The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-03-07
FARMER AND PLANTER.
6ESSoNETTE's COMPRESS.


The demonstration of the success of
the Bcssonette process of COMPRISING
cotton promises ito completely revolu-
tionize that industry. The new process
has long since passed the experimental
stage, over thousand bales having
already been treated and shipped to
the eastern and foreign markets. And
the yearly saving of $40, 100000 to the
states wherein the feecy staple is pro-
duced is practically assured.
The inventor of the new compress is
w. f. Bessonette, an ingenious young
man of Waco, Tex, who is not yet
thirty-one years of age. He has all his
life been devoted to the origination of
of unique contrivances for lettering
mans welfare, but the invention of the
machine In question is his most am
bilious effort, and one which was i'm
mediately appreciated
Some local capitalists at Waco, seeing
ut glance the bonanza which Bes-
sonettes invention opened to them,
took the matter in hand and organized
stock company with capital of
$1,000,0 600. The stock was at once sub
scribed, several blocks being taken in
St Louis, and the first plant was erect
ed in the inventors home city-after
many improvements, however, had
been made upon the press originally
designed.
Among these was the attachment of
the pneumatic system of conveying
cotton, which is now in process of man
ufacturc by the Kingsland & Douglas
Manufacturing Co. of this city. When
this system is attached to the
plant already erected in Waco,
the raw cotton will be taken
through pneumatic pipes from the
car or wagon direct to the storage
house. or the gin, passing through the
cleaners on the way. After being
ginned it will be carried through metal
pipes to the compound condenser, which
converts the cotton into bale ard de-
livers it direct to the Bessonette press.
1t is there subjected to high pressure
between series of rollers, which
presses all the air out of the staple
and converts it into cylindrical sbale
five and half feet in length by TWEEN
ty two inches in diameter and averag-
ing five hundred and fifteen pounds in
weight, although the weight may be
increased to as much as one thousand
pounds.
The bale is absolutely free from dirt,
is as solid as rock, and is positively in
combustible, the absence of air below
the top layer making it impossible for
fire to affect the bale further than to
scorch the ends and outside layer to a
depth of about onc-twentieth of an
inch. 1t is proposed, however, to rem
der even this slight damage impossible
by the use of a fire-proof wrapper for
the bale, which, it is thought, can be
manufactured sufficiently cheap to JUS
tify its use.
The covering now in use is simply a
fold of cotton cloth, which is the only
"tare' about the entire bale. Tare, in
sne ye a So ct SOFTEN men means
the staple itself, and thus ordinarily
comprehends the ties and jute bag
ging. The value of the tare of a Bes-
sonetue bale, which gets to the mills
untouched by the sampler, and in as
good condition as when it left the gin,
Is reckoned at double the selling price
OF the tare of the old style bale.
The method of sampling cotton
ginned by the new process is to take a
specimen of the product off the roll
Just before the last end enters the COM
press. This bit of cotton is numbered
to correspond with the number of the
bale from which it was taken, and is
mailed ahead of the bale to the pur-
chaser. When the bale arrives it must,
- 1.
sample.
When a Bessonette bale leaves the
gin it is ready for the spinner, thus
doing away with the old system of
conveying bale to the cotton yards
and thence to the compress, and from
there to the railroad yards. Besides
this great advantage in the saving of
handling and drayage, it is also much
more easily mixed in the mills.
In short, the claims made by those
who are conversant with the process
are that it eifectually does away with
everything and every medium between
the ginner and the spinner. 1t saves
loss and expense by yardage, storage,
stealage, samplage, rottage and vast
age, and in the bagging and ties.
IL uHe process is all UlaJ Is Cldluleu
for it by its friends it will undoubted-
ly create havoc among several big
branches of the south's leading in
dustry, and will result in increased
profits to the planter-which last is a
contamination devoutly to be wished!
1t will certainly affect the existence of
the cotton merchant, becauseuthe spin
ner will prefer to buy from the ginner
direct, without the aid or mediation of
the factor For the same reason, the
existence of all cotton exchanges lex
cept those dealing in futures), is like
wise threatened. More than all, if the
Bessonette process comes into general
use throughout this and other cotton
raising countries, it will send the great
Jute Begging trust into the limbo of
things undone.
Railway and steamship companies
have already guaranteed a reduction of
about thirty per cent. in freight rates
because of the ease with which the
spool-liise bale may be handled, and the