The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1886-03-02
Aawaiiaa 6azette.
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1856.
THE AMERICAN SUGAR REFINERY.
i Description of its New and Ex-
tensiTe Works.
WHARF AND WAREHOUSE.
Machinery Capacity and Convenience
The Mysteries OF Manufacture
Making and Marketing
Facts and Features.

taken IN the American Sugar Refinery at
San Francisco, by our Honolulu citizens
and by Island planters, the representative
OF the HorclaRt in San Francisco was in
structed to obtain permission to visit the
old and new works of the American Rein
cry for the purpose of obtaining the fullest
information. This will enable all who
have recently changed their sugar interests
to obtain accurate information as to the
large institution with which they now
transact their business 1t will also show
that the policy of the Merchant is to discuss
whatever pertains to local affairs. We
have gone to considerable trouble in pre-
pairing the information, but believe that
our efforts viii be fully appreciated. Hav-
ing called upon Mr.. e. L. g. Steele, the
President of the American Refinery, our
representative was very courteously re-
ceived and at once obtained the necessary
permission to visit the works in the shape
of letter of introduction to the General
Superintendent of the Refinery, Mr.. e. G.
Burr. Mr.. Steele seemed anxious that the
Island planters with whom he did business
should have accurate information concern
ing this institution as none of them had yet
had the opportunity of seeing, personally,
what was being done by the American Re
finery Company to enable ii to manufac-
ture the large quantities Of sugar for which
it has contracted.
OFFICE AFFAIRS.
1t may not be out of place to mention
here that the portion OF the crop Of Island
sugars which this refinery expects to
handle will aggregate in the neighborhood
Of $4,000 tons, rather more than half of
our total product The purchasing price
Is on the Cuban basis less of cent per
pound, the planters delivering their su-
gars at San Francisco and shipping them
by sailing vessel or by steamer, as they
think best, and at the best possible rates.
The rates Of freight now ruling are So per
ton by sailing vessel and $3.50 per ton by
steamers, which are about the lowest
figures that have yet been quoted for our
San Francisco carrying trade. At the
beginning of this month the annual meet
ing of the American Refinery Company
was held and the following directors and
officers We're elected:
E. L. G. Steele. President; George A.
Low, Vice President; Andrew Welsh,
Treasurer; w. W Montague, Director;
James De Fremery, Director; George A.
Moore, Secretary.
On THE WHARF.
Arriving at his destination, our cores
pondent found busy scene on the wharf
where the w. S. Bovine was unloading her
$4,000 bags of sugar after quick run to
the Coast. Besides this schooner. the
Caibarien was lying in the stream waiting
for her turn to discharge $4,000 bags The
Victoria Cross, which had also Just arrived,
was discharging some $4,000 bags of sugar
at the Oriental warehouse. This lot it was
intended to sell in an unrefned condition
so as to meet the requirements of the mar
men hard at work handling the sugar and
honestly earning their 50 a day In add
| ton there were at least forty men waiting
for chance to go to work, the San Fran
cisco labor market being considerably
| oyerstocked. As soon as the sugar is
dumped on to the wharf. it is at once
sorted according to marks and grades 1t
Is then weighed five sacks at time, this
process being superintended by repre-
sentative of the consignees who acts In the
interest OF the planters. This avoids all
possibility of any error or dispute in the
quantity of the sugar received. As this
work is being performed, the sampler is
| busy getting his samples of every differ
ent grade for use in the laboratory of the
refinery for polarization. This is the
means Of proving the exact purchasing
basis. To obtain the samples of every
different mark and every different boiling,
| besides weighing the bags in similar
manner, naturally necessitates considera-
bic and very careful labor. Other impor-
tant men on the wharf are those who run
round, needle and thread in hand, to sew
up the broken bags and stop the waste
As the extent of the frontage of the wharf
age accommodation is $50 feet, it can be
imagined that the seamsters are kept on
the trot. These duties being completed
the sugar Is then taken
OPP TO THE WAREHOUSE.
Tins part of the proceedings is done by
hauling with flat cars, SIX of which are
generally in use, though only four were
running on the day of our visit. These
horse cars haul from 5000 to 1000 bags a
day, each car carrying 30 bags for load.
The warehouse for storing raw sugars
fronts directly upon the seawall and has
225 feet frontage on Hilbert street and 200
feet on Front street and is Is feet high.
A new warehouse will be completed by
the end of this month, when they Will
have total storage capacity of $1,000
tons of raw sugar. Besides these build
ings, at the corner of Union and Battery
streets are two large warehouses for stor-
ing refined sugars. One of these is 100
feet square and three stories high, the
others being 25xl0 feet and of similar
height. 1t Is very improbable that all of
these buildings viii ever be used to their
fullest extent as the sugar will be refined
Immediately on its arrival and sold i'm
mediately on its being refined The
structures are all of brick. solid and sub
stantial, with tin roofs. The sugar is
stored according to its grades. number
one by itself, the second and third being
placed together as they are melted to
gether- Here again all the sugar is weigh
ed so as to check the weights given on
the wharf. The sugar is then dumped
into th melting pan which is in the raw
sugar warehouse. The capacity of the
melting pan is $4,000 pounds day. At
ter Undergoing the necessary process of
mix ing with hot water and steam the syr-
up or Juice into which the sugar has be
co me converted Is then strained into a
ts nix from which it is pumped distance
Q 200 yards and 80 feet high to the top of
ohe refinery building. Telephone com
mumcation between the refinery and the
Westinghouse causes an easy mode of re
gulating the supply of juice required for
the refinery. After the bags are emptied
into the melting pan they are all washed
thoroughly so as to utilize the sugar re
naming in them and this juice is melted
up with the other sugar. The old bags
are sold. At the time of our visit Central
American sugar was being melted and
tins can be mixed with Hawaiian sugar
of the same grade. The next department
visited was
THE CoOPER's SHOP
Which presented another busy scene. Here
all the barrels are made by hand, this
method being found cheaper and better
than machinery The barrels are made of
ash which is imported from the East, the
slaves and hoops being imported in pack
ages and the headings in barrels. The
men are all on piece work, being paid at
the rate of 10 cents a barrel and 81 cents
a half barrel. As a good workman can
make As barrels day it viii be seen that
he earns a fair days wage and this branch
of the refinery is of considerable impor-