, 1875-04-03

It's utmost capacity, DE aole-ln q some
what longer time certainly-to take off the
whole crop of the island. It must here
be remarked that, unless earthquakes or
similar unforeseen calamities should occur,
the risk Of the factories breaking down is
very small, and that they, being always
supplied with reserves and having a staff
of good mechanics, will always easily be
kept in order.
This question being thus, as we think,
satisfactorily settled, we shall to-day beg
leave to make SOM remarks on the means
by which the cane-felds are brought in
connection with the Central Factories,
that is, on the question OF railroads or
conducting pipes.
The Central Factories may be arranged
in such o manner that they receive the
canes directly, and it will then be necessa-
~ to construct railroads by means of
which the canes are conveyed to the two
factories, the planter bringing them on carts
or mules to the railroad, or for the factories
to build in places convenient to the estates
and where fresh water may be had, small
factories only supplied with a mill and
a force pump. To these places-let US
call them stations-the planters cart their
canes, see them weighed, and here the
juice is extracted and Immediately forced
into a cast iron conducting pipe, branch
ing from q main pipe, which is laid in the
ground on the same line as we have before
supposed to be the direction of the rail
road, to the two factories.
Which of these systems ought we now
to adopt2 In order to give an answer to
this question we must not only look to
the difference in the cost of erection, but
we must also take into account the differ
ence of working under the two different
modes of conveyance, and W must especi-
ally, although we mention it last, examine
the question in regard to the planters, so
that We choose the system which will
connect them the most satisfactorily and adj
vantageously with the factories.
The cost of erection-supposing a rail-
road with SO" gauge and a conducting
pipe of 6" diameter-will be in favour of
the latter, and will appear SO all the more
the closer we examine the question. 1t
will be remembered that the railroad must
have many sidings and branch roads in order
to facilitate the transportation, and that
these will have two OF the same gauge and
dimensions as the main road. The conduct
ing pipes will also have branch pipes, as a
matter of course, but these, as will easily
be understood, will be of much smaller d.
ameter, aad therefore cheaper.
The price of the railroad is, besides,
considerably augmented by the enormous
quantity of rolling stock required Let
us suppose 1900 Tons of canes to be trans
ported every day, and one car capable Of
carrying one Ton. This would require
1900 carloads a day, and it would certain
ly require just as many cars as it would
be necessary to have plenty of them stand
ing about on sidings and branch roads,
loading. II we suppose the cost of one
car to be about $500, the capital invested
in cars alone would be about SI50,OOO.
To this large sum must be added 4 loco
motives, or some 900 mules, whereby the
outlay would nearly reach the sum Of
100000, the cost of the railroad itself
only calculated to be some $4,000 pr.
mile (about IS miles required) and the
cost of the conducting pipes being sbout
$4,000 pr. mile.
If, as has here been briefly shown, the
cost of construction is greatly in favour of
the conducting pipe, this is no less the case