, 1891-01-14

Obb NV OAAAS|'S ~ION
riers, they reach first the cane engine, III
passing through which they are relieved
Of 60 per cent of the moisture they contain.
They are then carried through a drying
aue heated by hot air applied externally,
and thence to a room over the furnaces
from which they fall into the furnace.teed-
ing apparatus, the process being regula-
ted 10y. many ingenious devices. There
are two sets of furnaceS,-One for coal,
the other for the crushed chips-the lat
ter being fed from above, the former from
the level. The process in both cases is
almost entirely automatic n highly in-
genions. Some idea of the quantity of
steam required to drive works Of such mag
nit9de may be formed when we mention
that there are nine large m~uititubular boil
ers already i'll position and two 0thors ready
for hanging.
The liquor when it leaves the d~ifusers is
lifted by Hydraulic pressure to the Yaryan.
That is q portentous piece OF machinery, the
largest of its kind yet constructed. 1t consists
Of twenty enormous cylinders, resembling ex-
ternally the great horizontal steam boilers,
used in connection with tiers of blast furnaces
on great ironworks in the "black country"
They are arranged in parallel tiers of ten each,
side by side. The principle upon which they
are constructed is ide ntical with that Of a
multitubular boiler, but reversed. Instead OF
heated air passing through tubes and general
ing steam from the water in which they are
immersed, the liquor passes through the tubes
and is heated to a high degree of intensity
by the hot air which surrounds them. Some
where in the apparatus there is what is called
q separator. which is supposed to emit, all
n~oxious gases and allow the pure juice Of the
cane, fretd from the water OF diffusion and
all ctLer injurious ingredients, to glayltate
through the lower cylinders and flow into the.
receptacle prepared for it's reception. Yes
(Said Mr., Z~iegesar, holding upa glassful to
the Light "this is the juice OF diffusion, and
very fine juice it 49," Its appearance certain
.Iy justified his ~eulogium. OF a brilliant hight
amber hue, limpid and sparkling, 1t seemed
to the unaccustomed eye to be as near per-
lection as anything could possibly be brought.
From the Yaryan the liquor 10 conveyed to a
vacuum pan constructed on q peculiar II not
entirely novel principle. 1t is said to contain
coils of wire presumably charged with cleo
tricity) and q revolving disc, which is said to
play an important part, though what that
part is we do not distinctly understand and
in it the Juice is said to be boiled by what Is
called black pressure" whatever that may
be. From the pan tho gu ar emerges in the
form of IN ssecuite, closely resembling the
better class Of sugar formerly produced on
the OLD commoH process estates, 1t IS re-.
cpived into what are called portable cans,
which are really square iron buckets wider at
the top than at the bottom, chat run on
wheels. These are elevated by an hydraulic
lift to an upper floor, below which there is a
double tier Of pug mills, Over these the cans,
which are made to swing on balance axles,
are canted. The maSsecuite is, however, so
compact that, svem when the cans are inVert-
ed, It will not spontaneously fall into the pug
mills. To. overcome this difficulty an ingeni-
GUS device has been had recourse to. To
a small oriGce in the bottom of the can
a let Of hot air, conveyed through o flexible
tube, is adroitly applied, and the congested
mass is at once elected from the can. II the
massecuite is required for immediate use this
constitutes the entire process. But, IN prac-
tice, il has been found that the sugar is moro
readily manipulated in the pug mills after
being stored q day or two. The cans are,
therefore, run over a concrete floor into a
spacious store prepared for their reception,
and are run out again in order as they are
required. AS in the case of the chips, this is
the only actual handling the sugar receives
from. the time the canes are thrown on the
receiving platform until the perfect product is
deposited in thasugar store. Everything else
is purely mechanical. So uncomfortable is
the amount :of manual labour required IN