Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-09
THE LOWER HYDRAULIC COTTON
PRESS.
The Largest Compress in the World to
be Completed in Few Days.

The Largest Compress in the World TO
he Completed in Few Days.
With view to the expected large in
crease in cotton receipts this year, the
Savannah Cotton Press Association has
had under construction since last winter
the largest cotton compress in the world,
which has already been alluded to in the
MORNING NEWS, and which will be fn-
ished within a few days.
The construction Of this press, to be
known as the Lower Hydraulic Press,
and which is situated at the foot OF Kan
dOlph street. has been under the personal
supervision of Captain Samuel }. W mte-
sides. the Chief Engineer Of the Cotton
Press Association. and the oldest cotton
press man in the country, whose experience
Of 80 years has given him wide field TO
display his practicability in the construc-
ton of cotton presses.
The hydraulic press is the result Of his
investigation and study, and beyond doubt
is the largest and most complete press in
the country. 1t has a frontage OF 800
feet and a depth Of 800 feet. 1t is pro-
vided with large and rOOmy sheds for the
handling and storage OF cotton. The cost
Of the press alone is $4,000. The work Of
construction was begun Oh the LIST day OF
last February. Every part was con-
structed with special reference to the bet
ter COMPRISING of cotton.
The boiler house is 36X4O feet. In this
building is five steel boilers Is inches in
diameter, with "a four Inch tubes. The
boilers are set in one battery inclosed in
an iron casing lined with brick, giving B
square feet of CRATE surface.
The pump room is 29X40 feet. In this
room are three sets Of g. f. Blake's du-
pick pumps, consisting Of two sets Of
steam cylinders twenty-fOur inches in
diameter and twenty-fOur inch stroke,
operating directly on water plunges five
inches in diameter. One set of two steam
cylinders "A inches in diameter and -
inch stroke, operating on water
plunges 81 inches in diane
ter. The 5-inch water plunges are
driven up to 1000 pounds water pressure
to the square inch; the 80 water plunges
are driven up to 1000 pounds to the square
inch.
The press room is p by 30 feet. In this
building are two hydraulic presses with
rams "a inches in diameter and feet
inches stroke.
The cylinders are 13 inches thick and
wrought iron. banded with eight bands
inches square. weighing - tons each.
The bed plate in which the cylinders rest
weighs - tons. The top and bottom
platens weigh 20 tons each. The lifting
ENOS are Oh MIOu-ul lloi ~ AAlNANo oihetAN
and weigh > tons. There are eight OF these
rods-four to each press. The total weight
of the two presses is $50 tons. These
presses will be operated under water
pressure of 1000 pounds to the inch,
which will put about 900 ton pressure
on each bale. The machinery will be driven
10y an 800 horse power engine.
This press will doubtless have no equal.
The best presses in the country to-day
exert a pressure of only LOO tons, while
one under construction Will exert
pressure Of double that amount. one Of
its great improvements Is that when
once started it will not require
special man TO attend it, as in
the case OF the old presses which require
a lever man to turn the steam on and of
at a given time. This work is done auto
matically, and there is consequently
great saving of time and labor. The liza
bilitv to accident will also be avoided.