The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-02
CENTENNIAL Mill STARTS.
70 - Turned Over to Its Own
err in : Few Days.
EsEayTHiNo WORKS SMOOTHLY.
~ EnDAe1fy WIN he More Than
Co0ye11ones Ine1uaed I'm Its Con-
n1BuGtion-The Central American
DloanshtD Company Leases the
1otnt Oeeunaacy Of the Wharses-

8 - very few days the most completely
1Qu1pped and up-io-date Touring Hiiii on
The Pacific coast. the plant OF the Cerisfi-
mai Mills Company. of this city, VIII DC
4uFued over to the cwnsrs By the nsa-
IFtghts, the Ailis Company. Of MILWAUKEE,,
-. There Is no feature OF modern nout-
Ing mill construction that has not been
Incorporated III the great enterpfise tnat
SEATTLE II properly proud OF, and, aIteF Inc
delays and annoyancss that have to..o w.
Ej0aely upon one another for the year dur
3uG which Mr.. Moritz Thompson nas
worked TO bring about The present saf'S-
factory result, and during which MS Pa
43ence ard that OF his business associates
hrs been tried more than once, IL Is o
pleasure to chronicle the completion OF TIE
work and to call attention TO the ois'
white, six-story building, the most con-
opicu0us feature In Seaftie's newly created
manufacturing landscape, out OF the fan-
neiu 81 which the black smoke Is pouring
&nd inside of which the wheels are Whit
ring merrily.
The coming OF the Centennial mill was
ono Of the sOrerunners Of Seattle's present
prosperity, and when II was decided 10
huild It was with no idea OF the excitement
md business hustle that has since attended
Aiaei<a and the upper Yukon districts. II
Was simply the opinion Of conservative
bualness men that Seattle was destined 10
occupy q place Of great commercial iIn-
portance on the Pacific coast and with the
Idea Of participating in It's future great
ness the Spokane capitalists came 10 ss-
attic and purchased the site of the present
mill on the tide fats. Then the matter CT
approaches and franchises consumed
months of time and unlimited patience.
but al was eventually arranged on a salts
~ ctOsy basis and there ir another maiu-
1acfuring concern backed by ample cap
ltnl added to Seattles growing list.
There IL nothing picturesque about the
Centennial mill and the thousands OF feet
Of lumber shat enter into its construction
are not piled up with any pfetense To artis-
tic effect. II is just IL big mill and Is the
sqatcal consequence Of the evolution from
those old wind affairs with their rumbiing
otones with which Don Quixote did bat
1le. down to the present, when the de-
mandA upon a mill are for more than local
use and local consumption.
The Centennial mill Is a cargo mill and
IT. product will be shipped all over the
world. The twenty-six feet of tide water,
1t the lowest tide. which washes against
It's Wharves. will float any cargo vessel
that comes to Puget sound. and the rail-
road that leads through the building and
70 tho wharf sbeyond will deliver ears 10
any one OF the five railroads entering the
city and bring 10 the mill the product uf
the wheat fields OF Central and Eastern
Washington.
a tour through the building Ii interest
ting. The engine room is In a brick detarh-
"a building, containing both the engines
and boilers. The engines are of 3I5 horse
power, which anticipates the needs OF an
other year when the capacity of the mill
viii be doubled. The present requirements
are for hui $50 horsepower. When the
mill Is fairly running under the manage
ment of the owners IL win be turning out
80 barrels OF flour per day. and yesterday
Mr.. Thompson stated that the capacity
would probably be increased to 1000 barr
oyels.
Yesterday all Of the process of convert
ing wheat into -four was gone throu.sh
with by the miiwrights. preparatory 20
turning the plant over to the owners. The
cars on the span of track were run into
the building to the scales and weighed
Then the wheat was dumped into the con-
Kveyors on the track level and carried 10
sother scales. where IL was rewsighed and
then carried In the elevators Ia the bins
having a capacity Of iso.01 bushels Any
Increase In the required space for stora se
will according To Mr.. Thompsan's stats
mcut. be according To the system OF steel
rev elevators OF the Great Northern read
IN Buffalo.
From the elevators the wheat as II Is
needed is sent To the mill IN conveyors.
where II II passed through three sets III
cleaners. that extract the dirt and dust
II II then passed through machine and
over a ser OF magnets that will pick an
nails or any metallic substance that might
GIid Its way into it, 1t Is sprayed with
water and again by system Of elevators
lifted to the third floor. where the roller
mills, with axso-inch rollers. are located
There are fourteen of these mills and
their work may he watched through glass
panels let into their sides. There Is nc
part of the process that Is moro interest.
ms than the separation az the -four from
dust. number OF machines expressly In,
the purpose being located on the noni
above the rollers. The dust IA drawn
Into tubes. leading above large cylinders
that look as though there were man,
eJickes and no feiloes the snokes al
closely together and covered VIII
cloth. The cylinders revoivs slowly and
gather the dust that Is drawn ;tncn then,
depositsng II In conveyors. 10 he tskay
away. The -four Is then sent to the sftl
floor, where II passes through tha hotf
Ing nlachines.s There arr twenty-sEx ma
chimes In this department Of ono st,1.
and two Of another thA work Of she ltt
ter being equal 20 thirteen Of the fore1sl
kind. After battling the sour IS sent y,
ccnveyors 10 the sacklng machines 81
which there arc six. four being for Yaul
and TIVE for bran
Besides the machinery Cor making foul