Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-11-30
Method of Handling Grain.

Method of Handling Grain.
In such "a phenomenal year as the
present, when the crop of corn in the
United States reaches well up to $780,
100000 bushels, two classes OF indiyid-
uals aFe+ Quite as: busily employed as
the farmer; in handling the same, in
storing it, caring for it, fufthering it's
shipment elevator and the vessel
men. That amount Of grain is some
thing enormous. 1t would fill train
of 1862, 30S cars Of the average size
of 600 :abNshels capacity, and such a
train, 22,2S3 miles long, would nearly
encircle the globe; it would make car
goes for. 244,O0O lake steamers Of the
average capacity IF 100000 bushels,
but, of course, from this amount should
be. deducted the amount used for home
consumption, and from the estimate
Of lake cargoes a liberal allowance
should be made for the portion which
goes by way of all rail routes to the
coast. 49, q II, - =.
Chicago handles So much grain when
now double large crops are in move
+ment, that for many weeks in the fall
of the year there is. a car famine on all
its diyerging railroads, while storage
room is. at a-,premium, and scarce. In:
a single month Chicago can take care
:of $4,000; 900 :hushe5s: of grainl of lake
shipments, and 100000 bushels a day.
Of rail receipts The receiving facili-
ties are so great and so accurately sys-
tematizedi that where a person unfa-
miliar with the business would antici-
pate a tremendous blockade, very car
coming in is moved to it's proper place
by an unyarying routine, dumped, sent
out again; every other carrying We
,hicle is brought to it's dock, and the.
long tchutes of the elevators lick up
the grain in a continuous stream dis
tribute it, transfer it, as easily as
pouring water from one cup to another.
It is at Buffalo where the blockade
usually occurs There cargoes have to
be shifted for s6aboard events Boats
are sometimes detained, awaiting a
chance to unload, anywhere from a
week to ten days. Craft moored along.
fside each other get in a jam every
hour. In some cases steamers with
cargoes of grain billed clear through to
the seabeard, with ocean room en-
&gaged to take the grain to Europe, are
t6wed directly to the elevators on ar
rival and unloaded, but in any ease
where, there is a.: chilee. Of being de-
tanned in the elevator any time at all,
the boat is compelled to hold its load
In busy season, storage room at these
great grain points is completely filed,
and elevators are barely able to handle
cargoes direct from boat to cars.
The contents Of a small country ele-
vator,s located at some little railway
town, soon lose all Independent iden-
tity when the selling movement starts
in. The corn is loaded into cars.
which are added to long freight
train made up of similar cars of corn
and started toward Chicago. Each car
load is noted by itself and has place
in the records of the railroad company,
The journey is soon made to the out
skirts Of the city, and, after being
bumped about over miles of switch
yards; the consignment from the coun-
try is run into some big elevator. The
doors are opened and the grain in
spector passes along from car to car
carefully inspecting each sample taken.
The corn is up to the grade and the
grain doors are lifted out The vel
low corn pours in a bright stream into
the chutes on either side Of the track,
i where it is Immediately caught up
by conveyors and carried up into the
big cupola on top of the elevator. The
weighing hoppers are ready to receive
it, and after being weighed it is run
into bins. Of corn of similar grade. The
identity Of each car is now lost. and
it gonly.. appeared on the. receipts of
the Board of Trade as a unit in con-
Segment. = T. .%"- $50,
The following morning representa-
tive of4some2large. commission firm, to
whom the grain has been consigned
appears. on the floor of the board of
trade, walks over to ''vesselmens
aisle" between the corn and provision
pits, and saautes vessel :broker with
an inquiry as to the rate for corn to
Buffalo. Say it is stated at 21a cents.
The operator offers IA, and interviews
many brokers, until he secures his
rate. He demands 15-minute option
on the steamer finally accepted. !. 1t
|. carries 10000 Bushels: I'M five minutes
he has sold that amount of. corn by
telegraph in New York has engaged
elevator room at Buffalo, and rail Ship
ment thesee to.NeW York. He. then re.
turns to the vesselman ana completes
his charter. In all probability the re-
ceiver of the grain at New York has
7 in ten minutes more sold the grain to
a Liverpool firm and in ia very short
time charters the ocean room to carry
it there.
T 'The,vesse1 agent, having placed his
boat, at once arranges for the loading.
The orders for the grain at the ele-
vator are given him. he engages the
trimmers and tally men, and as the
steamer is ready to load,s in; an hour