The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-01-19
Refining Sugar by Electricity.


states that foreign capitalists have
subscribed the sum of S1,COO,OOO to
the stock of the Electric Sugar Rein
ing Company OF that city, which
| controls the process for the manu-
featuring sugar by electricity. This
alleged discovery has, until recently,
been regarded by men OF experience
in the trade with great incredulity,
but recent investigation has forced
some sugar experts to change their
opinion. Among these are Messrs.
Willett & Hamlen of New York, who
in their circular letter of Dec. 18th
| refer to the matter as follows:
Since our last circular several
trials of sugar making by electricity
| have occurred, at which we have
been present. At one such, on the
Sd and 4th instants, 23,753 lbs. net
of raw sugar were used in the secret
room. This sugar analysed as fol-
lows: cane, $40; grape, LA; water,
1.S4; ash, .43; organic substance,
1.89; total, 100. This sugar was de-
hvered in half bags for convenience
of handling. The machinery was
started and inside of ten minutes
refined sugar began to appear two
stories below, and continued until 70
barrels were filled, which weighed
22,341 lbs. net. The running time
was PIT minutes, or at the rate Of
one barrel every p minutes. The
operators were two women and six
men. By listening at the wall of the
room, the emptying of each bag of
sugar into the crushing machine
could be plainly noted by the loud
and distinctively peculiar noise COM
ing from any crushing machine,
when the material to be crushed en-
tiers it, followed by a more quiet in
terval of sound between each bag.
This recurrence of sound continued
during the running. Nothing more
could be noted on that floor, except
that the serious vibration of the
building indicated machinery of
great power. On the floor be
low the granulators could
be distinctly heard as they manipu-
lated the sugar and sent it down
through the spouts in regular short
"puffs of much force. Water was
evidently convenient to the "granu
lators," as an overflow of it came
down through the floor at one time,
and the moist conditions of the sugar
at times, and dryness at other times,
show that water was used unevenly,
or that the sugar was allowed to
descend before sufficiently dried.
Many times handful of the large
grades would divide into fine sugar
under a gentle pressure, as If it had
just previously been built up from
fine sugar by some process, but it
would not cake" in the hand after
so divided, and in few minutes the
most moist sugars would become dry
and firm in their several grades. At
other times we have seen the sugar
come thoroughly dry, and with pull
verified sugar dust, escaping into the
room and covering ones clothes.
All the sugar in whatever shape and
condition it comes, we have found to
be of a different crystal and with
different characteristics, from any
refined sugar made in the United
States, to our knowledge, on examin-
alton without, or with tie micro
scope. We cannot conceive that
this sugar is produced from ordinary
cut loaf or crushed sugar, ground
and sifted. We note decided evil
dence against such a theory. 1t
cannot be made from imported re-
fined Of any description, for the i'm
portations Of such sugar into the
United States for past two years are
less than the amount of sugar thus
far made by the Electric" We
find that the raw sugar used as above
contained 1884 per cert of sacchar-
inc (cane and grapel, and that 94.O5
per cent Of refined was produced,
showing chat all the cane and grape
were turned into refined, except say
Is per cent. If this was a guess in
the output Of refined, it was re-
markably good one, as at the conclu-
sion of the run the unused part of
the raw sugar was delivered back
from the secret room, and the correct
weights Of raw and refined, as given
above, ascertained An analysis of
electric sugar cane gave $3.50, grape,
20, water none, ash none. An analysis
of old process hard refined sugar
shows a mere trace Of grape. No
syrup, or indication of it ap
peared anywhere. No heat or
smell is in the building, such
as would be perceptible if a
vacuum pan was ever in use. The
p sugar always comes out cold. In
fact, everything visible and ones
impression of the invisible, ARE such as
to be almost as convincing as would
be sight of the secret rooms and
: the entire process. The prestidigi-
tator produces from his secret room.
or hat, an egg; which everybody
recognizes at once as the counterp art
of all eggs produced by all hens
but the Electric gives out from their
secret room a sugar, which nobody
recognizes to have ever seen before,
which contains by analysis which
none other contains, which is an en-
, tirely different crystal, and which
crystals join themselves together as
it were by touch only, and not solidly
as in the melting process. This pro
cess claims to be new discovery,
E combining chemical, mechanical and
I "a al W.