Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-10-08
The New FInnrins Mill.


of the finest and most complete Touring
mills in the state. 1t is at this moment
making as pretty -four as any made al
Minneapolis or st. Paul 1t is the best
roller process, and is run by our mag
niicent water power, which gives a
steady, inexpensive power. The IN
DEX went through the mill Monday
morning, and was more than pleased
with the inspection.
Beginning at the basement, in COM
pany with Mr.. William VOltz, the head
miller, we examined everything, from
cellar to garnet. In the cellar is the
main shaft. which is connected with
the turbine wheel. On this shaft are a
number of pulleys and belts, and the
belts reach to every part of the mill
where power is required. In the base
ment are two large bins, one for wheat
and one for corn. The wheat and corn are
received on the ground floor, and poured
through trap door into the bins.
Elevators run through these bins, TAX
ing the corn and wheat up into the
highest part of the mill, where the corn
is dropped into a hopper. and run
throughla powerful fan. All the dirt and
the light corn are blown out. The dirt
goes out on the west side of the mill,
while the unsound corn is caught in
bin. The cleaned corn is then carried
to the first crusher; then to scalper,
| where the meal is sifted out. Then il
goes to another cruSher, and then back
To another scalper, and then the husk
is carried TO it's bin.
The wheat is carried from the cellar,
by elevator, to the top of the house;
there it goes through fan; then it goes
through scOurer, where every bit of
dirt and dust is rubbed off and blown
out; then it goes into the first hopper,
where it is partly crushed. From there
1t goes into scalper, where the finer
particles of -four are separted from
the bran; the wheat then goes into the
| opposite side of the crusher, where 1t
is crushed little finer, and then back
to the scalper; then down to the third
crusher, and back to the scalper. Then
into the fourth crusher, and thence into
the reels, where the flour is sifted
thoroughly, and every particle of bran
is separated from it. If the -four is now
not as fine as it should be, it is turned
back into another crusher, and again
run through the reels.
| The crushers are two cylinders Of
steel, with rough or corrugated faces.
| One cylinder revOlveS about three times
as fast as the other. They not only
crush the grain, but also grind it in
this double motion. The first rolls are
rougher than the second set; and the
rolls get finer as the flour progresses.
The first boiling cloth for meal is of
very fine wire. The second cloth is of
silk. The -four boiling cloths are all
of exceedingly fine silk. and the last
and finishing cloth looks like piece OF
very thin transparent mica. Nothing
but flour dust can pass through this
cloth.
After the flour has passed through
the last reel, and is pronounced good
by the miller, it drops into Its bin, and
then is sacked. The sacking is very
neat, labor-savIng affair. A sack is
fastened over the mouth of a funnel;
flour runs in; packer revOlves in the
funnel, pressing the -four down solid.
When the sack is full, the weight
presses down on a platform, and this
throws the packer out of gear, and
that part of the business stops till some
body removes the sack.
The mill has capacity of fifty bar
rels of floul per day. 1t will make
three brands, Pioneer, :" Crystal" and
"Weber's Best" We have seen the
flour, examined it; have eaten bread
made from 1T, and we know 1t is as
good as can be made from wheat.
Work was begun on this mill on the
4th day of August, and on the 4th day
October it made its first run. Only
about three hundred pounds OF -four
was made last Saturday, and most of
that was given away to our citizens,
who all wanted to try the first run.
We ate our first biscuit at a O'Clock
breakfast on Sunday morning.
Mr.. Canaan, of Topeka, is the contrac-
tor, and he has put up mill that Will
be credit to him. Every piece of work
about the mill is done in perfect man.
ner. There are no bad joints, no knot
ty lumber, and so far as we were able
to judge, the whole house full of ma
chinery moved like clock-work.
Every piece of machinery in the mill i,
we were told by Mr.. VoltE, is of the
very latest and most improved pattern.
Mr.. VOltz also thinks that with the
present stage of water, there is twice
as much power as the mill can use.
Mr.. McOwen is the foreman of the
millwrights, He has set and adjusted
every piece of machinery so accurately
that all worked smoothly the first time
power was applied. He has watched
every piece of work, from the setting
of the turbine wheel to the adjustment
of the last pully, and has made boss
job.
Mr.. William Voltz will be the head
miller, and he thinks it will be fun for
him to turn out as fine -four as any mill
can make. He is highly pleased with
every piece of work and machinery in
the mill.
Mr.. n. Weber, the owner and mana
ger of this fine mill, is entitled to the
thanks of all our people for his enter
prise and public spirit. He was not
satisfied to build anything but the best.
He is not here temporarily, as he has
bought land near the mill, and Is now
building residence for his family. He
has brought his goods and cattle here,
and will be valuable citizen. We con-