Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-09-13
ALMA ROLLER MILLS.
A Model Industry, Very Finely
Equipped.
Extent of the Business Done.

The largest and most important indus
try in Gratiot county, and one of the
largest in Western Michigan is the Alma
Roller Mills, which We're established in
1881, with a capacity of 80 barrels per
day, and which has grown until today
the mill has capacity of 300 barrels
The mill is 40XS0 feet in size, with
three stories and a basement In the
basement are all the main line drivers,
two Brine dust collectors, which collects
the dust from the rollers by suction.
ON the first floor are two run of stones,
and double set of rolls for custom work,
five packers, three of which are for flour
and two for bran, II double stands of
Gray's noiscleSs rollers for merchant
work. six stands of rolls 9X24, and six
stands 9XlS, for grinding flour. The
first floor is devoted exclusively to
exchange and custom work, which
branch of the business is entirely
separate from the merchant department,
and run independently by separate
wheel. On this floor is Bowsher's
motion indicator, enabling the miller to
ascertain accurately the speed of the
machinery, and water guage, showing
the volume of water in the flume.
ON the second floor are four of the
widely known George II. Smiths puri-
fierS. with air belt attachments, com
bined sieve and air belt machinery.
The second floor contains one Jon
athan Mills air belt scalper, packers
bins, one Victor brush and two Cyclone
dust collectors.
On the third floor are eight large
wheat bins, the boiling machinery, II
round reels, two Faist automatic sieves,
one Mills air belt Scalper, two upright
bran busters one middling separator, one
Eureka ScOurer, one Cyclone duster and
two immense scales, for flour and bran
for custom work. The third floor also
contains the power ShovelS, neatly
enclosed in Il cupboard-likc casing, and
which are operated from the cars.
These shOvcls have a capacity of 1900
bushels per hour, and by means of them
Il car load of grain can be loaded or
unloadcd in from - 10 20 minutes. ON
the third floor, too, are bolts for corn
meal rye or wheat flour. buckwhcat
Scalper and flour bolts, Il small Eureka
separator. and large bins for feed and
mixed grain.
There Is also on the first floor, barrel
room. holding 200 empty barrels, and
beneath this Is the wheel room. in which
are the immense wheels which operate
the extensive and complicated system Of
machinery with which the mill is
equipped.
Some idea Of the amount of goods
handled by the mill may be gained from
the fact that in one month G6 car loads
Of -four and feed equal TO 30,61 bu Of
wheat were shipped, equal to five train
loads, an actual total of 1,S42,6IO
pounds.
!. The elevator has capacity of 20,000
bushels of grain and is equipped with
grain cleaners. scales. and machinery
TO handle quickly the immense quantity
of grain needed to supply IA mill of this
capacity.
The large store house, with IA capacity
of 900 barrels Of flour, furnishes
storage facilities equal TO 30, 900 bushels
of wheat.
The mill makes special efforts TO secure
farmers trade, giving them the very
best flour, and allowing them TO deposit
their wheat and take flour and feed at
their convenience, thereby, saving them
the trouble of carrying their year ;
bread as wheat in their granaries
With two run of stone the mill is able to
grind feed very promptly, which is
another evidence of the desire of the
manager to cater to the farmers trade
The mill is provided with special
facilities for disposing of corn and other
coarse grain to the trade, and for this
reason better prices are paid here for
corn and feed grain than are paid i'll the
Detroit market The mill has made
every preparation for handling the
unprecedentcdly large corn crop of the
present year. and III addition to the bins
now III use, large new cribs are being
constructed.
All in all. no mill in the west is better
equipped for the business than the one
IN Alma, and this speakes volumes for
those whose enterprise gave TO Alma SO
valuable an industry