Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-12-23
Method of Handling Grain.

present. when the crop of corn in the
United States reaches well up to 2,5O0,-
100000 bushels, two classes Of individ-
uals are quite as Dusily employed as
the farmer in handling the same, In
storing 1t, caring for it, furthering its
sbipment-the elevator and the vessel
men, That amount Of grain Is some
thing enormous 1t would fill IA train
of 1862, 30S ears of the average size
of $50 bushels capacity, and such
train. 22,2S3 miles long, would nearly
eneirele the globe; 1t would make car
goes for $4,000 lake steamers of the
average capacity Of 100000 bushels,
but, of course, from this amount should
be deducted the amount used for home
consumption, and from the estimate
of lake cargOes liberal allowance
should be made for the portion which
goes by way of all rail routes to the
coast
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 Il premium, and scarce. In
a single month Chicago can take care
of 22,000,00O bushels of grain of lake
shipments, and 100000 bushels day
of rail receipts. The receiving faclli-
ties are so great and so accurately sys-
tematiZed that where a person unfa-
mlllar with the business would antici-
pate a tremendous blockade, every car
coming in is moved to its proper place
by an unvarying routine, dumped, sent
out again; every other carrying We
hicle is brought to its dock, and the
long chutes of the elevators lick up
the grain in continuous stream, dis
tribute 1t, transfer 1t, as easily as
pouring water from one cup to another.
1t Is at Buffalo where the blockade
usually occurs. There cargoes have to
be shifted for seaboard events. Boats
are sometimes detained, awaiting a
chance to unload anywhere from
week to ten days. Craft moored along
side each other get in jam every
hour In some cases steamers with
cargoes of grain billed clear through to
the seaboard, with ocean room en-
towed directly to the elevators on ar
rival and unloaded, but in any case
where there Is Il chance 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 filled,
and elevators are barely able to handle
cargoes direct from boat to cars
The contents of a small country ele-
vator, located at some little railway
town, soon lose all independent iden-
tlty 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 a place
in the records of the railroad company.
The journey is soon made to the out
skirts of the city, and after being
pumped 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 bright stream into
the chutes on either side of the track.
where it is Immediately caught IN
by conveyors and carried up into the
big cupola on top of the elevator. The
weighing hoppers are ready to receive
1t, and after being weighed 1t is run
into bins of corn of similar grade. The
identity of each car Is now lost. and
1t only appeared on the receipts of
the Board of Trade as unit in con-
signment.
The following morning a representa-
tive of some large commission firm. to
whom the grain has been consigned.
appears on the floor of the board of
trade, walks over to "yesselmen's
AISLE" between the corn and provision
pits, and salutes vessel broker with
an inquiry as to the rate for corn TO
Buffalo. Say it is stated at 21b cents.
The operator offers pa, and interviews
many brokers, until he secures his
rate. He demands 15-minute option
on the steamer finally accepted. 1t
carries 10000 bushels. In five minutes
he has sold that amount of corn by
telegraph in New York. has engaged
elevator room at Buffalo, and rail ship
ment thence to New York He then re-
turns TO the yesselman and completes
his charter. In all probability the re-
ceiyer of the grain at New York has
In ten minutes more sold the grain to
Liverpool firm and in a very short
time charters the ocean room to carry
1t there.
The vessel 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, in an hour
tugs pull it up to the dock under the
towering walls of the elevator. The
hold is all clean, all the coal dust from
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