New Ulm weekly review., 1883-11-14
A Gigantic Flour Mill in California.


in the western European wheat mar
kets is causing the merchants of Cali
fornia to use every effort to maintain
their footing, and among other devices,
says Engineering, for lessening the cost
of transport there is arising the practice
of reducing the grain to flour before it
is shipped, thereby effecting saving of
20 per cent. in freight. This carries
with it the additional advantage of en-
ploying a large amount of local labor,
and of turning the wheat to the best
advantage, as by aid of new machinery
and the best systems of milling far
greater and better yield can be obtained
than by the more antiquated methods
which still to a great extent prevail
here. Messrs. Star & Co. are now
building an immense -four mill and
wheat elevator on the south shore of
the Straits Of Carquinez, about two
miles below Porta Costa, and fronting
the town of Crockett, to carry out his
plan, the spot they have chosen being
available for the largest ocean steam
ships, while it is sufficiently sheltered
for the river barges from the interior to
approach it with safety.
At the site of the mill the shore
curves inward, leaving a fiat rock reef
mostly bare at low water, but sloping
Oft abruptly on the northern and west
ern edges. Upon this reef there is
being erected an eight story mill and
elevator building, about $50 feet by 800
feet, reared upon superstructure of
artificial stone piers and arches. The
piers, of which there will be 2O9, aver
aging from 5 feet to feet square at the
base, and standing 13 feet apart from
center to center, are built upon the
rock, and are connected by groined
arches, standing some 4 feet clear
above high water level, which has an
open passage under them, between the
piers. The artificial stone floor of the
mill and elevator is laid over the arches
and forms monolithic platform of
nearly $4,000 square feet area. There
will be 10000 cubic feet in the piers,
arches, and floors, the greater part
being already in position, and heavy
wire cables are being laid transversely
through and through the concrete above
the arches to serve as earthquake ties.
This portion of the work, which will
cost $4,000, is being done'by Mr.. Ern-
est L. Ransome, VINO has long been oc-
cupied in California, bringing into ex-
tensive and successful use the artificial
stone invented by his father, Mr. Fred
erick Ransome, number of years ago.
The mill building will be l43 feet by
1853 feet, with seven stories, aggregat-
ing 100 feet in height, while the eleva-
tor, 50 feet by 178 feet, is to be capable
of storing 10000 tons of wheat. The
outside walls of the great building will
be formed of heavy buttresses, rising
over the artificial stone piers, and con-
nected with curtain walls. The floors
above the first story will be carried by
clusters of five wooden pillars, 13 feet
apart. The engines and boilers are in
separate structure, the power provid-
ed for milling purposes being 2,4O0
horse power, and for the elevator 800
horse power. The ultimate capacity of
the mill will be 5000 barrels of flour
per day, but it will be started with ma
chinery for turning out $500 barrels
per day. Agents OF the company are
now in Europe inspecting all the best
milling machinery and processes.
The docks, to be covered by two-story
warehouses, are in two sections, having
an open slip 104 feet in width between
them. The eastern dock section will
have an area of 115, 600 square feet, and
the western section one of 256, 800
square feet, and both are to be traversed
by railway lines in connection with the
railroad system of the State.
From this account an idea will be
gained of the extent of the enterprise
which Messrs. Starr & Co. are inaugural
ing, and the magnitude of the trade in
which they are engaged, and which
they are making such great exertions
to keep.