Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-02-22
LETTER IRON CEDAR FALLS.


Description n.p Of the Ssw starch rssssry
BiinGe. The Iowa Central
.. Railroad. shipments
-. from Cedar Fails
Correspondence of the Dubuque Times.
CEDAR FALLS, Feb. Z, 1867.
Following the "course of Empire"
on e hundred miles brought us TO this
young "city OF the second class" where
we have been Sightseeing for two days
under The direction oi her citiZenS-an
occupation they apparently delight in.
We have looked upon the creditable
church eGiiices, beheid the handsome
central school building, observed the
number of fine residences, noted the
liberal display OF good sidewalks, visit
ei the three iirst-ciass merchant -four
ing mills, the No. WOODEN factory,
planning mill, sash and door factory,
furniture factory, quite extensive stone
pottery, and last though hot least OF
the manufacturing enterprises, the Ce-
dar Falls Starch factory, the latest nov
city OF the day. Altogether the mani
lcslation of Observation-Disclosures display
Ell in THIS little burg OF !, oJJ souls, nest
led AS it is on the south bank OF the &C.
CARA water power here as rich treas
uie as the Maltese jew S Jewel, which
might have IalisUnIed q kinsdUm,--is
rather captivating auu-Niii tend 10 stop
many ali Immigrant In search OF Il new
home; more especially when he becomes
aware III the spieudiu farming country
that exists in the entire valley of the
Cedar, AN element which OF itself is
bound to sustain much more popuious
city.
A 81, -, 10, L.,
not only Tor Cedar Fails, but Tor the
State al large, We propose To essay "A brief
pen-aud ink sketch oi this factory that
The Times readers may have an idea
OF the chafacter'and magnitude OF this
enterprise. ..... ..a. ....,
The factory is favorabiy located on II
peninsula OH the town side, formed by
the general miii-race and the river.
The main building Is composed of rock
material eXceilentiy ia;u, with ground
dimension OF 81 ,tet by l3) feet ana an
altitude OF 81 feet. Added to the main
structure arc, a One-story frame boiler
room and corn crib IA ty l35 feet, and
u chemical room of the same material
and height, - by 80 feet. The interior
is supplied with powerful machinery
and apparatus complete in every detail,
propelled by two mammoth Turbine
water wheels. There is also steam en-
CINE in reserve to meet any emergency
that may ensue from Attenuation or
repairs OF the mili-races. One of the
, main features OF the interior is fine
iii teslan we'll OF superior water, which
supplies that element in starch manu-
lacture. 1t ls peculiarly adapted to that
use, and may be considered to be the
grand Cssentiu! in the success OF the
undertaking.
1t would be quite interesting could
we succeed iii presenting II picture of
this interior 10 the reader. On
entering We were wildly impressed
with feelings analogous To what one
might reasonably expect to feet, upon
entering II Naidian labitation under
meath the bed of-say the Rhine, ii You
Will. Water ran, dripped, trickied aud
battered in all directions. There were
tanks to the right o! us, tanks to the
left oi us, tanks in front, tanks above:
and amid all this dripping, trick ling
and dropping the leviati,an machinery
rImbled and grum bled in busy opera
ton.
so perfect is this machinery and the
attendeut operation, that TO handling of
the material takes place from the time
the farmer throws his corn in the crib
until II becomes perfected starch ready
Tor the Kiln. From the crib. machine
~ takes it 10 the soaking vats, ana the
same medium conveys il to the grinding
mill, passes IL to the comprising roll
ers, through them to the bolts and Oh
through tanks and watts by the score,
till it is iadled out In the mouds
where the starch bricks are formed,
and made ready for the drying and
clirysta!iEing process.
Tie capacity of the factory is equal
to the manufacture of three tons daity,
and should the demand require il, with
but Il s!ig Int additional eA penditure, the
amount can be duplicated.
Owing to the comparative failure of
the corn crop last season, the factory,
which has been in operation some four
weeks, is now running but to half of
its capacity. but the result Is un article
equal To the most celebrated brands OF
common laundry silver gloss and
culinary starch.
Hence ii will be seen from this pen
anu-ink sketch, that we are no longer
required to ship our corn hundreds OF
miles 10 the East, and have added to it
tax, tariff, aud commission before its
manufacture into starch, and then again
added tax, tariff, and commission to
the cost OF manufacture before we can
haveour corn returned again as starch,
but we can nave it manufactured at
home, adding to the wealth Of the
STATE by the producto OF the manufacture
as well as the enclianced value it gives
to every uushcl OF corn raised lin North
efn Iowa.
We may note a brief stop we made ut
the Orphans Home. Superintendent
Abbott has order largely developed. lie
has arranged that the Home has its
A, f,.u l. np foil
seamstre> s has divided the Home into
wards; ami has ali things working har.
nioniousiy. lie reports 20 children in
his family, and that the wards OF his
hospital have not been unlocked for
weeks.
Bridge building seems To be all the
rage on the Cedar. Waterloo is having
her bridge, as we recorded in our letter
from that place; and so, too, is CESAR
Falls. Tine one here is an excellent
Howe truss bridge, 35l feet long, with
IL ioot-waik on each side. a few cart
loads OF earth at the approach on the
town SHE viii give IL the finishing
touch. Its cost will be ST 900.
The citizens are jubiiant over the
prospects OF the Iowa Central r.. II.
There lacks but one mile Of the grad
ing to finish the carth-work To the
county limits. Tama county is at work
even through the present winter wealth
er. Several miles nave been graded at
the State line, where the junction is
made with the North Missouri Road,
and The entire line to Cedar Falls, with
the exception OF Poweshiek county,
where the line OF the road is not yet 10
Gated, is under contract, 10 be finished
by September next. Its confidently ex-
pected that the road will be in running
order by the following spring, ut far
thest.
The shipments from this station dur
ing tho past year summed up 5000 hu.
of wheat; 3j.2oo pounds of pork; II
cars OF stock, besides other miscellane-
Gus products.
,riaann.. GRO many fl,inma nnsnil ,rn