The New Orleans crescent., 1868-11-22

work 90 feet long, on which are rigged buckets,
fastened 10 a revolving band. by means of which
the grain is boisied out of incoming vessels. If
| We had tine we would go TO the top and enjoy
| the magnificent prospect Of a great city spread
at feet, but we have left our bushe of corn in
the oerk hold Of the barge long enough, so let Us
go back to it. The framework we have described
| above II so arranged that il can be lowered
so ss 10 enter the hold Of any vessel
| mOored 10 the wharf. Our barge is tied
| mp sDd the leg. as it Is called, is placed In
| her b Id, the machinery started and up goes
| the corn. 1t is carried up 8 short distance, when
| il fails into bin with sliding bottom. When
| the bin IL full enough the bottom is pulled ou',
| and the grain drops upon what is called the con.
| veyer. Ibis consists Of two strips about foot
vide each OF India rubber, between them a strip
| about yard wide OF ordinary heavy white do
| mestic. The two side pieces upon rollers
three feet apart, distance Of 240 feet, through
| kind of covered gallery, across the wharf and
the street to the interior of the big eleva
| tor shore. The middle piece ssgs somewhat,
| so that the whole affair is like moving bag.
| This conveyer lis an original idea with Mr.. u. j.
| Highly. At the North all elevators are built at
the waters edge so that no carrying Is nece ssary,
but the Mississippi bottom could not be trusted
with sbe weiehs which ou'd fan upon fs. SO some
| plan bad TO be devised TO carry the grain from
the sbip 10 the storehouse, and the above is what
| Mr.. Highly finally hit upon. On TO this our
| busbel OF grain is dropped aud is at ouce con-
yeyed through The gallery s to bin in hs bOs"s
When il is filed the slide is pulled, and the grain
runs into the scslss below. When the huge bin
which forms the scales is full. the weight is noted,
| the bottom pulled out, and our busbel of grain is
in another bin. We pause here to state that
| each sbipload or each consignment is thus
| weighed and the certificate Of weight handed to
the wner, which, with the statement Of the quail.
| iy Of grain deposited, constitutes his claim
against the elevator. From the large bin where
we left it, the bushel Of corn is again lifted in
| elevator 10 another large bin, whence 1t is dis
| charged by means OF what We might call troughs
| 10 any particular bin in which il may be stored.
| While it is in its bin there awaiting a purchaser,
| let us glance more particularly at the cOmpart-
| ment vi hich IL occupies. We are standing In
| room some co by 100 feet, its walls built not
| out of brick but of wood and of WOOD singu-
larly placed. II is plank. about two inches thick
| and eighteen inches broad, laid fiatways. each
| layer sp ked down to the one below it. This
| forms wall stronger and more enduring than
| any other that has yet been discovered. But
| look below our feet. The whole floor is divided
| into pits various 10 form and size all of them
the same depth, 65 feet, and each separated from
| the other by the same sort OF division as that
| which constitutes the outer walls. 10 this room
| IS 900 bushels Of grain esn be stored. But our
| b shei which we saw safely into one of these re.
| ceptsces has now been bought by gentleman
| WHO wants 1t shipped 10 Liverpool.
Letus see how be is accommodated. The bin has
| a sliding bottom, Of course. IL is pulled out, and
cut comes the grain. A trough conduc's it to an
elevator and for the third time it is lifted-this
time TO another pair Of scales where il is again
| weighed, this time for the buyers convenience.
| Flom the scales it Is dumped down into another
bn and thence it falls back into the identical con-
| vtJor on which ii was brought from the ship in
| which il came. hut the motion is now reversed,
the grain is carried back through the covered
gallery, the street across the wharf, mil
| il rescbes the end there it falls il another
| trough, thence last of ell, into the hold of the
| Liverpool bound ship. where it will remain in
| darkness and at rest until il sees the light on
| bTitkh dock.
