Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-09-18
I/1HE SUGAR WORKS!
Started Up and Running at
Full Speed Day and
Night.
Capacity of $50 Tons of Field
Cane Per Day.
Eighty Pounds of Sugar and
II Gallons of Syrup to
the Ton.
The Largest and Best Sor.
ghum Plant in the World
Located at Medicine
Lodge, Kansas.

The Medicine Lodge Sorghum Sugar
Works are now in full operation and
this city has the satisfaction of knowing
that there is not better plant in the
world. 1t is on a broader scale than
ever before attempted in the sorghum
sugar industry or experiments, and the
indications are that it will prove sue.
cess even beyond the most sanguine ex-
pectations of It's promoters and the COM
munity that has encouraged its erection,
The surroundings could not not have
been arranged more perfectly by nature
for there is an abundance of pure wa.
ter, a soil peculiarly adapted to the
growth Of cane, climatic influences that
insure successful maturity and an en-.
ergetic farming population in sympa.
thy with progressive agriculture and moi
afraid to risk time and labor in an in.
dustry that, heretofore, has been con.
sidered only in the experimental stage
PRELIMINARIES.
The city Of Medicine Lodge, in 1888
dug an open ditch or canal that tapped
Elm creek three and half miles north
of the city and by fall had secured ar
abundance Of pure, cold water, brought
to the corporation limits. Elm creek if
supplied by hundreds of never failing
springs and the stream, in all seasons
has strong flow; a careful measure
ment, made at the dryest season showed
more than 5000 cubic feet PASSING
through its bank every minute. Every
drop of this water can be diverted into
the water ditch; but the average flow
has been regulated to $3.50 cubic feet
per minute. The city determined Il
utilize the magnificent water supply
and last year commenced to talk up thu
as a suitable location for a sorghum
sugar plant. The works at other Kan
sas points had been watched, and par
tial success having been obtained al
Fort Scott, Topeka and Conway Spring:
where the natural elements, soil anC
water, were not to be compared will
these elements in Barber county, it was
decided to have sugar plant here. A
proposition was submitted by com
pany that has since erected plant al
another point in the state; but theil
terms did not appear advantageous tC
the city and SO they we're not accepted
HOME CAPITAL.
Then it was that home capital APP.
peared and became interested. Col. e.
H. Eldred and Mr.. e. 1. Human, OF
this city, submitted a proposition to the
city, In substance as follows: "Fol
$33 900, and the use of the water from
the water canal, after 1t had left the
tail gate. they, Eldred & Human, would
build and operate sorghum sugar mill
OF the best possible construction, with
a capacity of handling $50 tons of field
cane per day and, in addition, they
would supply system of waterworks
within limits to be agreed on by the
city council and the contractors. They
also agreed to pay the farmers 81 so pei
ton for their cane the first year,
This proposition was accepted. with
details familiar to the readers of this
paper.
WORK COMMENCED.
Work was commenced last May
about the 1st, when the contractors pro.
vided, by building dam 200 feet long
lake covering seven acres, with ar
average depth, when full, of eight feet
This provided the 6Fst necessity for a
successful sugar plant, an abundance
OF pure water, for it made a receptacle
for the Elm creek spring water, men.
TONED above. With little more work
this lake was provided with overflow
gates, a drainage sewer, and then tap.
ped by short canal through which the
entire inflow could be controlled and
dropped 25 feet on a turbine wheel
thus securing 6O-horSe power, steady
everlasting and practicable. This pow.
or will be utilized in pumping for the
city waterworks.
From this canal, through beds OF
gravel and other filter. the water is car.
ried into double cistern. From this
cIstern, which is kept full at all times
the city and the sugarworks are sup.
piled. So much then for the prelimina.
ries.
THE WORKS.
Eldred Il Human at once contracted
with the Kilby Manufacturing Com
pany, Of Cleveland. Ohio, through their
GenesaI agent, Prof. E. b. Cowgirl, OF
Sterling, Kansas, toFpeEIY state sugar
inspector, for supplying the sorghum
sugar plant, independent of the build
ing, with everything to be used in its
operation, from the smallest bolt to the
immense vacuum paa that weighs q
tons-aH the boilers, pumps, piping,
Valves-everything. This was to be put
up and successfully started and it was
agreed that it was to handle $50 tons of
field cane in "a hours and produce, to
the satisfaction OF everybody concern
ed, sugar and molasses with as good re-
suits as could be obtained from sor-
ghum cane by any known process or by
any machinery that could be produced
in the world. The time foF the compile
ton Of the works was short and Eldred
q Human did not care to go on the
market and experiment with machin-
cry froM different factories, knowing
how difficult 1t would be IL adjust the
machinery of different making to per-
feet working system. The Kilby Man
ufactRring company was glad to under
take the erection Of 2 complete plant
and it was the only establishment in the
United States that would have under
taken such contract. The result of
their foresight and judgment is seen in
the magnificent establishment now in
successful operation. Fhe Kilby's Sc
curnd the aarvioaO of Ero.d II;r.o A.,