Litchfield enquirer., 1861-06-27
&it9b6elo Gnanltet.
THURSDAY, JUNEe7. 1861.
CoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE ENou1RER. A CHICAGO GRAIN WAREHOUSE.

CoRREspoNDExcE OF THE ExeuIRER.
 A CHICAGO GRAIN WAREHDUsE
 June 1Ith, 1861. '.
 FRIEND HUMPHREY :-Fortune threw in my way chance to take a thorough look at Chica. go Grain Warehouse, and ayailed myself of it. thinking some description might interest youl readers. Through the kindness of Mr. Buck book keeper for Messrs. Sturges, Buckingham & Co., myself and friend were shown entirely through one of their mammoth establishments. Mir. Solomon Sturges, the principal partner is interested in three warehouses in this city and is very wealthy. He has lately demonstrated his ardent loyalty and patriotism as well as his great wealth, by arming and completely equip ping, at his own expense, rife company "for the war;" which, in honor of his generosity, is called the "Sturges Rife Corps" It was ac. cepted directly through the War Department and has been ordered to rendezvousimmediatel at some point in Gen. McClellans department They leave I believe this afternoon for Penn. sylvania. From this it will be seen that MT Sturges is as deserving of wealth as he is fortu- nate in acquiring it. The warehouse which we visited is one of pair of twins, built on made land just south of the mouth of the river in Chicago. Both have ship basin on either side and the tracks of the III. Central, Michigan Central and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy R. R.'s run into both. The harbor of Chicago at the very mouth of which they thus stand, as you probably are aware is rather unique, but very convenient. Like almost all harbors on the great Lakes. sand bar lies directly off it's mouth but once inside of that, you can enter Chicago river and sail up it to the very heart of the city here it divides into two branches, both of which run nearly at right angles to the main stream- Thus the City is divided into three great sec tions, each of which has harbor line along it's whole front. .ya.
 Standing on the top of the warehouse this morning, we could distinctly trace it's course by the long lines of masts rising through the very centre of the whole town. Commanding thus the very mouth of the main entrance to the great chain of northern lakes, and in the chief metropolis of the grain trade of the West, these warehouses do, of couls,. an enormous business. Their size is suited to the demands of this busi ness. Each one of these two, when filled to its full capacity. is capable of holding 55600O lush els of grain. The mode of doing business is something in this fashion. The grain is brought ill from the interior on the railroads and shovel ed into h"ppers close beside the track. From these it is elevated to the very top of the build ing and poured into great hoppers on scales measured accurately, by weight and then dis. tributed into proper bins \ receipt is then given to the owner of the grain, for the number of bushels of a certain grade and that receipt may be passed from hand to hand, like bank. cheque or note by endorsement. and the last holder. hpea presenting it at inc office of the warehouse is entitled to the said namber of bush els of grain of the grade mentioned. The pro- fit to the warehouse owners. accrues from charges for elevatng and transferring. or for storing he grain. The owners too have it in their power to buy the grain there on storage, and to ship it at the time when the market is most favora- ble. s-s+- ---s
 And now for the modus opasandi" of hand. ling the grain, for from the nlahaent it is taken from the cars until it is fairly stored again ou ship board or on other cars itis not touched al all by hand,
 And first the notire po,rer. .ss
 This resides, in each wareheuse, in four small engines, two on each side of Sic house. All however are stationed in one room at the end o the huge building, and when they are all at wor k as is usually the case, the scene is quite animat ed. A pair of tLem, by a very simple arrange ment of pulleys, is connected with long line o shafting away up under the roof, nearly hun dred feet above the engines. The same is the case with the other pair only, their shafting is on the opposite side of the building. Along thi: shafting at suitable distances. op each side, art the pulleys, six in number, over which the ele vators run, bringing up the grain. from the very bottom of the building and Tous;ng it into the weighing hoppers. The baisdihgs are of stuff cient length to accommodate six cars and a. they come in their doors are inst above the lowe hoppers mentioned while since, and into whicl the grain is poured for the elevators. Unde one of these buildings, the gentleman, who pre- pared the foundation, assures me that he drov, four thousand piles. The elevators are simpl, broad band bearing the usual shaped tin re ceivers. They pour the grain into the weighing heppers, each of which will hold carload, whicl is usually in the neighborhood of 400 bushels, O 24,O0O pounds. The bins are on the floor below and each hopper can pour its contents into an! one of twelve of these bins and it is thus tha the grain is assorted. As the car load com es in the inspector examines it and fixes its quality This is then noted on card, and that card ii seEt up to the weigher, by means of an endless piece of welting passing ever two puIleys on, above, aud one below. He has slate, divided into squares to represent the bins, and numbered with corresponding numbers, on which afe notet the different grades of grain in the respectiv, bins. Then, by means of swivel trough, con nected with the bottom of the hopper and com manding circle of other troughs, each leadin, to a seperate bin, he can pour it out into which ever one he chooses. And thus. the operation of storing the grain is completed But thes. bins are the great feature of the building. Eacl