The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-05-22

! SAtelN AtSuIu. AS 10 AnOfOu0DleSS OF
extraction more definiteness of inform-
alton can be employed. The process
IS guaranteed by the manufactures of
the plant to leave not more than four
4 hfths of per cent. of sugar in the ex-
hausted chips. This result attained
with other things equal, there would
be a gain over the process of double
crushing and maceratioD, as very
efficiently done by the Kealia
mill, OF from L to Is per
cent. of sugar. 1t is estimated
that there IS l. per cent. of sugar in
the cane. Tests of the exhausted
| bagasse, or trash, after passing through
the hot water maceration mill, reveal
| > per cent of sugar, or at least % per
cent. of the quantity originally in the
! cane. Now the result OF diffusion on
! the first days trial was residue of
3 per cent. of sugar in the waste ma
terial, reduced to per cent. the second
I day, ! per cent. on the third day,
and less than one-half per cent. on the
! last day in operation. This is Ger
+ tainly coming as close to the guarantee
as might reasonably be expected from
/ so limited experimentation with APP
paratus entirely strange to the opera
/ tives.
Under the question of fuel, which has
been a burning one even with the
/ Louisiana planters in considering diff
! fusion, two points at least remain to
/ be positively settled at Kealia. One
of these refers TO the density of the
/ juice, in which results so far are
1 scarcely TO be taken as ultimate. Juice
/ from crushing stands all the way from
| D to II degrees Beaume, as compared
| with distilled water or zero. The
| juice from the diffusion process at
! Kealia has registered as high as7, 8
and 90 degrees. If the density of diff
! fusion juice cannot be made TO reach
the standard of that from crushing,
the natural inference is that more fuel
will be required to evaporate the eX-
cess OF moisture. The other point is
whether the exhausted chips from diff
| fusion are within Il measurable degree
of being as fit for fuel as the trash
from maceration. In both cases the
refuse is treated with petroleum APP,
Piled through a perforated pipe on
leaving the maceration mill. Colonel
Spalding is of opinion that the diffu-l
sion trash will burn satisfactorily, but
the test has probably not proceeded
far enough for a definite comparison
in results with those of the ground
cane,
A very satisfactory result from diff
fusion seems to have been already
proved in the superior purity of the
juice. Analyses have shown that
there is actually a less proportion of
acid in the juice than the normal pro-
portion held in the cane itself. Also
it has been asceTtained that the gum
my property of the cane, which after
crushing went with the Juice, is in the
diffusion process carried away in the
waste water. This is really facilita-
ton of the passage of juice from the
tllter presses, instead of an impediment
as some practical men had predicted
Col Spalding says that the difficult
ties most apprehended have not been
encountered, while trouble has been
met in unexpected places. On Wednes4
day, May 10Th, the counter weight to
the bottom of one of the tanks proved
too heavy for the lever fastening at
the inner end, and tearing the wrought
iron asunder at the bolt hole came
crashing to the ground. This tank
had to be dispensed with until repairs
could be effected, but the process was
carried on i'll the remaining diffusers
until the forenoon of the next day,
when another lever gave way. The
other bars also threatening to break
down, it was decided TO have all of
them reinforced before resuming oper-
ations. Accordingly the diffusion was
suspended for repairs, the crushing
mills being reverted to in the mean
time. 1t is strange that European
mechanics, above all, should so mis-
calculate a mechanical principle as
appears to have been done in this case.
The levers are of angle iron, but the
bolt hole through the lower piece, at
the point of the seYerest strain, left a
fatal weakness. This was purely a
mechanical fault, however, not affect |
ing in the slightest degree the princi- |
pie of diffusion.
What is undoubtedly a more serious, |
but still only a mechanical difficulty,
has developed itself in the cutting ma
chine Fiber and other fine material |
from the cane Tind accumulate in the |
periphery of the cylindrical box where |
the knives Tevolve and jam between |
the knife bars, the narrow slide on |
which their outer ends rest and the |
walls of the box This soon clogs the |
machine so as to necessitate stopping |
it to be cleared Although two ma |
chimes might keep up the supply while |
one is being cleared, yet the latter |
operation is annoying, difficult and |
time-wasting, besides it may he de- |
layed a moment too long with dis |
astrous results. During the present |
suspension on account of the other |
breakage above referred to, a struc- |
tural change was to be made in the |
knife bars, which il was hoped might |
overcome the difficulty just described.
Even if it be found necessary to con-
struct new cutting machines on an
improved plan, that will be done at |
an expense of thousands of dollars
rather than abandon the process as a
whole before it has been tested fairly |
and thoroughly. There is good |
reason for hoping that operations will |
be resumed with the diffusion plant in
the course of few days, or weeks at
most, and that decisive results may be
obtained before the close of the current /
season .a