We have described the course OF a bushel of
| grain as the best means Of telling what the ele-
| vstOr is. But the following figures may enable
| our readers better to understand some things
| which were hard to explain. The wharf in front
is 2oo feet vide by 275 long. The tower is lO2
| feet high, the leg of the main elevator 92 feet
| long. Tho gallery connecting the tower with the
main building Is 2fo feet long. The main build.
| ing, in which are the bins. is 60 By loo feet and
l30 feet in height; the brick building alongside of
| 1t which is used for machinery, dryer, etc., is
40 feet by 100 feet and 60 feet high. The present
capacity of the bins is $50 600 bushels, but when
the original plan is carried out it will be 100000
bushels. The engine which puts in motion all the
machinery Is 500 horse power, and there will be
| over one mile Of shsfdng in the buildings when
they are completed. The whole cost will exceed
1 500 600.
We were glad to learn from Mr.. Highly that
| they will be ready to commence operations about
| the middle of this week. They have already had
all the machinery in motion to test its working
ability, and found it excellent. But in few days
the first shipment of grain is expected then the
whole complication OF wheels and paleys and
chats ard belts will be set TO work, and our pe0.
| pie will have their first opportunity of seeing
| grain handled on the levee Of New Orleans just as
| 1t is on the shores of Lake Michigan.
| We hope that in this brief and imperfect sketch
we have given our readers some idea Of what the
elevator really is. But it is so vast, there il so
much of interest about ii, so much that to be ap-
| precisted and understood must be seen, not de.
scribed, that We despair Of having beer able to
give more than an inkling of what is. Our only
advice then is, to those who are interested. to go
up there themselves. and see with their own eyes
what has been created by the energy and industry
| of Western man, who having bet $500 900 on the
coming of the grain trade to this port, has taken
tie best and speediest method to win his money
| back.
stock company TO run the elevator has been
| formed. shares in which are now for sale. Mr..
| Bigby came here with sufficient means to himself
build ten elevators without help, but desirous of
| getting the men of New Orleans directly inter-
| ested In the enterprise which ia to benefit them
80 much, he adopted the plan Of forming a COM
pany the shortest and easiest method of secur-
ing it. IL the shares not taken it does not in
fuence him at all. IL they are, so much the
better for the buyer for it is bound to be the best
stock in the city.
TIE YOUNG LADIES Of the Second and Third
District high schools intend to give grand enter
tsiDment, Tuesday evening, the 24lh, at Lyeeum
Hall, for the benefit Of the sufferers by the late
inun6stioD. The beautiful and popular cantats,
Growing the Rose" will be produced, inter.
spersed with solos, Duets choruses etc. One hun
dIed youthful and cultivated voices will be heard
in the chorus. There will also be rectatOns,
ballads. ETC., and Mr.. Farmer, the famous master
of the flute, will execute SEINE fsyorite selections
from Bales opera, 1.-The Bohemian Girl" The
finale 10 consist of tablesux. Sacrifice Four Sea-
sons, Faiib, Hope, Charity, Sparkling Sunday
Night, Greclan Bend and May Festival. Miss Kate
Van 0Tten will sing some of her most charming
ballads The committee consists Of the young
Misses NJ. Ballard. Sonora Vessel, Mary r..
Willis, Amelia Kohnke. Amelia Trumpy, NJ 4.
Norcross. Annie Ludwig aud Caroline Oertliny.
Tickets to be had at all public places. Perform
snee commences at half-past I. Thanks for COM
piinL saiaIy nckets-
ROUSSEAU GUARDS PIc-NIc.-The trus.n-sr.cd
and charitable Roussesu Guards give pic mic to-
day at the lower cotton press, for the exclusive
BE- neft OF the poor little unshod unclothed boys,
| upwards OF four hundred in number, who are in
mates of ST. Msry's Asylum, for the Third District.
| A nohler or more generous charity never actuated
| political body.
There will be plenty TO eat aai drink, plenty of
| music, Of dancing, and of fun generally. The
| ladies of the Third District are pre-eminent for
their beauty, THEN frolic grace and their snisbili-
| ty. and friends from the other districts can
| find no better or more delightful way of passing