The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-25
THE ETIWAN WORKS.
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THE ETlWAN WUkkS. :
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4 A Wonderful Change-The Most Com
plete Works In tho CpuntEy-The Pro
cess OF Making Fertilizers.
There is no place In the neighborhood
Charleston where an hour may be spent more pro
j nta5ly than at the works Of the Etwan Sulphuri
| Acid and Superphosphate Company, situated OF
the banks OF the Cooper River, about four mile
from the city. The whole establishment Is nov
complete In every part, and even hasfy inspec
tion of the machinery will satisfy one that 1t L
ANYTHING but an easy matter to manufacture
i fertilizer which will stand the test OF time ant
4 satisfy the agricultural public. The Etiwnn WORKS
| were
| ORIGINALLY BUILT m 1858,
and were then the only concern In the STATE Hhcl
manufactured the sulphuric acid used In manip
| ulating the pulverized phosphate. The bulldings
1 then standing were those containing the acst
chamber and the grinding and mixing room
These were not nearly equal to the demands upon
the company, and 1t was determined to put ar
additional works, procure new machinery OF the
latest pattern, and make the establishment nrst
class In all its parts Work was begun In June
last, and In five months time the metamorphosls
was complete. In place OF the TWO oullolngs
| which satisfied them in the beginning, tine COM
pany have now grinding MILL disintegrating
mill, mixing room and dissolved bone sned, a
euano and potash shed, q phosphate rock Shed,
two large warehouses, boiler shed, and two
hinge buildings containing the acid cham
bt rs besIdes stables, laboratory, office, csrpen-
tets shop, and houses for the operatives. 1t is,
indeed, busy scene, where systematlzed labor
performs its task with the least possible friction
The Etiwan Company buy the crude rock and
land II q + = e. ESS :
II fa oNrHB wHaRrs - = 're
belonging to their works. There Is plenty Of
water at the wharf, and the schooaers run along
side. in Town Creek. at all states Of the tide. An
elevator, run by wire rope attached to the en-
CINE, which is three hundred feet distant, carries
the crude rock on to platform where 1t s Weighs
ed. It is then dumped from the cars Into en-
open shed, which has capacity OF $500 TOMS
There is no handling, and the economy OF labor y
shown In the surpriaing fact that with the present
machinery Ave msnscan weigh and store eighty
tons a day, while, bs shandpewer, the same mum.
Der Of taborers could only dispose Of twenty tons
q day. Coal and sulphur, purchased by the COM
pany, are run up on second track, and carefully
weighed before they go into store. From the open
shed the crude rock goes into furnace, where 1t
Is dried and all the moisture is expelled. II Is
then taken by machinery up an inclined plane
into
THE GRINDING MILL :
mere 1t is crushed in Baugh's iron mills, OF which
the company have three. 1t Is then elevated to
the second story, where it; makes It's appearance
In the shape OF small pebbles. Next passing to
the six pair of Burr stones, it Is rapidly ground
into lmpalpable dust 1t Is then elevated to the
third story, where 1t Is screened, and thence the
ground bone goes to
THE HIKING MILL,
where It is mixed with sulphuric acid. All the
arrangements Cor regulating the proportion OF
acid anu ground phosphate are Of the incest kind,
and the company cam guarantee perfect unifor,
nifty Of quality. About 100 tens day can be
mixed with ease. From the mixer, the phosphate,
In . semi-nuid state, passes into the store-room
below. This storessom holds aboufSSooO tons,
and there the dissolved bpnss as isis how calieds
lies for several months. When thoroughly dry 1t
is mined out, as required. The rock Is not
touched ov hand from the moment Of arriving at
the wharf until 1t reaches the store.house as dis
solved bone. As It Is mined out the dissolved
bone is put in cars, and both cars and load are
elevated to the building where the bone Ia ma.
nipulsted. The company make three grades Of
fertilizers, VIZ Etiwan No. 1, Esiwan No. 2, and
Acid Phosphate The basis OF each grade Is the
dissolved bone, mixed with certain proportions OF
Peruvian gusno, potash, &C., according to the
grade. Here also are
THE D15rNTRaRAToBs,
which again pulverize the fertilizer. There are
two OF these machines-one made In Baltimore,
and the other In England. They are ingeniously
arranged, with adoube motion, and 1t q speed
OF eight hundred revolutions to the minute, Will
turn out one hundred tons day. The fertilizer
Is then screened, anS Is, afterwards, put up IN
sacks OF two hundred pounds, and Is ready for
market. But what makes the ndiH to gois
THE MACHINE POWER
with which thacqmpepF are sbupdantlZ supplied
There are @rs9 Eeb5a boilers all, u any, Gs
which carf Be Used In connection With any ef.'
gine or pump on the premises. One engine ID OF
eghty-horse power, and Is Of Connecticut make.
Tho other engine Is frcan. the factory OF Esson
Bros, OF rrfs city. n IS Or one hundred: ed:horse
power. and is in point Of workmanship machine
Of which even the Essons can sterd TO be proud.
The Burr stones are run by the eighty-horsa en-.
gine which c4n also be used to drive, II required,
all the other machinery IN the mills. Both en-
'gines ase eonhected With "a ths mtclanesy, the
whole, or any part, OF which can Be run BY either
of the engines, as may be required. The compa-
ny are thas secured agsinst-the loss of-slme that
would aSHsrwiss be sustahsd when any work
vas required to be done upon the-engtnes. =.
TIE HUGE ACID CHAMBERS,
OF which there are two sets, are the next objects
OF interest. The new chamber Is the largest sin.
gle chamber In the United states, and contains
one hundred and twenty tons OF lead. 1t Is 22o
feet leng, feet Wide and ~ feet high. Attached
to this chamber Is the largest iron sulphur furnace
in the world. There ls nothing peculiar In the Ell
wan Company's plsn OF making the acid, except
that, by using evaporatiug pans, there is large
saving Of material without lowering the strength
OF the acid. The company make seventy.ive
tons of acid week. As made II 1s conveyed
through lead pipes to an iron cylinder holding 900
gallons, whsnee It ts forced -bs compressed air
intathe mixing tank above the mixing ROOM:
TIE JARnp AroRY