Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-11-16
OUR BEET SUGAR.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE FAC
TORY At WAVERLY.

| enterprise UiVeS promise OF complete SUE
cess.
The opening of the factory of TIN
Washington State Beet Sugar Com
pany at Waverly, for the campaign o
1900, MARRIED an epoch in the progres
| of the State in the line of manufac
turing, which promises much for tn
futnre. This is the second year tn
factory is running. and many improve
ments have been inaugurated over th'
first year. The factory and adjoinin,
buildings are constructed after th'
most modern and approved plans o.
sugar factories. The present plant il
perfection of equipment is fully equa
to any in the country. About one
half million dollars has been spen
by the company. There is ever,
means at hand to demonstrate that i
is practical and profitable to raise
sugar beets and convert them into
sugar in the State of Washington.
During the running campaign, th'
factory employs $50 men-75 on {
shift. The wages average from $1.7'
per day for common labor, up to 81,
500 year for superintendent skilled
in sugar making. Besides this in til,
summer and fall the beet fields in tht
neighborhood of Waverly furnish EN-
ployment for about 250 men with
wages at 81 per day and board.
The factory was built under the di
rection of Emile Salich, an expert in
his line. Work was begun on the
main building in June, 1899. This is
a three-story structure, 100 by 2O(
feet. The machinery has been pur'
chased in France, Belgium, Chicago
and Spokane. Careful and stringent
tests have demonstrated its efficiency
The capacity of the factory is $50
tons of beets a day, which represents
fifty tons of extracted sugar. The run
for this year will probably last sixty
days.
The process of Transforming the
raw material into crystalized sugar il
an interesting one. The beets are
stored in large sheds, 800 feet long
and from there they begin their
journey through three cemented chan
nels, or conveyors, laid just under
ground and covered by planks which
form the walks. Through these chan
nels the beets are forced by a strong
current of water, which continues t.
the washing process. Entering thu
factory they are caught in baskets ir
the periphery of a slowly turning
wheel, eighteen feet in diameter. Al
the wheel revolves the baskets are in
verted over an incline which deliver
the beets into a washer, a long, sheet
iron receptacle, furnished with pad
dies, wherein a current Of water com
pletes the cleaning operation.
From the washer o smaller whee
removes the beets to another incline
from which they slide into th'
baskets of an elevator and are lifted
to the fourth floor or cupola room
above the roof. Here they are dumped
into the automatic scale-a delicate
watch-like contrivance, notwithstand
ing its size-this registers accuratel!
and dumps each filling into a chut'
which in turn delivers them to tn
the slicer. The slicer is large tank
or upright cylinder, in the bottom o
which revolves horizontal plate, fur
nished with corrugated knives, which
cut the beets to small triangular slices
called cosettes or chips. Iu this form
the largest possible surface is presented
to the action of the water in the diff
fusing battery, which is the next stop
ping-place reached.
This machine is circle of grea
iron pots or diffusers, having MASSIVE
lids and by means of valves are con
nected with each other, and eacl
separately is connected with steam
heat and water pressure. In the frs
cell the hest pulp enters water at 1
high temperature, but not above FL
degrees. After the proper time al
lowed for diffusion, the manipulation
of numerous valves by the operate
forces the fluid contents of this eel
into the mass of pulp in the secon'
cell and renews the water on tn
pulp in number one, and so on unit
the first water has completed tn
circuit, or sufficient part OF it, ant
each mass of pulp passes through min
or eleven diffusions. From the bat
terry the juice passes by pressure to tn
great measuring tanks, which hav
each floating register, so that tall.
is kept of the quantity of juice con
tanned at each filling.
The juice after passing the measur
ing tanks returns to the first floor
from which it is pumped to the thir'
story, into immense tanks called lin
and juice mixers, in the bottom o
which revolving propellers slowl.
mingle the Ingredients in the prope
proportion. The lime solution know
as milk of lime-is furnished from ,
tank house on the roof which is at
tended by man who receives and de