Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-09-12
AN INDIGO FACTORY.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
INDIGo-MAKING.
Visit to the Beating-Vats-Na Natives
Waist-Deep in Liquid 1ndigo-A
Curious Experiment.

Curious Experiment.
In relating some of his experiences
during fourteen-hundred mile bicycle
ride from Lahore to Calcutta, India,
Thomas Stevens, in Youths Companion,
says: Gone morning 1 arrived at a
great indigo factory situated near the
road. Not far from the factory was the
commodious bungalow of the planter,
an English gentleman, Mr.. T, who
had had many years experience as an
indigo planter. AS 1 dismounted Mr..
T came out and promptly invited
me to remain with him as long as saw
fit. Tho heat was terrific, and as [ was
curious to see something of indigo-mak
ing, l readily accepted his hospitality
for the day. We first visited the beat
ing-vats, in each of which about twenty
naked natives stood wast-deep in the
liquid indigo. These were the beaters.
Each man was armed with long
wooden spade, and they were fiinging
into the air streams of indigo, which
dashed overhead, and splashed about
the vat and over the beaters in showers
of foam and spray. This brings about n
chemical transformation. The fluid, as
it comes from the stalks and leaves of
the plant, is of greenish color. The
wild work of the beaters changes the
tint into q beautiful deep blue by oXy-
genation. At the same time that it
changes in color the dye stuff held in
solution granulates and settles to the
bottom of the vats. When the beaters
have thoroughly performed their work
thev climb out of the vat and allow the
contents to settle.
"Mr. T led the way to the farther
end of the row of beating-vats and
showed me one of them which had been
settling for an hour.
"' Here, you see, he said, now it is
settled, the liquid has changed coloragain
from b.ue to smoky green. Except
that it is somewhat clearer, it looks
about as it did before the beaters began
to work on it.
"The foreman now came and removed
plug from hole in the wall. The
green liquid gradually ran to waste,
and there was revealed at the bottom of
the vat thick, pu py sediment of blue.
This was the indigo. Men now came
with earthenware jars, which they filed
and carried Off to the boiling-room.
Here the indigo was strained through
wire sieves of fine mesh, to remove all
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 and
further granulate the indigo. 1t is then
dumped into presses and subjected to
heavy pressure by means of lever and
screw. The presses are square iron
boxes, perforated like colander and
lined with press-cloths. By this process
all the remaining water is forced out
that can be removed by pressure. The
indigo is turned out of the presses in
dark blue cakes, which are of about the
consistency Of bar of soap. Then it is
cut up into commercial squares and i'm
pressed with the stamp of the factory.
The cakes are 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.
"'Now come this way said Mr..
T., after we had visited the boiling
and drying-houses. L want to show
you something interesting.
Saying this, the indigo-planter led
the way to a set of watts similar to those
we had already seen, but elevated so
that the liquor could be drained from
them into the beating watts.
"'These, he said, ARE the ferment-
ing-vats. Now see'
"Mr. T produced a match from his
pocket, and lighting n stalk of dead in
digo plant, he cast it, flaming, into one
of the vats. The gases that were escap-
ing from the fermenting mass of leaves
and stalks ignited with n sharp report,
and for an instant b,uish flame spread
all over the vat. The experiment was
repeated at the next vat with similar
results. In these fermenting- the
indigo plants are packed tightly in lay
ers, as they arrive i'll the bullock CHAR
ries from the farms. Porous frames are
laid on top, and the mass is pressed or
weighed down. Water is then pumped
in with Persian wheel, and the plants
are allowed to steep.
Fermentation soon commences, and
in few hours the watts are bubbling and
seething to the rim. This continues
for twelve or fourteen hours, when the
fermentation gradually subsidies. The
water is then run off into the beating
watts, 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 the beating
is now done by machinery, which does
the work more thoroughly than it can
be done by men. A special kind of
yeast-powder is used to stimulate and
increase the fermentation, and another
preparation aids in the precipitation Of
the indigo after beating"