New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-14

they make very pretty appearance They re-
minded me Of the machine-shops OF New-England.
The lepethwise part in each Of these buildings
contains the engine and boiling house in one Of
the wings forming the cross is the curing house IN
the other the dis.illery.
The expressed Juice is received into q trough
below the cylinders, and taken around within tho
bolliDg-house, where it is first discharged into
" the coppers.' There is q series Of large yafs,
near the bottoms of which a copper pipe, Of three
inches diameter is passed back and forth ave or
six times from end to end Here is begun the pro-
cess Of cleansing the juice, which, as il comes
from the MILL is very filthy, with various dirt and
pieces of cane. 1t is cleansed by boiling heat
produced by passing a current Of the hottest
steam from the engine boiler into the copper
pipes In from half 10 three quarters of an hour
frothy ash olored scum rises TO the top, which
is struck of BY thin board made for the purpose
into trough at the end of the vat by which it
runs down into another vat, whence Il Is pumped
ND into the huge watts where the fermentation for
rum takes place. The process in the coppers 10
continued till no scum appears In the eoppers .
chemical effect also is produced, which results IN
the granting of the syrup when sufficiently boiled
down. This is done BY putting in small quantity
of common lime carefully weighed. On some
estates where lime enters into the composition OF
the soil sort of clay found in the island produces
the same result. Without this the syrup when
cooled would form a compact mass instead OF hav-
ing its present lively, crystslized appearance.
The fact giye-the chemical change cannot ex-
plain
From the coppers the Juice is drawn of into
the boilers on these there is series Of three.
The first two are for cleansing il, at the same time
reducing it, In the third it is boiled down till il
is of sufficient consistency TO grain. Then by
huge buckets with long handles il is dipped up
into a movable trough or series OF the same, and
carried across into the coolers, which are shallow
Ill. IL 8, lo
boiling, man stationed at each boiler skins on
whatever dirt or refuse rises. which is conveyed
into the otfa vat for rum of which 1 spoke.
The boihng-ire is made of the megads. This is
the mangled cane after the juice is expressed. As
it comes through the mill il is carted away and
piled up in long rows where in two weeks Il be-
comes so dry that il burns like Undertaking .
very great blaze and heat Ii is fed into sort Of
oven-mouthed fire outside the bong-ho and
below it some ten feet-the blaze being carried up
beneath the boilers by series of chimneys. One
person ia constantly busted in stow ing il n aud it
seems TO be very hot and very hard work Two
or three carts are occupied in hauling the megaas
away from the MILL and as many more in bringing
it TO the fire.
When the sugar has lain from week to ten
DAYS in the coolers il is shOveled into tubs and
carried on the heads of negroes-a dark, dripping
mass-and thrown into hogsheads in the curing
house These rest on sleepers without any floor;
instead OF which, beneath the timbers is a con-
tinuous series of suices leading from each side Of
the building down to a main artery running through
the center and emptying into capacious butt.
BY these means the mOasseS, as IL drips from the
hoesheads through three four augur holes in the
bottom of EACH is taken away for future use. To
facilitate the draining, sticks are planted in the
holes in the bottom, which, reaching up through
the cask, and beng occasionally worked around,
keep open channels through the entire mass, by
which every drop of molasses passes oh-leaving
the contents of the hOgshead white, dry and beau
tiful after two weeks the hogsheads are filled,
headed and hauled away for shipping
lam surprised at the extent # the ra'n-maRu-
facture. No molasses is put up for Shipment; the
ready sale and high prices which rum OF late years
commands have led the planters to convert 1t
with the ofal from the bolling-into that article.
! his year it sells at ~ cents per gallon. France
offers the largest market for It, Each sugar
house has its distillery in constant bast-making
two puncheons Of rum to three hogsheads Of
sugar.
The molasses, the refuse Of the boiling, and GER
tain parts of water-by fixed rules as regards re-
atOns and quantties-are pumped into massive
butts for fermentation. There may be forty Of
these in an establishment, in different stages. Fer
mentatiOn is accomplished in about fourteen days;
the liquor is then drawn of into the still. don't
know that there is any peculiarly about this
process.
| conclude this letter by explaining what il
meant by Santa Cruz Old Rum This has long
been famous everywhere. Probably the flavor Of
rum made here ia the finest of any In the world.
The term - old" des gnates not age alone, but the
mode of putting il up at the STILL AS the distilled
liquor drips from the mouth Of the worm it is
caught in four-gallon wooden bucket called
"cal." Twelve or fifteen run from each fill
ing of the still The first can that comes is re-
ductd in strength by the sediment of the previous
distaton the second and third are the purest
and strongest of all. These are kept by them
selves, and are used to increase the strength Of
the more diluted trimmings, while some may be put
aside in puncheons 10 attain age and be otherwise
treated to make choice Old Rum for drinking
When particular pains is taken with it, ID Ia distilled
,ecODd time (doubie-dishHsd). To give 10 high
color il being naturally coloress, the inside Of the
puncheon is charred; or burnt sugar, or q smau
quantity OF boiled tea is put in. Formerly too,
(ior nowadays there is none Of that excessive
pains taken with Old Rum-brandy being almost
wholly substituted for it here) they used 10 air IL,
az they called it, That consisted in letting IL fall
through several feet of air by q minute stream
from one puncheon into another; or in throwing
it up by basin, letting it fall back again into the
tub. The object of this was to render it smooth
and soft;-to separate from it all fiery proper
ties and also to rid it OF sort OF rank, sweet
ish taste which they denomiDated "HOgo" 1t
was subjected to these processes two or three
times during its first year, when il was drawn Oh
into demijobns and set away TO stand for years.
As said before the planters do not take this
pains with il now Indeed but few put up Old
Rum for market During the IHsarreetion, the
slaves destroyed large qusntities-tbe accumula-
tons of years since which time those choice old
qualities Of rum can scarcely be obtained, even