The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-04-02
A Milwaukee Grain Elevator.

one must climb to the very top. The
building is perhaps one hundred and fifty
feet long by seventy five feet wide, and,
like all its class, it rises eighty feet or
more to the caves, above which a narrow
top part forty or fifty feet higher, is perch
ed upon the ridge-pole 1t is built of
wood, sheathed with corrugated iron
little way up, aud then slated the rest of
the way.
Entering one end, where two railway
tracks run into the building, we find
narrow wooden stairway, and begin our
ascent. The flights are short ones, but
eighteen are stepped over before we emerge
into the topmost attic. Alongside of us
as we climbed, has been running the strong
belt which carries the power from the
great engine on the ground floor to the
gearing in the roof-a belt of rubber can
vas four feet wide, and perhaps two hun
dred and fifty feet long.
When grain is brought-perhaps hun
dred carloads from the vast fields OF Da-
kota or the wide farms between here and
St. Paul-the train is backed right into
the elevator, and stands so that opposite
each ear door is a receiver, which is kind
Of vat or hopper, in the platform. by the
help of steam -shovels, operating almost
anatomically, two men in each car will
10 ten minutes or less empty the wbele
train.
As fast as the grain is dumped, the re-
eeiyer delivers it to iron buckets holding
about peck each, which are attached to
endless belts, and travel up a sort of chin
ney. called "leg, to this roof chamber,
These buckets will hoist 5000 bushels an
hour at their ordinary rate Of speed. That Is
equal to one bucket going up $4,000 tunes
at the rate Of 400 times q minute-iolera-
bis lively work! To-day up here in the
topmost loft there is nothing doing, aud
we are saved straugulatlou. The light
hardly ptnetrates through the cobwebbed
windows, aud the most pulverous Of dust
/ lies everywhere half an inch deep, showing
the marks of few boot soles, many foot
prints Of rats, aud the lace-like tracks Of
hundreds Of spiders aud bugs. You step
over aud under broad horizontal belts a you
make your way gingcrly from one end OF
the auic to the other, They run the faus
that winuow the grain as i, comes up in
the buckets, after which it is dropped into
+ the hoppers, ten feet wide, and twice as
deep, that open like halchways every few
I feet 10 the centre Of the floor. Now all IS
perfectly quiet, we are so high that even
. the elamor of the wharyes does not reach
Us Bu, when the machinery starts in
motion, then fearful roars, and clash Of
eogs, and whipping Of slackened belts, as
sault the garres, uoIil this whole upper
region rocks like a ship in gale, and chat
aud dust cloud the eyes aud s,iae the throat.
/ Descending one story, We 6od another
garrett, With nothing in it bu, the square
bodies Of tbe hoPpers. Going down second
airhs shows US that the hoppers are sus-
pended cot upon pillars, but loosely on iron
.tirrups, so as to shake little, and the
iron gate which lets on or shuts Of the
fall Of the grain through the tubular Ori-
fee !, the bottom is operated by steam.
There are twelve of these hOPPers-
Sticking up through the door underneath
each one cape the aariug mouths oftwelve
spouts or sluices, all Of which point direct
IL at the gate in the hopper, as though
earnestly begging its bounty of grain.
Every one Of these III spouis leads into
a bin. near or distant, and all are unmber-
ed. so that the superintendent knows which
spout conducts to any one bin, and can
distribute his cargoes accordingly, the re-
suit Of his choice being recorded in cabal-
istic authorizations upon a blackboard close
by. \ movable conductor Is swung into
place between the hopper and the spout
the gate pulled open, and down slides the
wheat. with inusically rushing noise, into
the grateful bin.
To see the bins we descend again, this
i time reaching the top of the wide part OF
the building. We walk very circumspect
", in the halflight, amid maze of beams
s,ringers, aud cross pieces of wood and
iron. The whole interior of the elevator
below this level is now seen to consist oi
a series Of rooms, between which there /:
no communication. They are ceilingless
aud the only exit from them is through q
spout in the bottom. Peering over the
edges from the narrow foot-walks, we can
only guess how far the person would fall
who should lose his balance, for the eye
can not reach the bottom; it is sixty-fve
feet below, and hidden in darkness. Oi
these deep bins there are HI, some twice
the size of others Sometimes they are
all full at once, and hold eight or nine
hundred thousand bushels, weighing fifty
millions of pounds, and good for over tive
hundred thousand barrels of Aour.-Har
per's MagaziRs Jor 1prR.
Some time ought to be taken at home
to talk with the children about what they
are learning and doing at school. Such
talks are what children naturally expect
and like. Your children are not turned
away to school to shift wholly for them
selves, or to be taken care of wholly by
the teacher, without any thought OF your
own for them You ought to know what
they study and how they get on. Nc
matter if you find out something about
their plays and playmates, and the way
they spend their recess, No matter either
;f the teacher finds out that you know