The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-01-27

visited. The Gltering at these factories IS. I believe,
more mechanical than chemical. In several cases the
byue-black looked like small dark-eolored pebbles,
AMI WAS quite rounded from frequent use. / an look
iur fyrwari with more than usual interest TO a visit
during the winter and the crushing season. in order
20 see how this system affects deeolcrzation Of the
liouor In arranging these factories there does
not appear to be any hesitation about raising the
liauor By means Of pumps Of the mont-j1s kind. I
made careful inspection and enquiry touching this
point, knowing well that many other eonverieBces in
the management Of colonial mills have been made TO
give way that the liquor may fov by grAyitAtion
from point to point in the various stages Of maoGfac-
ture. Here gravitatiou does not appear 10 be IN i'm
portant consideration q arranging = factory. The
liquors and syrups are just forced to any desired ele-
walton and the experience Of these people is worth
something in such matters.
The triple effect is in general use, although not in
general favor, FOR evaprating the liquor. This AZ
Tangensnt is much tht same as that used in beet
sugar factories, Of which / saw two in California. II
is the same also, I believe, as that used in the French
beet-roos factories. Each triple-efect consists Of
three pans of the form Of huge, oblong, egg-end
boilers. Each of these Is q vacuum pan in TIE ordI-
nary meaning Of tie term. The liquor in the first
place is boiled by means Of exhaust steam from the
engines the secoul by the vapor drawn from the
first the third by apor from the second. In each
case the conden sed moisture from the heating coil is
discharged into wate tanks. When discharged from
the last pan the syrp is usually Of 250 Beaume.
In theory the tiple pan vacuum arrangement is
supposed to be the cheapest known theory says
there is no waste q heat in this process. But in
practice l am disposed to believe there is consider
able loss OF time ald IN TINS business time Is money
literally. The appliances are also cumbersome and
expensive, althoug iron is the usual material in
building these pans. There is also a defect. mas
much az the syrup While in the pan cannot be clean
sed by skimming. When discharged frem the pans 1t
is passed through sseeOnd series of charcoal filters.
In other factories The liquor is made to pass through
the charcoal filters tat have been previously used for
syrups. 1t then hws into q receiver or subsider.
from which it is taken into the final vacuum pans.
Of these there are time in the larger factories, which
turn out from 20 to 30 tons of sugar per day-the
day in GaudeloupeE as long as the men can see.
The average first sugars made here are much
darker in color and much moister than I expected
to find. But l wal informed that much higher
grades are made for export.
Ordinary centrifuals, driven by overhead gear
ing, are in use. l saw no improvement in them.
Packing is in hogsheads.
Guadeloupe is altogether but a small island, or
rather pair of islands but it is closely populated, and
the farming is really good. As in the other islands
visited, the common urge Ribbon canes, and a pur-
pie cane that 1 take tC be Treboe, are in general cul-
t~ivation. I also saw to keep to Queensland names)
the new Caledonian green cane, and also the Mala-
bar but the varities cultivated are few in number,
and there was great interest manifested amongst the
planters when informd of the numerous varieties of
cane grown in Austrlia (which many of my good
natured friends canne, l fear, help believing is one
of the United States). But they are not emigrating
people.
Small plantations farms, are the rule in Guade-
loupe. The soil is o various kinds, calcereous and
volcanic predominatig. 1t is rich, and the rainfall
having been regular Turing the season coming to a
close, had fair opprtunity to see the weight of
cane raised per acre, md should say that in Guade-
loupe land L travellet over the large portion of both
divisions) they will send to mill about 30 tons of
cane per acre. This is not so heavy as might be
looked for; but then, n Guadeloupe, the cane returns
mean an even crop a. over the island. The farming
is wonderfully even. The canefelds show a delight
full repetition of similr quality of soil, and manuring
and working, whereer we go. The whole of the
cultivated lands aboud in shells, to which the sur
prising evenness of cps is, no doubt largely attri-
butable.
From Guadeloupe to st. Pierre. Martinique, we
had a ~nagging, choping sea passage. st. Pierre is a
beautiful little place, reminding one to some extent
of Sydney, or of W~odloomooloo, minus magnificent
Sydney harbor, howger. But the houses, and the
streets also, rise one behind the other, as in portions
of Sydney, the wholerepresenting a beautiful picture
as wo approached ne land at nightfall. As at
Gaudeloupe, gardens and pretty villas abound in all
directions. Away p in the mountain cliffs beyond
the city we could Sc the lights glimmer out as the
fine tropical summersun sank behind the hills, and
we came under the es stormy shelter of the head
lands.
Few visitors go to hese islands during the summer
season, at which timt the weather is hot and sultrv,
both in the day and light. Fierce storms also sweep
down upon these beautiful places, and earthquakes
are by no means uncommon. St. Thomas has. on
more than one occas)n, been seriously shaken-al-
most out of existence But it is about the most stir
ring place in the Wet Indies notwithstanding. Peo-
pie get used to earth it would seem.
Pretty is st. Pierre with its fountains, continuous
water supply, quaintstone houses, and the cheerful
est kind of hotels (Pr1ch is the language spoken).
But we are after the sugar plantations and the famed
central factories, to sc which we had been travelling
for weeks they are n another part of the island.
Next day was Sunday; but Monday morning, bright
and early, found US Ooard q little coasting steamer,
ed route for Port de France. The distance is not
great. A landing vas made at midday, and ere
evening / had been Trough the Oldest central facto-
ry in existence, as applied to cane sugar, and also
through some two or.hree other factories. Thanks
to the attention of II NJ. consular officers, and the
jolly a~ffability of thee everagreeable French West
Indians, there was nodificulty whatever in gaining
every desired ~nformtion The factories are close
together too, and evey facility exists for moving
about on land and watr. The mills were not work
ing, so all that could &c done during the two days
stay in Martinique WIS to see what could be seen of
the machinery (mostl. French and Belgian), the sys-
tenn of cultivation, ~vaieties of cane grown. mode of
selling as between grover and manufacturing, &c.
In the islands, and .lso amongst planters from va
rious parts of the Yves Indies, there are very confic-
ting reports regardingthe results of the system. And
1t takes some time to mravel the causes that exist
for this difference of opinion. One point is undenia-
BILE. and its force is visible in Martinique.and in Lou
isiana, where the System has been most energetically
tested. In both theseplaces, different though they
are in many other respects, the sugar-producing busi-
ness is most prosperoui and those connected with it
are most hopeful, when the growing of cane and the
manufacture of sugar ae most effectually separated.
Wherever I have been, in the United States and
the West Indies, with cry few exceptions, the sugar
business is depressed. From Guiana there are very
discouraging reports. We have seen how it is in
Cuba. Jamaica is sal, to be in a very low state /;
but there are marked exceptions to this deplorable
state of affairs in the French West India islands.
are a frugal, happy people, and the factories pay fair
interest, l am assured, On the money Invested. The
most prosperous factorns are those worked purely as
companies, and in whid the cane growers hold con-
siderable of the capital stock.
(To BE coYTINUgD.O