The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-12-10
Grain leyatOrs-Origin and Growth
of a Great Interest.

One of the interesting features in the
printed report Of the New York Produce
ExchanSr is that which relates to the
handling of grain by steam elevators
and the growth of the demand for them.
From the statement presented it appears
that the handling of grain for export or
for interior transportation and transfer,
till about the year 1843, was limited to
sacks and done by manual labor. 1t was
transported on the lakes in barrels or
sacks, but occasionally in bulk. In 1S43,
Joseph Dart, of Buffalo, first conceived
the plan for handling grain by steam
power in transferring it from lake vessels
into warehouses, and the delivery of
same to canal boats. This enterprise was
looked upon with doubt by the larger
share of the commission merchants and
carriers on the lakes and canals then
doing business at Buffalo. Bulk grain,
even rs late as 1S47, was mostly handled
at Buffalo in half barrels or tubs, by
which it was taken from the hold of lake
vessels, weighed by scale and hopper on
the decks of canal boats, to which it was
transferred. The first elevator was built
at Buffalo by Mr.. Joseph Dart, and had a
storage capacity of $4,000 bushels, and
a transfer capacity of 1000 bushels per
hour. Several other grain warehouses OF
a similar character were built during the
period from 1S47 to 1856. The number
in Buffalo was later increased to thirty
two, with capacity to transfer 100000
bushels of grain in forty-eight hours.
Similar elevators attached to grain ware
houses have been built at Chicago, Mil
waukee, Toledo, Detroit, Cleveland, Du-
lutb, Pittsburg, st. Louis, New Orleans,
indianapolis, Peoria, Dubuque, st. Paul,
and many other interior towns in the
west and Northwest, and in the East at
Goderich, Pert Colborne, Port Dalhousie,
Toronto, Oswego, Kingston, Ogdcnsburg,
Montreal, Boston, Portland, Albany,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York.
1t is only a short time since the grain
arriving ut New York from the interior,
whether for domestic consumption, ship
ment to the East, or for foreign export,
was handled in half bushel measures,
and every tenth bushel weighed. An
attempt to introduce floating elevators
in New York encouraged great opposi-
tion from the army of mcasurers that had
monopoly of the handling of grain,
and in the contest between the measurers
and the elevators business was suspended
almost entirely for two weeks, but Mt last
steam power and hot water were superior
in force to the army of measurcrs, and
come off victorious.
There are now i'm New York and
Brooklyn sixty-three stationary grain
warehouses, including stores, with a
storage capacity of IL ,450, 900 bushels
and thirty-three floating elevators, with
transfer capacity of both in the aggre'
gate of 1876, 900 bushels per hour.
Other facilities are required to secure
better dispatch for the unloading. o.
canal boats and cars, and for the loading
of ocean vessels, among which the mos,
important of all is system of grading
grain, which would add vastly to oul
present working facilities, and ultimatel,
save millions Of dollars that would inur.
to the benefit of our canal, rail anc
ocean commcrce.-Neo York Republic.