Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-01-16
ALMA HOOP MILL.
Written by combination of Obser-
walton and Imagination.

walton and Imagination.
Our Prof, has kindly given us an oppor'
unity of writing oompul.or essay, on
The, observe il YOU will, hoop mill, located
on the south of the city of Alma, in just
what ward | was unable to find out.
Before We are hardly within sight OF the
magnificent structure itself we are com.
pletely lost in the grandeur of the sur
roundiugS; all about MS huge monuments
of human ingenuity are seen; and were ii
not for the complete network of railway
we could easily imagine ourselves in Ma.
poleon's heroic band Of Egyptian crusaders
with our arms stacked aud resting in the
shadows of the Pyramids Bat returning
10 ourselves we find on inquiry that these
great structures are merely stacks OF elm
hoops. We are now more than anxious to
observe the process of formation.
On approaching the mill the first OBJ
jecis of interest are two great smokeStacks
KEEP; in an upright position by long guys
of iron cable. We could not form even
an estimate OF their height until We were
informed that the smoke then rolling from
their summit was actually generated under
The great boilers at the base some
four days before
These boilers shall not attempt to de-
scribe Tor know I could not do them
justice, and viii only say they were manu-
iactured outside of the corporation OF
Alma.
The steam generated in the boilers is
conveyed through a long tube to the
engine, which i, located in another very
pleasant department. This is high pres.
sure engine; that is the steam after it is
utilized IN the cylinder is forced out into
the open atmosphere.
We next mounted The staircase leading
to tie left. This staircase is not one of
i76 steps Of pure white marble all decor.
atcd and adorned in artistic beauty, as is
the main staircase of the great cathedral at
Milan, but is noted for strength rather
than beauty
Neither does it lead to loft, in which
are stored the relics Of nations Of all climes
and ages, from times iminemorial down TO
The present great age of invention and i'm.
improvement. but is rather noted for what
it has contained.
Here saw mill was once planted and
the manner in which it actually extracted
the trees from the bark would have ex.
cited the Imagination of the old Roman,
even worse than did the sabres of the
hardy Gauls, Vandas or Turks. Turning
our faces upward we beheld what might
truthfully be termed ar observatory.
Climbing thence we saw what Solomon
in all his splendor would have been
amazed TO behold, the city OF Alma.
Near the ridgepole of this building a
.arge cylindrical tank about six feet in
diameter with an altitude of about four
feet attracted our attraction. This tank i
now entirely empty but during the rainy
seasons it must be filled well nigh to the
| brim, for understand that the surplus
! fluid of Pine River is stored therein
We had now as we supposed completed
our circuit but the reatest wonder was
yet to be no.ed. AS we decended another
fight OF stairs at the very base we gazed
upon the greatest phenomena of nature.
There We saw a quantity of water in a de
preston in the earth's crust, seathing and
boiling and from which a great quantity of
steam was rising. And | may remark
right here that this steam together with
that which escapes from the high pressure
engine accounts 10 a certain extent for the
Fl, ,quency of our thunder storms.
This curious state of things neither my
guide nor ] could account for except by
natural causes.
IL agreed exactly with all we had ever
heard or read about the great Geysers OF
Iceland or lot Springs of Colorado. ard
as We did not know anything about the
frequency of the eruptons we made our
selves scarce Immediately without stop
ping to take any notes on the process OF
hoopmakiug. W. MAYEs.