Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-07
THE LARGEST COMPRESS IN THE
WORLD

a Description of the New Compress
OF the United Hydraulic Cotton PRESS
Company.
TIE most powerful steam hydraulic cot
ton nress in the world is being erected on
the site If what Is known as the Lower
Hydraulic Press on the river front,
IN the eastern portion Of this city,
bv rbe savannah Cotton Press As
sG..fsriOu. for the United Hydrau-
lie cotton Press Company. Work
was begun on the new enterprise Oh
the first Of last January. under the imme-
date supervision OF Captain samuel j..
Whitesides. Chief Engineer Of the AssO-
citation. who has Introduced several i'm
prOvemeuts in the machinery.
An idea Of the power and dimensions OF
the new machines may be formed oE
comparing them with the presses IN use.
The new presses weigh 30 tons. and VIII
give. on every bale Of cotton which
passes into them. a pressure Of 2,7gg
tons instead Of !, 200 tons. Ihey VIII
have the capacity 70 compress l-lVo bales
every working day Of ten hours OF al the
rate Of 10 bales per hour, or. one ana
hye-sixths bales every minute. The ca
paclty Of the best presses now IN opera
ton is about 80 bales every ten hours.
difference Of $50 bales per day.
The new. presses are supported by eight
iron columns. which weigh two tons each.
Every column has bed Of lis own. which
weighs four tons. The lifting rods. eight
in number. are Of wrought iron. meas
uriny nine by ten inches and twenty-seVen
feet in length. The bed and platens to-
gether weigh forty tons. and the rams nine
tons. The presses are 10 be operated by
three sets Of Blake's Duplex Hydraulic
pumps. four 10 each set now being
constructed bv the George +. Blake
Manufacturing Company. Of Boston,
Mass. from designs furnished by Cap
tain Whitesides !. which viii force the
rams. each 81 inches in diameter. with a
water pressure Of 1000 pounds 10 the
square inch. The steam cylinders
are p inches in diameter. IL inches
in thickness. and are reinforced by eight
wrought iron bands. each three inches
square. Their combined weight i II
tons. The stroke Is u inches, working
three sets OF water plungeTs. two Of which
are ; inches and the other inches IN d.
ameter.
The motive power for these giant presses
j supplied BIZ five steel boilers + inches
in diameter and % feet long, each having
"a four inch tubes and assuring a
steam pressure Of 40 pounds TO
the square inch. These boilers were built
by Mr.. James Rees. Pittsburg. Pa. and
weigh with their fixtures 10 tons. They
arrived here Saturday on the steamship
William Crane from Baltimore. 1t is esti-
mated that eight tons Of coal will be con-
stunned daily.
. The presses are being constructed 10y
the West Point foundry. al Cold Springs,
New York. and Will be finished in a few
weeks. Meanwhile the buildings, three
in number. which are 10 house
the machinery, will be completed. Their
foundations rest on a system Of piling.
IA Of which are one foot square and
thirty feet in length. and 1000 four inches
square and sixteen feet in length, IN addl-
ton 10 a large number Of piles Of
similar thickness and length 10
the sizes mentioned, that have been driven
10 form the foundation for the bed upon
which the presses are TO rest. over the
piling. beneath the place selected for the
presses. a superstTuctOre OF stone and iron
has been laid. which Is capped by
"a bed Of brick five feet thick, through
which, at intervals, rods of steel
about TWO inches in diameter and
six feet in length. bearing a broad shoe
on the under side of the iron plate below
the masonry and a screw cap at the top
OF the bed. Is shown. These rods. Or bolts,
are intended 10 secure the press firmly in
place.
The walls Of the buildings are of brick,
Is inches thick, laid in cement. Two Of
tue structures are one story in height.
That in which the press Is to rest viii be
- feet. and of two stories, one Is feet
and the other II feet. The lower
floor i of brick and forms a
room . feet wide and So feet long. The
boiler and pump rooms are 30X30 feet and
! feet high. measuring only TO the top Of
the enclosing walls. The doors and
window casing throughout are Of iron.
The boilers viii be moved from the Bal
timOre steamship wharf to-day. and when
they shall have been placed in position
the north wall Of the building Will be
built 10 its intended height. The presses
and cylinders will be brought
from New York on one Of the yes
sells belonging 10 the Ocean
steamship Company. and as there are no
trucks or carriages in the city large
enough TO move them from the Central
Railroad wharf, the machinery Will be
landed al the press wharf, or about forty
feet from the room which is being pre-
pared for its reception. The presses will
be ready for work by the lst OF August,
and it is estimated that they will cost
$4,000.