The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-01
COTTON PRESSES FIRES.
EXPERIMENTS AS TO COTTON PACK.
ING IN INDIA AND AMERICA.
The Result OF Fire Upon a Suitably
Pressed Bale--The Cyclone Press
Compared With Presses Of American
Manufacture.

From a recent article from the Journal Of
Commerce, Liverpool, we extract the fol-
lowing facts which appear pertinent to in
surance rs well rs to cotton shippers.
These experiments as TO cotton packing
were made in the presence OF underwriters,
cotton men, etc, and will, no doubt, be OF
immense service.
The experiments showed conclusively
that American cotton could be effectively
pressed by the Cyclone press without in
jury to the staple, the pressure being far
less than usually adopted in America, pro-
yided that the pressure be properly APP
piled on bale OF such shape that when
the pressure Is removed the bale does not
spring back again so much as is the case in
American repressed bales. 1t was desired
and, indeed, IL was the chief object Of sew
eral OF the visitors. 10 see the effect Of fire
on the suitably packed bale. To
illustrate this the visitors were shown
first q bale of cotton waste which
had just been directly exposed TO
very fierce heat and fame during
forty minutes by being sung over q large
fire made up of old patterns and other
wood and shavngs in the middle OF the
yard. The bale was held in position over
the flame by q travelling crane until the
sling chain by which it was suspended, as
well us the iron hoops encircling the bale,
were red-hot. A water hose was turned
on 10 the bale in this condition for several
minutes. The recrlt showed that the
hopping remained perfectly intact, with
out any part Of IL being fractured, and
that the water had really not been able to
penetrate the bale, or caused II in any way
TO bulge out and swell. A similar expert
ment Of shorter duration was repeated in
the presence of the visitors on the re-
pressed bale OF American cotton; the bale,
after being set over the flame and then
played on by the hose, being left to soak in
q small pool OF water 10 correspond with the
action II would be exposed TO from water
in a ships hold. The damage done TO the
bale was quite superficial. No doubt had time
permitted tocontinue the firing the charring
Of the cotton bale would have been greater
than occurred from the short trial. But
even in the case OF the bale of cotton waste
that had been exposed for forty minutes 10
the intense heat Of the fire the contents Of
the bale were practically entirely unin-
jured. Great interest has been taken for
long time in the Cyclone press and its des-
tiny, and the question how long II will
take 10 revolutionize American practice
through It's means has been very much
mooted. From actual practice in India the
makers do not hesitate 10 say that they
will, with less than half the maximum total
pressure used In the monster presses Of
America, press bales into twice the dem
sity-that is, half the bulk. The mode OF
hopping adopted, rs explained 10 the Wis
itors, permits OF easy sampling, while be-
ing free from the serious dangers OF fire the
American system Of bands and buckles
presents. From a comparison Of the
two systems Of pressing-that is,
by tho Cyclone presses and by
ciple, rs set forth in letter from America
from the patentce TO the makers Of the
Cyclone press OF which we have been
favored with copy, II appears that: AS
summing rs is the case, the average charge
for pressing and stcvedoring the American
bales 10 be Sl.l5 per bale, and the charge
for pressing and stevedoring n Cyclone
press bale 10 be only Sl.05, the profit 10
the press owner on the pressing OF, say,
| 900 pounds OF cotton would be Just
|
what Il is ON the American system OF
press. II Is, moreover, demonstrated that
a railroad car capable OF carrying 5000
pounds Of cotton pressed in American
fashion would easily carry 10000 pounds
II pressed in the Cyclone press. and
likewise that steamer carrying,
say, 5000 American bales would easily
carry 10000 balcsof Cyclone pressed bales,
the bales being taken ms OF equal weights.
Al no period during the depressing in the
Cyclone press Is the total maximum pres
sure on the bale anything like 80 great rs
is commonly put on the bales In America
by the recently made presses used there
for REFRESHING, and throughout the opera
ton in the Cyclone press all the pressing
is done in one direction. There Is thus no
possibility Of injury TO the fiber through
oycrprcssurc or cross packing.