and Dr. Hassan ; indeed, the latter gentleman,
who is the Government analyst of food and manufactures,
has recently visited the works, and borne his testimony
both to the perfection of the process, and to the carefulness
and skill with which the manufacture is conducted. Rice
starch is principally used for laundry purposes, the pecu-
liar advantages it possesses over wheaten starch consisting
in its requiring no boiling (boiling water sufficing to dis-
solve it), is its facilities of use, and in its retaining its stiff-
ness in damp weather.

A brief reference to a question which is unhappily as-
suming an increasing in iportance, viz., the preparation of
non-combustible starches; and solutions, may not here be
considered out of place, or without its use. From the year
1810, when the Princess Pauline and the Countess of
Schwarzenberg were burnt to death at a ball at the Aus
trian Embassy at Paris, up to the present time, when, by
the revival of steel hoops, these accidents have again be-
come so frequent, starch manufacturers have been Experi-
menting on the means of rendering fabrics non-inflam-
mable. There are many chemical agents that can impart
the desired property ; but the objection to nearly all of them
is their destructive effect on the tissue of the fabric, and ac-
cidents by fire are not of such frequent occurrence as to
render ladies indifferent to the wholesale destruction of their
dresses in the laundry. In a paper read before the British
Association in 1859 by Messrs. Versmann and Oppenheim,
giving the results of their experiments on forty different
salts, the following were recommended as the most effec-
tual and the most free from the foregoing objections. 1.
Phosphate of ammonia. 2. The mixture of phosphate of
ammonia and chloride of ammonium. 3. Sulphate of am-
monia. 4. Tungatate of soda. Of these the phosphate of
ammonia is the least appLicable, as it imparts a chalky and
, opaque appearance to the fabric. The sulphate of ammonia
is the cheapest, but requires the greatest care in the use, or
brown spots will be produced on the linen like iron-mould.
The salts most free from objection, though unfortunately
the dearest, is the tungatate of soda; indeed, Messrs. Vera-
mann and Oppenheim state that for all laundry purposes
this only can be recommended. A solution of 20 per cent.
of the salt should be used, mixed with 3 per cent. of phos-
phate of soda, to prevent the formation of an insoluble
bitungstate that crystallises from it. Messrs. Orlando
Jones and Co. have experimented with a view to incorpo-
rate the salt with the starch in the process of manufacture,
by which all additional work to the laundress would be
saved ; but, according to their experience, and that of other
manufacturers, as given at the meeting at the Society of
Arts before alluded to, all such salts are more or less car-
ried away by the water, or in some other way are dissipated
in the process ; so that, as yet, the results have not been
entirely satisfactory. That success never can attend their
efforts we are far from asserting. Chemical science in its
application to manufactures is still in its infancy, and we
may hope that all difficulties may eventually be overcome ;
but until such is the case, the curtailment of ladies' dresses
by the disuse of the steel hoop is the real remedy for the
existing evil.
The Battersea works are situated on the banks of the
Thames, near the works of Price's Patent Candle Company,
and occupy ground extending from the liver to the Lower
Wandsworth-read ; thus the firm possess facilities of con-
veyance both by land and water. This latter is particularly
valuable to them, enabling them to save all dock, landing,
and warehousing charges. A large rice-store (ealculated
when complete to hold 4,000 tone) has been recently built
on their wharf, to which the rice is barged direct from the
ship. From this wharf also the manufactured article itself
is conveyed to the docks for shipment to our colonies, with
which a large trade is now carried on. As an illustration
of the extent of Orlando Jones and Co.'s operations, it may
be added that the box-tuaking department is a little factory
in itself, and the machbiery employed for the various pur-
poses of sawing, dusting, cleaning, lifting, pumping, stirring,
and grinding, is driven by no less than :three steam en-
gines. From this and. the outline of the process that we
have given, it will be evident that the manufacture of rice
starch on a large scale requires no little capital and skill,
and takes high rank a mongst those industrial enterprises
which are so peculiarly the characteristic and the glory of
our age and country.
An article on rice starch will scarcely be complete with-
In
out adverting to some of the other patented processes.
1841 Mr. Berger patented the use of carbonate of soda in
lieu of caustic alkali, and in 1850 ho took out another
patent for treating rice wit% metallic salts, turpentine, and
sulphate of zinc and in the same year Mr. Colman took
910 opcitcAt 0)4644 410 moo of Inro4 141ao