The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-11-25
THE NEW GRAIN ELEVATOR.
A Description of the Building and Ma
chinery.

the matter az length, but could come to no
conclusion. The city government wanted the
Grand Trunk to build it, and vice versa. 1t
l was said that if the Grand Trunk wanted such
| building they would build it, and if they did
not want it surely no one else did. This reas.
oning would do for talk but it would never
build an elevator. Some time in the summer
OF 1874 Mayor Wescott began agitating the
matter in the city government, and at last a
committee was appointed to confer with Sir A.
L. Calf for the purchase Of the wharf property.
The Grand Trunk agreed to build the elevator
| if the city government would purchase and re-
| pair the property and give them 30 years to
pay for 1.-THE Grand Trunk to maintain the
elevator in the meantime The city govern
ment agreed to the proposition and bonds were
issued for $4,000. About 100000 of this was
used for the purchase of the property aad the
remainder for the repairs Of the wharf and the
rebuilding Of the foundation Of the elevator
1t was expected that this sum (s4O,OOO) would
be sufficient to complete the work, but it was
not by about $1,000, which was expended volun-
tarily by the Grand Trunk in order to have the
wharf rebuilt as it should be.
Early last spring the Grand Trunk began
corresponding with certain builders for the
construction of the elevator After quite an
extensive correspondence a contract was closed
with j. I. Moulton & Son Of Chicago, to furn-
ish the plans and specifications and superin-
tend the work. The senior member of this
firm is man of large experience in building
elevators in the West, and the Company were
very fortunate in securing his services His
ordarS IN bui ,bsfo 81
lent building, and to fit it with all the latest
Improvements in machinery. The appearance
of the building as it stands completed, shows
that the orders were strictly carried out The
building is as good as can be built and the me-
chanical arrangements are the best in USE
Although the building is not as yet quite COM
pleted, some of the elevators are at work and
there are from $4,000 to 10000 bushels of grain
now stored there. About the first of next
week the contractors will complete it sand give
it in charge of Mr.. William Munday, the SUI
perintendent Mr.. Munday held the same po-
sition in the old building before the fire.
THE BUILDING.
The main building stands on the exact spot
where the old one did, and is on pile founda-
ton. Above thissis about 16 feet of the best
stone work. The building is 1O2 by 80 feet,
aud LOG feet high. Such building m ust neces-
sar;ly be built very strong and in this respect
this building can't be excelled. In the first
story we find the building above, containing
the grain, supported by strong posts of South
ern pine set in clusters of three and four each.
Above these posts are girdons, - by - inches.
placed together, making beam one by two
Font IF ba hoe oh
longitude timbers are of Southern pine, Di-
lectly above this strong support comes the Al
bins ofaVarlous sizes for the reception of the
grain The average size of these bins are IL
by ID feet, and they are all 48 feet deep. Above
these bins are three stories in the cupola. The
first story is IA feet high and is used for con-
tanning spouts from the hopper to the various
bins. The second story contains three of Fair
banks 500 bushel hopper scales. Here all the
grain is weighed. In the third and upper story
there are the gamers and the shafting. The
walls of the building are built of timber by
inches, and will be covered on the outside
with corrugated iron to make it fire proof. The
bins are built of timber 2 by inches.
On the west side of the m ain building is the
dock elevator proper for the loading of coast.
ing vessels. This building in 16 by 20 feet and
80 feet high. There is an elevator in this part
with capacity Of 5000 bushels per hour, and
one of Fairbanks hopper SC ales. This elevator
is great improvement on any ever fused here
before for this purpose. There is an arrange
ment for carrying out the spout over the vessel
to unload it. On the east side Of the main
building is the delivery for the steamers. This
ht1sld s1
framework &C feet frnm the wharf.
On the north side of the main building is the
engine house. Here is an 80 horse power en-
CINE and 80 horse power boiler. The engine is
from the Portland Company, and the boiler is
the old one.repaired. The house is of brick,
% by 3S feet, and is very convenient.
Now we have been through the buildings
perhaps look at the
MACHINERY
may be interesting. OF course there must be
great lot of power used, as all the work, even
to the unloading of cars. is done by steam.
The main shafting runs from the engine house
to the main building Here is large wheel
which the whole power depends upon. A rub.
Der belt 202 feet in length, 26.inches wide and
five ply, runs over this wheel and over enc in
the upper part Of the building. This band
wheel is 10 feet in diameter and the one in the
upper part feet, The line shafGng is belted
from the main shafting. All the shafting is
applied by universal coupling and osclating
journal boxes. by this arrangement the build
ing can settle several feet without affecting the
shafting in the least. The betting is all of rnb-
Der. There is an arrangement on the main
shafting on the ground floor by which the cars
are hauled right to the side of the building
There are elevators running from the track
to the top of the building. Each of these have
capacity of 5000 bushels an hour. On
the front of the building, facing the cars, there
runs horizontal bar with hooks upon it.
wooden shovels are fastened by ropes to these
hooks, and as the bar runs back and forth the
grain is drawn towards the door of tn car and
and from there into the pit by the side of the
car. Beneath this pit there is an endless belt
containing cups, such as are seen in grist mills.
These cups carry the grain to the top of the
building. Here it passes over a pulley and
falls into small bins called gamers. As the
grain falls into the gamers a suction fan draws
out all of the dust and it passes through tube
and down to the bottom of the building The
pulleys over which the belt which conveys the
grain passes, are run by friction pulley be-
meath, two feet in diameter and 10 inch face,
made Of paper. The grain runs from the gar
ners which are placed in the third story, into
the hopper scale in the second story. Here it
is weighed and run through spout into
any bin in the building. That is an end of it
until it is to be removed, when it is taken out
of the bottom of the bin.
The arrangement for loading steamers from
the east side is most excellent. The grain
runs from the hopper on the scales On to an
endless belt % inches wide and 267 feet long,
The grain drops upon this belt and is carried to
the farther end of the building where it falls
into shipping bin. From this bin it can be
drawn off direct to the steamer or into bag
ging room beneath, where it Is bagged and
shipped as is desired. The belt that carries
this grain will convey 5000 bushels an hour,
and never spills it. AS there is great strain
on this belt it often needs tightening and this
is done by very ingenious method.