The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1889-01-11
NOls

crushed here is pumped 10 the dlffu-
sion mill through an underground
pipe, and after passing through the
sulphur machine, is mixed with the
diffusion product in the clarifying
pans. The two iolees are then made
into sugar together. II ls a pictuF-
esque and highly scientific process,
be6tting the rich and picturesque
country where it is done. The diffusion
mill, or rather the building IN which
the diffusion cells and all the various
paraphernalia of the industry are To-
Gated, Is Of brick throughout, with
slate roof. 1t is not fFe.prooE but
nearly 80, and no restriction is placed
upon the employees 10 the matter Of
burning up as much tobacco as they
care to. The permission Is all The
more liberal, as Colonel Cunningham
is no smoker himself The structure
is comparatively new, is Of great size,
and answers to a dot the purpose for
which il vas constructed. Near it
are the small houses in which the con-
victs are confined at night They are
employed almost wholly in the fields,
not a halEdozen Of them performing
any duty in actual sugar making,
THE PROCESS.
The cane is cut down by squads Of
these men, each Of them armed with
the broad bladed Misunderstanding
weapon used in hacking the rich
growth, and each squad supeFiptended
by white guard, who sits upon a
horse and nurses a cooked shotgun
upon his knees. By the geutlemen
IN stripes the product is loaded upon
cars which are run into the zelda upon
a ANAL oxen very narrow-gauged rail-
way. Of this track the plantation has
seven miles of permanent aud two and
a half of portable, The trains are
composed Of some half a dozen Of
these cars, aud hitched to the forward
Is mule Of nonehalant galt and panied
expression, Straddling the animal il
the usual uUdeFsized negro boy in
motley, also nonohalant. The Journey
to the mill is made at the rate Of some
two miles an hour, the cane dumped
and the imposingly slow march be-
gun again, Once at the building,
however, the vegetable which may
have been tar6y IN growth aud was
certainly tardy in transportation, finds
itself much hurried 1t is seized by
gangs of men and thrown upon q
carrier, which is a kind of cross
between wooden ribbon and a tape
worm, and which moves at the rate Of
fortY,fve feet a minute. by this ma
chine it is dumped into a powerful
Ross ensilege cutter, which is cylin,
der containing very heavy knives.
Here it is chopped into pieces from Q
half inch to four inches 10 length. As
it comes out 1t falls into u wooden
receptacle, where it is seized by
another carrier similar to the first,
and after trayeTsipg some twenty feet
of space ia hurled into the 'nlacera-
tor" This is a really beautiful ma
chine, composed of enclosed cylinder
in which are set long knives, whose
edges project very much like the blade
Of a carpenters plane. Here the plant
is litoraIly pulVerized, Il ID seized
with savage force, and in the hun
dredth part of second Is ripped into
shreds.
The hum Of the cylinder reveals
the tremendous speed at which II
works, and the smaller bits Of cane
aud The moisture fly from It 10 spray.
1t would be beautiful instrument
into which to drop Texas free trader.
Leaving the maGerator the pulver-
ICED plant is carried directly to the
diffusion cells, sixteen in number
which are arranged in two rows of
eight each. They are like unto moth
ing in the world SO much as row Of
immense iron Wateriugs, twelve feet
in height five or six feet through,
having a capacity Of two tons each,
and connected by an intricate system
of pipes. Into these cells the shredded
cane ia placed aud is covered with hot
water until all of the sacoharine mat
ter is slewed out. There is con
stant interchange Of juice between the
celia. The process is based upon
pretty much the same principle as
making tea, OF better still, making
coffee by the old method Of throwing
il into hot water and leaving II until
il ran over and put ont the ERE.
When the saGhsFins matter ID taken
from them, the oxha1sted chips are
dumped from the cells, which open at
the bottom. They fall in q very wet
condition upon another carrier, which
takes them ont Of the sugar house.
They are then caFled away and
dumped, being too wet TO burn, In
the paFlRnce Of the plantation this
refuse cane is knowR as 'lbagasse,
and in most Of ih0 Louisiana essab-
lishments II il used as fuel, being
much dryer when il has been passed
throRgh the rollera Of The ordinary
mill. The problem Of permanently
dispqRng Of II will ho solved next
year by poloRel Cunningham, who
viii move the mill which At present
assists him 10 taking off bis crop, a
spat near The site Of The diffusion
building, will Fan lhe bagaasp chips
tbrpugh the Rollers and viii thFn
place them IL The furnaces, saving
some coal and maeh wood.
When the expressed iaise Ii Aha
diffusion battery has been Tuned "a
partially correct me acids which il
cepisips, i Is taken By pipe p ihe
measBFing tank, which stand neat d
the laboratory sinh which, d iheae
days oi progFesa egeFg wellragplated
mill Il htled RbeFe lhp Chemist takes
sample, qf 4, aaefFisins rs depsity,
lhe amount of saaehaFine matter lakep
it4tR s7g HaNn aa1 Bq9d Mnn9 QiiieF
lhlpgs Known oHly n ihe iaitialaA
lcoaNapER NngF wae