Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-02-11
SUGAR FACTORY.
Duransoites Meet and Discuss the
Possibilities.
"A sugar beet factory? :?

to evidence too much there is no rea-
son why we should not succeed.
There is every element in this sec
ton that goes to make up the requis
ties for sugar factory.
First, and most important, the soil
OF this section is specially adapted
to the raising of sugar beets; and,
second, there is plenty of land avail
able for raising beets in sufficient
quantity to make a factory profitable.
That Durango is interested in the
project was clearly demonstrated las,
night when large number of our
leading citizens met at the court house
to listen to remarks by Mr.. F. L..
Chase, who recently visited the su-
gar factory at Rocky Ford and be-
came familiar with the manufacture
OF sugar and the intentions of those
who are erecting factories. The met
ing was called to order and organized
by electing w. C. Chapman chair
man and ]. J. Biggs secretary. Mr.
Chase was the first speaker and his
remarks follow:
Our meeting tonight is called for a
double purpose. First, discussion
of the possibilities of our acquiring
beet sugar factory; second, the or
ganization of a commercial club.
THE objects of the same, that the
members may work together for the
best interests of Durango. And those
of you directly interested in her pros
pertiy.
What | have to say to you in re-
gard to the proposition leading to
our securing beet sugar factory is
simply this. AS Il preliminary, how.
industry seems to now be one of the
new bonanzas for Colorado. and be
yond all question of doubt is.
In the year 1899 Colorado had no
sugar factories. But in the year 1900
three factories were built, and made
into sugar the beets grown from ten
thousand acres of land This year
of 1901 the factories have contracted
with the farmers for twenty thousand
acres of beets. Denver Boulder,
Greeley, Lamar. Granada and Love
land are all now working for the erec-
ton of factories. Loveland has the
money raised and their beets are con
tracted for. Their factory will be
built the coming spring.
1T was my pleasure to visit Rocky
Ford and their sugar, factory. l had
two hours conference with their
manager and superintendent in re
gard to the chances of their being able
to put factory at Durango. Their
first inquiries were, what assurances
l had that we have here the neces-
sary essentials required by beet sugar
factories. 1 learned these essentials
to be: first, the right kind of soil
to grow the beets, and they of a va
riety containing the necessary per
centage of sugar: second. a sufficient
supply of water; third, coal; fourth,
coke; fifth, lime; and sixth, last but
not least, farmers to grow the beets.
1 was advised by Mr.. Weitzel to in
vestigate as to the essential and let
him know later on what assurances
we can give him as regards these es
sentials, with the comforting as
surance that the American Beet SUI
gar company would build other fac
tories in Colorado. They. however,
are like the Missourian, they have
to be shown, and if We can demon
strate to them that we can support
ii factory here, our chances are very
good for having one by another year.
1T will become the duty of your
commercial club to, by their several
committees, investigate and report to
them any information obtainable. l
am very confident of the fact, and
believe there is not a person here
present who will not agree with me.
that we have every essential needed
for the requirements of beet sugar
factory.
"The process may seem slow to you,
but you must consider the fact that
capital could hardly be expected to
erect a mill before knowing absolute
ly that they would be furnished the
needed requirements to make the
same a success, any more than you
would build a mill or smelter before
you got your mines, but build 1t sim
ply because the adjacent hills looked
as if they had ore in them.
In a conversation with Charlie
Henkel of Pueblo, he favored very
much the idea of a factory here with
capacity of fifty thousand sacks.
| am reliably informed by one of our
leading merchants that conserva-
tive estimate of sugar sent into this
market is ffty-two thousand sacks a
year.
The Rocky Ford factory can run out
over eighty-siX thousand sacks, or
nine million pounds of sugar. for the
first years run. This product all
sold by Jan. l. and for this year will
expect to run out twenty million
pounds"
Mr.. Chase was listened to with much
interest His statement was lucid
and conveyed information our peo-
pie are seeking. He was followed by
Reese McCloskey, whose remarks
We're right to the point. He said it
was time something was being done
to attract people and capital to this
uactipn ns our business resources