Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-16
BIC OIL MILL IS GOING
1t Is a Mammoth Plant, Superb
Iy Equipped.
THE JOURNEY OF THE SEED
Makes an Interesting Story-No Trouble in
DispOslng ofthe Product Pay Day
Every Week.

The jefferson County Cotton Oil mill is
now in full operation. and is the only in
dustly of the kind in the city.
The mill is located in East Birming-
ham, and work on the plant was begun
a bout six months ago by the projectors,
F. c. Kinney & Co, of Mobile.
representative of the State Herald
called at the mill yesterday, where he
met the senior member Of the firm, Mr.
Kinney. ana his assistant, Mr.. Tanner,
who were up to their eyes in work.
You see,' remarked Mr.. Kinney, chat
we are no dudes. We are training green
hands, and the work is exceedingly heavy
on us. Things will soon be running
smooth, however. when we hope to greet
our friends in better style"
This industry is of no small magnitude
and there are many people in Birming-
ham who would be surprised We're they
to pay the plant visit. The mill lot cev-
ers an area of 245x500 feet. The main
building is story and half high, 160x50
feet, and substantially built of brick
There are two mammoth seed houses,
each 6ox120 feet, which will hold 10000
tons of seed. There are four Gala han
presses of sixty tons capacity, with an
output of $500 gallons of oil per day.
Six gins, with Munger attachments,
are used in reginnng the seed, and the
lint obtained amounts to from three to
four bales per day. The meal product
per day is about twenty-four tons and
hulls twentyfour TONS Three large
tanks for storing the oil have just been
completed, with a capacity of 10000 gal
Ions
All of the machinery is of the very
latest pattern and complete in every re-
spect from the handling of the seed to
the production of the oil. The attach
ments for handling the seed are almost
perfect. The car is placed near the seed
house and the seed unloaded into con-
veyers which carry them to the seed
house. distributing 1t at any point in the
building desired.
From the seed house the seed are again
placed in conveyers and are carried first
to the sand and boil screen, thence to
the huller, thence to the separator, which
separates the meat from the hull. and
on to the crushers and next to the
heaters. From there the material is ia
ken by hand to the former and placed
in the press, the entire work being &C
complishe6 by machinery from the time
the seed enters the conveyer in the seed
house until the product reaches the
former and is made ready for the press.
Sixty men are regularly employed,
which includes day and night shift, as
the mill never closes except on Sunday.
The plant complete will cost in the
neighborhood of $4,000, and the cost of
material and labor to operate it will
average from $3.50 to $1,000 per day. 1t
has its own water works and electric
lights, and $2500 have already been spent
for sidetracks connecting with the Cen
trail and Louisville and Nashville rail-
roads.
The company in putting up the mill
has made it point to patronize home
manufacturers whenever it was possible
to do so. The engine and large portion
of the ginnery department were made in
Birmingham. Mr.. Kinney says during
the last six months his company has
spent not less than $4,000 in the city of
Birmingham.
Several shipments of the product of the
mill have already been made and the
demand is already equal to the capacity
Local dealers are placing their orders
for the meal and hulls, which will take
nearly, If not all, the output in this line
The employees are paid off every Sat
urday night and trade where they please
thereby distributing their earnings
among the city merchants.