Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-06
OUR FIRST ELEVATOR.
WaE
1t win be Receiving Grain Next Week.
NashVille's Facilities for Handling
what the Farmers Raise.
COmmendable Private Enterprise Of a
Public Character.


Hard as the times are, Nashville gives
palpable evidences this summer, of real,
substantial growth. Not so much in in
crease of population, as in the erection Of
larger business houses and the develop
ment of commercial facilities, Whi;h last,
after all, distinguish city from a town or
village. Investments are being made with
a freer hand. Il may be thai the general
depression of business and the Improbable
ness of tie times are driving
money into new directions of enterprise, or
that home capital, hitherto tImid or skepti-
cal, is gaining greater confidence in the
future of our city and State. Whatever
may be the hidden lever, we see large man.
ufactOries and finer and more cOmmodious
business houses going up in our midst, and,
more than all, we see an irresistible move
ment in the direction of providing those pub
lie cOnyeniences Oftrade which are the pride
of larger cities. In a recent issue, these col
umns contained a full description of an
@Omnium gatheTum" warehouse, TO be i'm
mediately erected at the junction of the
two great railroads which form an Y here,
and to be an emporium large enough TO re-
ceive all the agricultural products that may
be shipped hither from the ''four quarters"
cutting off an immense per cent Of the cost
Of handling.
We propose now, for the first time, TO
give our readers some account OS the first
grain elevator ever built in Nashville. 1t is
a thing we ought to have had years ago, be
ing one Of the ripest cOntrivances dictated
by economy. The commercial principle is
the same as in the warehouse referred to
a saving in the cost of handling the pro
ducts Of the country marketed here. Most
cities in the West have elevators, but it
will be Of use and interest to describe the
one now being completed in our city, and
which, we learn, will be ready to receive
grain by next Monday.
1t is located on the Nashville, Chatta-
nOOga and st. Louis and Great Southern
railways, where those roads are lntersected
by Ewing avenue. Ii has a capacity of
only something over 100000 bushels, but
this is magnified by recOllecting that it is
the enterprise of an individual and not of
a stock company, in which view it is a
ersditable beginning for the city.
From a distance its general appear
ance is that of a mammoth oblOng box,
there being no windows to relieve the
broad sides of the main body. The entire
concern consists of this box and tower at
one end, rising from the ground to a con-
siderable height above the main body.
The dimensions Of the box, or granaTy
proper, are log feet in length, 335 feet in
width and 60 feet in height, or 45 feet from
the bottom to the top floor. It is divided by
a middle partition running lengthwise and
by crOss-section partitions into 20 bins, As
feet deep, each having a capacity Of be-
tween five and six thousand bushels. The
bins are hopper.shaped at the bottom with
a gate to discharge their contents, and are
properly ventilated at the top. Running
the entire length of the house, both in the
top and under the bottom, are what are
called cOnveyeTs, or trOughs with a
spiral apparatus TO push grain this way
and that, over and under the bins,
as far as it may be desired to convey it.
This immense gEain-hOuse is admirably
constructed, containing seventy car loads Of
lumber, tied with tons of bolts and nails,
and resting on a massive foundation of ex-
cellent masonry. The whole, including
the tower, is to be covered with sheet-irOD
"a protection against both weather and
fire.
TIE length Of the building together with
the tower, which is divided into five stO-
ries lighted and ventilated with windows,
is 126 feet. The tower is more than 80
feet in height and contains the elevator
proper, the shafting, q separator and weigh
ing scales. The elevator proper is what is
seen in any ordinary mill: Two
upright boxes containing betting with
cups, which go up from the
bottom of the tower loaded in one box and
come down in the ether empty. When a
car load of wheat (fOr inssance) is con-
signed to this place to be stored, it is
emptied in bulk into hopper in the base
of the tower, whence it is carried up by the
cups, weighed and separated en- route, and
discharged into the uppermOst conveyer by
which it is carried 10 whatever bin it may
be assigned and poured therein. This
process can be cIrried on at the rate Of
! 1000 bushels per hour. When the con-
| signOr wishes 10 withdraw his wheat, the
gate at the bottom of the bin is opened By
pulling a wire, and the wheat passed out
| into conveyer underneath, and is thence
carried TO the base Of the tower, again ele-
waited and weighed while en- route, and
| spOuted back into the car or wagon as the
case may be, in bulk. Upon receipt
of lot OF wheat receipt
| is given, which may be used
III the same manner as warehouse receipts.
| Sacks, drayage and everything is saved but
| storage and such are the cOnveniences that
| the proprietor can afford cheap rates Of
storage. For obvious reasons we have con-
fined ourselves to a mere outline. Ele-
vatOrs are too common in the West and
their uses too well understood ana appre-
ciated 10 need any advocacy from a news
paper to make them popular. Through o.
+. NOel's enterprise Nashville now has one
of which she can well feel proud.
Mr.. Noel is building, also, in proximity
with the elevator flour and grist mill to
run six pairs of rocks. The same engines
will run the mill and operate the elevator.
TIE mill house will be a substantial 3-StOry
brick, with basement, IS by 43 feet. 1t is
not calculated TO store anything in
this building. The mills Will be
supplied from the tower of the elevator
gradually as they grind, and the product
will be either loaded on cars at the door, or
rolled on to a warehouse which is projected
to be built a short distance away. A side
track has already been laid, which will
conduct cars alongside all the buildings
from both railroads. The investment there