News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-09-12
AN INDIGO FACTORY.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
INDIGO-MAKING.
Visit to the Beating-Vats-Na
Waist-Deep in Liquid Indigo-A
Curious Experiment.

Curious Experiment.
In relating some of his experiences
during fourteen hundred bicycle
ride from Lahore to Calcutta, India,
Thomas Stevens, III Youths Companion,
says; Zone morning / arrived at a
great indigo factory situated near the
road. Not far from the factory was the
commodious bungalow of the planter,
III English gentleman, Mr.. T, who
had had many years experience as an
indigo -planter As / dismounted Mr..
t came ont and promptly invited
me TO remain with him as long rs l saw
fit. The heat was terrific, and as l was
curious to see something of indigomak
ing, [ readily accepted his hospitality
for the day. We first visited the beat
ing-,ats, in each of which about twenty
naked natives stood waist-deep in the
liquid indigo. These were the beaters.
Each man was armed with long
wooden spade, and they were tl1ng1ng
into the air streams of indigo, which
dashed overhead, and splashed about
the vat and over the heaters in showers
of foam and spray. This brings about q
chemical transformation. The fluid, as
it comes from the stalks and leaves OF
the plant, is of n greenish color. The
wild work of the beaters changes the
tint into beautiful deep blue by oxy-
gcnation. At tho same time that 1T
changes in color the dye stuff held in
solution granulates and settles to the
bottom of the vats. When the beaters
havo thoroughly performed their work
they climb out of tho vat and allow the
contents to settle.
"Mr. Il led the way to the farther
end of the row Of beatingvats and
showed me one of them which had been
settling for an hour.
"' Here, you see,' lc said, now it is
settled the liquid has changed color again
from blue to a smoky green. Except
that it is somewhat clearer, it looks
about MS it did before the beaters began
to work on it,
"The foreman now came and removed
a plug from hole in the wall. The
green liquid gradually ran to waste,
and there was revealed ut the bottom of
the vat thick, pulpy sediment of blue.
This was tho indigo. Men now came
with oarthenware jars, which they filled
and carried off to the boiling room.
Here the indigo was strained through
impurities. After it has been strained,
the soft blue mass is poured into big
iron kettles and boiled for TWO or three
hours to evaporate the moisture ana
further granulate the indigo. 1t IS then
dumped into presses anu subjected TO
heavy pressure by means OF lever ana
screw The presses are square IRON
boxes, perforated like q colander and
I. nj ~ he (Ny
all the remaining water is forced out
shat can be removed by pressure. The
indigo is turned ont of the presses in
dark blue cakes, which are of about the
consistency of a bar Of soap. Then it is
cut up into commercial squares and i'm
prossed with the stamp of tho factory.
The cakes nre then removed to the dry
ing house, large, airy shed, provided
with tiers of open shelves. Here they
remain for two or three months until
they are thoroughly dry, and are then
packed in boxes and shipped to market.
The chief Indian emporium for indigo
is Calcutta, whence it is shipped to for
eign markets.
T, after we had visited the boiling
and drying houses. L want to show
you something interesting.
the way to set OF vats similar to those
We had already seen, but elevated so
that tho LIQUOR could be drained from
them into the beating watts.
"'These, he said, ARE the ferment-
ing-vats. Now sec!'
"Mr. t produced n match from his
pocket, and lighting stalk of dead in
digo plant, he cast it, flaming, into one
Int
ing from the fermcnting mass of leaves
and stalks ignited with II sharp report,
and for I'm instant blush flame spread
all over the vat. The experiment was
repeated ut the next vat with similar
results In these fcrmcnting- the
indigo plants are packed tightly Ill lay
crs, as they arrive i'll the bullOck-ghar-
rics from the farms. Porous frames are
laid on top, and the mass is pressed or
weighed down. Water is then pumped
in with q Persian wheel, and the plants
are allowed to steep.
Fermentation soon commences. and
in few hours the vatS are bubblng and
seething to the rim. This continues
for twelve or fourteen hours, when the
fermentation gradually subsidies. The
water is then run of into the beating
Nats, to be manipulated In the manner L
have described.
"Of late years many improvements
have been introduced into the manu-
facture of indigo. Much of TIE beating
is now done by machinery, which does
tho work more thoroughly than it can
bc done by men. A special kind of
yeast powder is used to stimulate and
increase the fermentation, aud another
preparation aids in the precipitation Of
the indigo after beating"