La Junta tribune., 1899-03-08
MAKING .veAa taon sse1s.
Interesting Description Of the Pro-
esss-opporunitiss Tor Young
Americans.

AT Binghamton, New York, IS
located factory which manufac-
lures each day during the working
season from twelve to sixteen tons
OF pure granulated sugar. The
popular notion usually associates
sugar with sugar cane and with
tropical climates. But this pop
ular notion must change, for the
sugar supply OF the world will soon
be manufactured from the beet.
Two factories are now in operation
in New York State, one at Bing-
hamton and one at Rome. A
large sugar factory is also located
at Bay City, Mich. Other fac
tories are being planned in New
York and Michigan, and it will be
but short time before this indus
try OF the manufacture of sugar
from beets will come into wide
prominence. So important is the
industry likely TO become that a
description OF the Binghamton
factory and the methods of extract
ing the sugar from the beets will
prove OF interest.
The factory is located some
~
hamton on the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna & Western Railroad. The
main building is substantial brick
structure, and the storage room
for the beets is partially provided
for by four mammoth sheds, each
400 feet long, 10 feet wide, and IL
feet high. In the spring OF 1895,
some 1000 acres OF beets were
contracted for; the farmers agree
| ing TO raise the bects and the COM
pany agreeing to pay IS per ton
for the same.
| - pun dttlN taStctN thN
beets are unloaded from the cars
into the sheds or upon the ground
in the yard. Underneath each
shed and running its entire length,
is sluiceway through which runs
water which has been heated to
the boiling point in the factory.
| The warm water so soaks and loos-
ems the dirt that it is easily re-
moved when the beets get TO the
washing machine. When the beets
are unloaded into the sheds the
hand work upon them is completed,
and from that time they are carried
forward by water or machinery.
As they near the end OF the sluice-
way they are seized by screw ell
evator and raised TO the factory,
where the first operation is the
washing. They are dumped into
large tanks where revolving arms
attached to horizontal axis thor
oughlv churn them around and
constantly work them forward to-
ward the clean water. They pass
from the first washing tank into a
second one, and here the process
is repeated and the beets are thor
oughly cleaned. From the wash,
ing tanks they go TO the bucket ell
evators and are carried to the top
of the building. The next oper-
alton (pulping the beets) IS done
by system OF knives or scoops
fastened to horizontal wheel.
The knives have scalloped edges
and are situated at the bottom OF a
large hopper. AS the beets come
down upon these rapidly revolving
knives they are literally cut into
shreds or pulp. This pulp is put
into what is called the diffusion
battery" This battery is really a
system of great tanks SO connected
that the water can pass from one
to the other. The water is put in
upon the best pulp and the sugar
is soaked out, the water being
passed from one tank to another
until it has become saturated,
when it is drawn off. The fresh
water is always put in upon the
pulp which is most nearly ex-
hausted Of its sugar content. The
waste pulp is carted out OF the