, 1896-12-23
AMONGST THE SUGAR CANE IN
QUEENSLAND.
(FrOh ,iAe LouisiSaG Plontfr.t ,

The visit of the cooperative delegates.
the Isis Scrub district will, Without doubt,
result in material benefit to the colony. The
delegates were enabled to see the cnne grow.
ING, the work of cutting it in progress, and
the extraction of the sugar at the mills. On
Tuesday week the party were taken in buggles
from the hotel at Childers to the Colonial
Sugar Company's new mill, about three mills
ont Of town. The drive out was most enjoy
able, the route passing at times through the
dense scrub and then emerging ON to q hill
crest, from WHARF the whole of the lay of the
sountry could be seen, Field after field Of
cane in all stages of growth was to be seen,
some Of II @ crops being estimated to yield an
ave rage of fifty tons to the acre. On arrival
at the mill the party VAS met by Mr.. Reid,
the manager, and taken over the whole of the
works, which have been established to mahus
facture the raw sugar.. which is sent to the
eempany's refinery at Brisbane for further
treatment. From the works n series of perma-
nent tramway lines of 2-foot gauge is laid to
every cane field supplying the null. -Four
small locomotives haul The trucks in right 10
the mouth of the conveyo or shoot. In addition
to the permanent tramway, the company pro-
vides lengths of a portable line, which are
lent to the cane growers 10 lie placed all over
the field. the trucks being hauled to the per-
manent line by horses.
Ar idea Of the size of the mill may he form
ed from the fact that 600 tons OF cane
are put through daily. From the sOnveyor
shoot the cane frs asses under a series of
revolving knives. which even it out for the
crushers, of which there are thee sets. The
megass, when it emerges from the third set
is almost dry, and is conveyed by elevators
a. ~ ,,As .,Li.l, c,,l H. lNn1~r Fnp
raees. The juice then goes right TO the top.
floor of the mill, where it is first boiled
and put through the continuous. subsiders,
the residue gong to the filter presses.
Through the concentrators it goes to the
quadnple effect: In the qundruple effect
The first cylinder rtcei>e s the waste steam
from the other machines of the factory. The
steam whish rises from the boiling huid in
the flst pan heats liquid. contained in the
second, ard the steam from the second
i'll its turn heats the third, and so on. A success
sive diminution of The atIno~I hesic pressure
takes place 81 in each pan and allows the boiling
to go on in spite of the dsminution in heat.
From the vacuum. pans q black, almost solid
mass is, run inlo the eentrifngals, which con-
sist of cylindrical baskets with sides of wire
gauze, and revolving ut an enormous rate Of
speed On vertical shafts. The molasses is
driven out by centrifugal force through the
wire gauze into the outer covering Of the ma
chine, and'the raw sugar is left III the basket,
f,om which it is put into bags. The works
are III every way complete, equipped with
every labour-savlng appliance, and IN a scru
pulousiy neat and orderly condition. A con-
slant water supply is insured by meas of
a very large dam, which has been construct
ed close to the works. Some 20J men are
employed in the mill, and are all kept in good.
quarters by the company. =.
After the delegates had Seen all that there
was to be seen an adjournment was made to
DIR. Reid's house, where a splendid luncheon
was partaken of. About half past two a start
was made for Messrs. Penny 4 Co.'S Isis mill
ut Knockroe. Here the PARTY We're again