News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-12-20
BEET SUGAR.
The Various Processes of It's Manu-
facture Described.

When the beets are dumped into the
bins they pass from the farmer and are
ready to start on their way to sugardom.
Beneath each bin is q concrete ditch,
and into this ditch the beets fill through
adjustable traps. A stream of water is
constantly flowing through the bitches
i'll the direction Ct the factory, and it
takes the beets to the south end of tho
main building and empties them into a
cistern, in which is working large
screw that extends to the second floor,
from which they pass into large drum
shaped iron cylinder, called the "wash-
barrel, where the beets are thoroughly
cleaned. When cleaned they are thrown
from the "wash- barrel into a hopper,
from which they pass into an endless
elevator, which runs to the top floor
where the b2ets are discharged into
large hopper. Then they pass into
"cage," which viii hold COO pounds of
beets, and when this weight is indicated
the cage empti its load iuto the cutter.
The cage and its indicator enable the
factory people to closely estimate the
amount of raw material used each day
in the manufacture of sugar. It is also
a check on every department. It will
show any error that may arise in the re-
ceiving or shipping department.
The slicer or cutter is a round iron
shaft with steel knives, capable of sic
ing 400 tons of beets every twenty-four
hours, which runs down to the floor below.
The lower end of the siicer opens into
wooden trough about two feet square, on
the bottom of which isan endless belt. As
the sliced beets fall from the cutter into
this trough, the belt takes them along
as fast as they descend. Placed on this
floor and ranged alongside the trough is
a battery of twelve diffusion tanks, int
which the sliced beets are next passed
and diluted under water pressure OF
eighty pounds. By this pressure the
sugar and salts, amounting to 80 per
cent, are released in liquid form, leav-
ing only 10 per cent. OF pulp to repre-
sent all the solid matter contained in
the sugar beet of commerce. From the
diffusion tanks the liquid sugar is then
passed into the heater. In the heater
the liquid is subjected to 70 degrees for
some time, when it is again sent onward
to the condemnation tank, where it is
put through clarifying process by lime
and lime gas. From the carbonizat;on
tank it is pumped into the presses,
through which it is run three times
under tremendous pressure, every par
ticle of limo being retained in the press
es, while the liqnid sugar is conveyed to
the quadrup!e evaporation, probably the
heaviest pieces of machinery used in the
whole process of sugar-making. After
going through the evaporation process it
is delivered to the vacuum pans at the top
of the building, where it is crystalized.
Underneath the vacuum pans are placed
very large square receivers, into which
it is allowed to fall when crystalization
has taken place; these receivers have
revolving screws which form the bottom,
and are kept constantly in motion to
keep the sugar from caking. From the
receivers it again descends to the GEN.
trifugal machines, where it is purged of
the molasses and finally emptied into
sacks on the lower floor and loaded on
the railroad cars for shipment to the re-
finery.