The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-06-15
RTCHMoND MANUFACTURES.
Old Dominion Sugar Refining Company.

but scarcely one person in thousand knows
of its chemical ingredients, or the
by which it is rendered fit for our
daily use. 1t enters largely into our tastes,
(ancics and consumption from earliest
and to conceive of an age with
ont sugar would be to rob even Paradise
of one of its chief attractions to the whole
Juvenile portion Of our race. In fact, Para
disc without sugar, or its spiritual equivalent,
would be poor place to go to in their es-
timation, as it would have been an unde-
smabe locality for our first parents had
the sugar-cane not grown there. 1t is
generally conceded that the Sanscrit, or old
est in1ectional language, was spoken by |
Adam aud Eve, and as sugar retains its
synonymical sound in that language, it IS
no stretch of the fancy to imagine that the
sugar cane grew there, and that it was SO
great fayorite that the first-born of the
race was named after the saccharne plant.
Be this as it may, the word sugar has come
down to US through all the inflectional
languages since Adams time, with scarcely
any variation in its primitive sound. Those
who assert, therefore, that the ancients were
not acquainted with the sugar cane, nor
with the sweets obtained from its juice, or
the art of reducing the juice to sugar, are
hardly familiar with the first facts of human
history. 1t is certain that the plant was
cultivated, if it did not grow indigenously,
in China. long before it was known in Eu-
rope, while Sacchn7m is mentioned by
Strabo, if not by earlier writers, and satha-
ri is found in the Oldest dead language
extant. .....
Sugar then is no new thing. But the
process of refining it is new. 1t IS scarce
ly more than fifty years since the first sue
cessful attempt was made to refine sugar
by means of animal charcoal, and most of
the machinery now in use for making the
best refined sugars, is Of comparatively re-
cent invention. In fact there is scarcely a
process that has not been so improved in
the last ten or twelve years, in the applica.
ton of the principles involved in its man
ufacture, that the old machinery has be
come practically useless, in the way o
successfully refining sugars. ~ ..."
The OLD DOMINION SUGAR REFINING
COMPANY of this city, situated on tn
corner of Seventeenth and Dock streets
was organized on the first day of February
1871. The company have been some tim
in fitting up their large and splendid estab
;, lisment, but any one at all familiar wit
: the nature of their works, and the amour
= of machinery required for so extensive
refinery, will readily appreciate the nece
sity Of anything but hurry in such an III
L dertaking. The buildings are large an
new, and most admirably situated for tt
y purposes of manufacture. That on Sever
. teenth street has q front of 43 feet by Il
o in depth, and is four stories above the bas'
! ment, while that on Dock street, whic
u forms an L with that on Seventeenth stree
!, is still larger building, fronting "a fe
y on Dock street, extending back LOG feet {
?, the line of Shockoe creek, and having
81 elevation of five stories. The shape of Il
u two buildings gives the company amp
ground in the rear for moving their mate
~ ais, securing the immense we'll required
, their use, Zone 80 feet deep by IA in diam
y teri for carrying off their waste water, al
~ for such other purposes as are constant
y suggested as necessities to such an esta
az lishment. The buildings are also admiral
40 situated in other respects. They have
ns canal docks directly in front on both stree
!. the creek Immediately in the rear, and
~, branch of the Danyille railroad runni
,e. right to their doors. The managing offic'
~ of the company are Charles 7. Wortha
It's President; John E. Womble, Secretar
III. and John Meyer, Reliner and Superint'
Isl dent. The last named gentleman has /
It's thirty-five years experience in the sugar
ie, fining business, having been eight years
SO London fifteen years in Bristol, Engla
m place celebrated for its splendid sugar
my fineries four years in Portland, NJ
qua where he superintendent the construct
oie and fitting up of an extensive refinery
'ur years in Brooklyn, where he was smila
ilo engaged, and two years here in Richmo
us OF course, there is no branch Of the bt
~ ness he does not thoroughly understa
IA and he states what we have no doub
- true, that there is not a more complete
Enlistment of the kind in England
America than the Old Dominion Sugar
ing finery Of Richmond. We have b
for through several Of the larger refinerie'
sh- the North, and can readily accept his sta
ons ment as entirely true in this particular.
les. AS few persons will ever want to
ore through sugar refinery for the purpose
We inspecting the entire process ofmanufactl
red owing to the intense heat in some of
an rooms, to say nothing of the drip
others, we will briefly describe that
mt, ployed at the "Old Dominion" But Fl
rry we will state that the steam boilers of
and company are 240 horse power, their ens
'ere seventy-fyc horse power, and that
lrs' have several donkey engines, air-pul
TO and condensers besides, with steam p
ex- extending to and through all parts of t
the buildings for the uses we shall name.
l,,1 b.,