The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-12-20

CN SH1A aAJ olHCi, 1HC l'OtltOcS Uc
ing over 80 per cent. starch ant
water. The machinery for separ
ating it is all simple, taking adj
vantage of the fact that it is imI:,
lublc in cold water and mud,
heavier.
Let us go to the steep platform
that leads to the front door and W,
find ourselves on the scales whcr,
the loads are weighed and record
ed as they come i'll, and in a room
some forty or fifty feet square
with several traps in the Aool
where the potatoes are dumped i'll
to the bins below. If we come il
the busy season, we often fnt
them ten feet or more deep til.
whole size of the building. w,
pass through here and down Il flight
of stairs to the CRATER room. Her,
we find man shoveling the tuber'
into the washer, which is shaped
like Il long bath.tub with IL rouni
bottom and has at the top. a shaft
running lengthwiSc, and revolving
slowly.
The shaft has arms projecting
from it which reach nearly to the
bottom and sides of the tubs, and
these as it revolveS, stir the pota.
toes in the water which is con.
stant)y running through the tub,
and at the same time gradually
force them around towards the
other end, where a large, fiat arm,
at every revolution, throws some
of them, now thoroughly clean,
over the side into Il kind of hop.
per. Here they fall against CRATER
which is precisely like the round
potato crater we have all seen, ex-
cept that it is as large as a barrel
and about four feet long. This is
revolving rapidly, and the pota.
toes melt away before it as fast as
Il man can shovel them in at the
other end of the washer,
Here We lose sight of them, but
passing around the machine we find
the pulp has dropped from the
CRATER OH the upper end of n large
wire screen or sieve, some six or
seven feet long and made of brass
wire cloth us fine as that used in
milk strainers. This screen is not
level, but the end where the pulp
first falls is little higher than the
other and is kept shaking endwisc
so that the pulp gradually works
down and of at the lower end, but
as it passes along it is washed by
hundreds of fine streams of water
falling on it from above, and this
water washes out the starch and
carries it through the screen where
it falls on tight floor and runs
down into the spout which we see
coming from under the lower end
Of the machine.
The pulp drops from the lower
end Of the screen and is thrown
away, as it is here considered
worthless, though in Germany and
the older countries it is used for
pig feed and as fertilizer. Hav.
ing gotten so far, we come to the
open spout which carries away the
starch mixed with a good deal of
water. This spout branches Il lit.
tie way from the machine and
leads to the settling watts, four or
five i'll number, and each one as
large as Il good size dining room.
Here, the starch being much heavi.
err than the water, settles and forms
a deposit some six or eight inches
deep and is hard enough for "a man
to walk on, though it is easily
broken up with shovels.
The starch here is quite impure
and i'll settling has taken with it
some dirt and some of the coloring
matter of the potatoes which must
be washed out. To do this it is
shovcled into the stirrers, smaller
watts with upright shafts having a
cross piece at the bottom, which
being constantly turned by power
thoroughly mixes it with clean
water, after which it is allowed TO
settle.
AS We come along the water has
been drawn off from the stirring
watts and men are hosting the
starch, which is now perfectly
white, and looks as it is sl,oyelel
up. like densely packed snow, in
baskets to the floor above, where
it is loaded OH barrows or trucks
and wheeled over IL long bridge to
the dry house.
Following the trucks, we enter
the dry house on the upper floor,
which all except few feet around
the side, is made of Stats an inch
or more apart over which the
starch is spread.
Through this immense register
pours the heated air from four reg.
listers which are kept roaring hot
all the time. The starch as it
dries here, crumbles up and drops
hrnnoI, A..