The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-06-24

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volving 1900 times minute, and having
diameter of six feet and width of four
feet
The water falls upon a bed of coke
eighteen inches thick and the air passes
through the coke bed and thus is damp
ened before going through the drums.
Above the terminating room is a small
room where water is weighed and then
forced into the drums below in quanti-
ties needed. Little brass pipes run
around the inner surface of the drums
and the water is forced out through per-
forations. The water is discharged from
the weighing machine by electricity.
The temperature in the terminating
room is kept at ffty-five degrees, which
is the temperature of the water.
After the grain has terminated in the
drums for six to eight days, it is taken
to the fan room above the drying room,
and is taken by an endless belt convey
er to the drying room. The grain is
then green" and is dried for from for
ty-eight to seventy-two hours in tenn
perature of 80 to $50 degrees. The con-
veyer will carry $500 bushels an hour
The drying room is heated by steam and
also a coal furnace. The dry kiln is
sixth eight feet above the ground. The
damp grain that is being dried is stir
red up by an automatic machine that
moves across the room, a distance of
ninety feet, once every hour and turns
up the grain.
When the grain is dry it goes to the
sack room. 1t is then ready for ship
ment, being pure malt. Grapenuts, is
principally made of this, as it is very
healthful From the time the barley
leaves the car until it returns as malt
twelve days elapse, provided it is ship
ped at once. There has been loss of ten
per cent in body, principally in the clean
ing and evaporating processes. The malt
is more brittle than the barley.
The malt house is now running to its
full capacity, handling $3.50 bushels of
barley a day, and its yearly capacity is
100000 bushels. At present the COM
pany is behind its orders. 1t has done
remarkably well since starting, consid-
ering the fact that it was too late to
take regular orders when the new plant
was ready to start up last Feb. 18th.
The orders in the malt business are
mostly placed a year ahead and are CIV
en- in the fall. The company is ship
ping all over the United States, mostly
in carload lots.
But this is little depression, as the
plant has not yet been fully described.
The engine room is where the power
comes from that operates the big plant.
w. S. Randolph is the engineer, and he
has his hands full. The largest engine is
Brownell, manufactured at Dayton,
Ohio, and is $50 horse power. Close to
it is a 80 horse power engine of the
gency and to operate the fans. A pump
is connected with the artesian well and
supplies the entire building with water.
1t also supplies the pressure for the
fire apparatus, of which there is some
on every floor. Any pressure needed can
be furnished. Every floor has speaking
tubes and electric bells to the engine
room, and the office is also connected
with it.
There is a vacuum pump to force the
steam throughout the building and bring
back the condensed steam, the water
from this being used in the boilers to
prevent scaling In winter the exhaust
steam is used for heating purposes.
There is receiving pump that receives
the water from the live steam coils and
pumps it into the boilers. There is also
boiler feed pump. The two boilers are
of ninety horse power each. Half a
ton of anthracite coal day is used for
the dry kiln in summer and about two
tons a day in winter. The heat in the
dry kiln is indicated by an electric
| thermometer in the furnace room.
The main building is 81 my 1872 feet,
III feet high, and the dry kiln is &c
by Y feet and "a feet high. Both build
ings are well and strongly built, with
much coucrptp HoOripp
Oscar Bierbauer is the president of the
company and has general charge of the
office work He has been successfully
engaged in the business for many
years. Herman Bierbauer is the super
intendent of the plant. He has had nine
years experience, and is a graduate of
the Masters and Brewers academy at
Milwaukee. He knows the business
from start to finish.
The company is capitalized at 100000,
the stock being held mainly in this
city.
The system of making malt, as stat
ed before, is the best known and secures
better results than the old floor system.
The making of the malt is more COM
pletely under the control of the operator
than under the old system, and more uni
formity is secured. The process is known
as the pneumatic motion process.
Cables are used instead of belts, and
give much smoother service. In other
little ways there are improvements top
numerous to mention. The skimmings
from the sleeping tanks are kept and
sold for feed In the winter the room