The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-07
READY ON OCT. /.
Santa Fe's Mammoth Grain StOr-
age Bins Completed.
Roof Is Now Being Put On the
Structure.
MARVEL OF ITS KIND.
Triumph of Modern Engineering
and Architecture.
Series of Concrete Tanks so Feet
in Height.
[ARVEL OF ITS KIND.

A remarkabl example of modern en-
gineering and architecture is just being
completed by the Santa Fe railroad at
Argentine. 1t is a series Of mammoth
grain storage bins which will hold over
million bushels of wheat, built of con-
crete by means of a giant form or
mould.
Chief Engineer W. B. Storey. of the
Santa Fe, who is responsible for the
wonderful structure will have the salts
faction of knowing that this is not alone
the only one of it's kind in the country,
but is also the largest grain elevator in
the great middle west wheat belt.
c. A. Fellows of Topeka, is the con-
tractor in charge of the construction of
the buildings, and although they are
mammoth in size and he did not break
ground for them until April, he expects
TO be able to turn them over to the
company by the first of October In
fact, practically all of the work on the
elevator proper is completed and the
storage bins have been built and all that
remains to be done is to roof them over.
The elevator has a capacity of 100000
bushels of grain while the storage bins
will hold 100000 bushels. Both struc-
lures, which will be Joined together,
will cost in the neighborhood of $780,
900.
1t is in the construction of the
storage bins that novel piece of work
has been done, and taken as whole
there is not collection of storage bins
like them in the country. They are
circular in form with a diameter of
twenty-five feet and height of eighty
feet and are built of concrete rein
forced with steel rods. The walls of
the bins are six inches thick. There
are twenty-four of these bins and they
are Joined so that the structure is one
massive monolith. There are other
concrete grain bins connected with
Q1oUa In other of the
try but they are separate. This is the
only instance known where the bins
are Joined together and the plans for
them being built in this way were
them together a great advantage has
been gained. The spaces formed by
the junction of the walls of the bins
can also be used for bins There are
fifteen of these spaces which are in
reality just so many more additional
bins created by the construction of the
original twenty-four. In other storage
elevators where concrete bins have
the space between them is of no SER
vice whatsoever It also adds strength
to the building.
Work was begun on the foundation
of the buildings on April Is, and to
secure an adequate foundation Mr..
Fellows was compelled to sink two
thousand two hundred piles thirty feet
in the ground. These were then COW
cred with two feet of concrete. This
foundation work alone cost $5S,000.
The elevator proper where the grain
will be cleaned is built of corrogated
iron and is ninety-two feet high. The
bins take up space of one hundred
by one hundred and fifty feet and they
are set on a basement which is twelve
and one-half feet above the founda-
ton. Two large galleries, each twenty
feet wide, connect the elevator with
the bins. Through them run buckets
on endless chains. which will carry
the grain from the elevator to the bins
after it has been measured and
cleaned.
The bins can be emptied into cars or
other vehicles which can be run in
the basement and the bottom of the
bins are four feet above the highest
water mark of any flood that has oc-
CURED in that territory.