The Hawaiian gazette., 1888-05-29

both care and labor. An outline of
the process Of transforming the raw
juice into sugar may now be at
tempted.
From a receiving tank the juice is
pumped into the CHARTERS, of which
there are eight with capacity of $50
gallons each. Heat is applied by
steam pipes until boiling is produced,
when lime is thrown into the liquid,
bringing foaming mass of impurities
to the surface. This scum is swept off
into receivers as the liquor is boiled to
a certain density, ascertained by tests,
after which the contents are drawn off
at the bottom of the CHARTERS and con-
Quoted to the cleaning pans. There
are five of these pans in the Kealia
mill, and in them the liquor is further
heated and skinned. Then it is led
into two mixers, respectively of twenty
and sixteen tons capacity. The mass
is now very much thickened IN con-
sistency, and is pumped into the dou-
BILE effects, there being two OF these
great utensils, where it is boiled in a
vacuum-the hot vapor from one cal
dron of the double effect sufficing TO
boil the mass i'll the other. The juice
has now become mOlasses and that is
pumped into the vacuum pans, there
being also two of these apparatus
one a monster of sixteen tons capa-
city made by Dealey of New York, the
other holding eight tons made by the
Honolulu Iron Works. Here the mo-
lasses is evaporated into sugar in
vacuum produced by the condensation
of its escaping vapor, but it is such
sugar as none of our readers would
have his cup sweetened with-a
vile-lOoling, black mud. The boiling
in vacuum, as no doubt is generally
known, is designed to effect the pro-
cess in lower degree of heat than is
necessary to boil liquid in the open
air, and the especial object is to pre-
vent the formation of what is called
invert sugar-a substance inferior in
solubility, sweetness and wholesome
ness to the true article, and one which
interferes with the granting or crystal
lization of the product. A fully cook
ed batch in the vacuum pan is called
''strike," and it is dropped through
the bottom into trOughs, whence it is
admitted as desired into the centrifu-
gals. There are twelve of these ma
chimes, their operation being one of the
most interesting sights the mill affords
to visitor. They are globular shaped
vessels mounted on upright spindles.
with a clese-woven web running all
round space inside the shell. The
toned dumped into the vessel, the
latter is revolved with extreme velo-
city. In an incredibly short time
seen to grow light in color until it at
tains a white-brown. 1t is compare
lively dry, clear and crystallized sugar
now, the liquid matter that carried it
having been driven by centrifugal
force through the meshes of the web.
Only four men are required to attend
the twelve centrifugal machines, the
same number that it takes to run three
or four. A second grade of sugar is
made by the reduction of washings of
the different boiling apparatus and
that of the liquor from the filter
presses. There are three 40-inch frame
filter presses i'll this mill, their use
being to express the liquor from resi-
dunn gathered at bottoms of the clari-
fiers and pans. These presses have
valves for releasing air bubbles in the
tubes, which is held to be a great inn
proyement on other kinds.
The more skilled employees of the
mill-chemist, engineer, sugar boilers,
carpenters, etc.-are Americans and
Europeans, but Japanese are in great
favor as sub-engineers and tenders of
different apparatus. The japanese are
very teachable and faithful to their
duties withal One of them who came
to the mill without any knowledge of
English, about year ago, has been
taught by Mr.. Sherman to keep the
record of the output of sugar, doing it
with neatness and legibility. Japan
csc women sew the mouths of the
sugar bags, with a CELEBRITY that those
of other natiOnalities never attained.
Chinese, japanese and Portuguese di-
vide the labor of the fields, and the
company's pay roll numbers seven or
eight hundred people. The daily pro-
duct of the mill, running day and
night, is about 40 tons of sugar. In
stead of being housed in single viii
lage, the laborers' cabins are scattered
in small hamlets all over the estate
the habitations being usually clus-
tered by nationalities-and this sys-
lGul Las lIC vi la Wing 1dUOI-
ers living near the different fields in
sufficient numbers to work them. AS
a rule, house plots are cultivated as
vegetable gardens, giving thrifty
aspect to the scene.
All the scribbling that has up to
this point come out of the editorial
visit of the GAZETTE and Bulletin to
Kauai has very little of a holiday APP
pearance. Nevertheless pleasure was
diffused amongst duty in very high
degree of density. Particularly was
this the case with the Bulletin. That
papers representative was his own
boss, needing not to write up stick
ful' of his observations unless he
pleased The GAZETTE man, however
being a hireling, was bound to care
for his papers nourishment or become
liable to the ''grand bounce" There
was a centrifugal influence constantly
the GAZETTE to fly beyond !
the Waialeale mountains and see what |
was on the other side, but the utter
inertness of the Bulletin countervailed |
to prevent the wearisome flight. As |
the latter parsonage tipped the sugar
scales at 13S pounds-two pounds of |
in two days at the ColoneFs |