The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-10-24
Killings SUGAR FACTORY.
New Montana Industry Will Be In Op-
Grafton In a Few bays.

BILLINGS, October 2O.-Perhaps the
greatest industry ever introduced into
the Yellowstone valley had its begin.
ming about two years ago, when the
sugar beet q Qaestion began to be agi.
tated. Promoters from beet districts
came into the city OF Billings, mass
meetings We're held, and the farmers
as we'll as the business men became
vitality interested In 'what had every
indication Of being sound, money.
making proposition. A field commit
tee was organized and after consider
able work on its part contracts with
farmers, insuring the planting OF
about 1000 acres to beets, were &c.
cured. A company was then organ
lied and the building Of q million.
dollar sugar factory was no longer
an iridescent dream, but an assured
fact. A site for the building was pur-
chased, railroad switches we're run
thereto, and work on the same was
begun in short time. The maguifi.
cent structure is now completed, and
the actual manufacture of sugar will
be commenced within the next few
days.
In an interview the following ex.
planation of the industry: was given
by H. Mendleson, engineering chemist
for the kilbey Manufacturing com.
pany, the man who has charge of the
sugar company:
"As soon as the beets are delivered
at the factory, samples arel taken to
determine the amount of dirt, or tare,
to be deducted from the gross weight.
At the bottom OF the beet sheds are
concrete fumes, which lead into the
factory. Into these beets are dumped
from the wagons and cars, and are
flooded with water, which forces them
into the factory. Here they are washed
clean and weighed in automa attic SC ales.
They are then sliced into thin strips
and the saccharine product Is extract.
ed from them with warm water by
means of the diffusion process. The
resulting waste product, the pulp, is
| pumped bt enormous centrifugal
pumps TO the pulp silos, where it is
taken to the feeding yards. The OBJ.
tained raw juice goes through three
processes Of filtration and purifica.
,!Cr, and /. then evaporatat in tin
evaporators of 5000 square feet heat.
ing surface, to the density of maple
syrup. The juice is then corcentr ated
to the point OF cry >talization in gre at
pans which are ii feet in ameter and
which hold 80 tons of sugar The re-
suitiug mass is treated in centrifugals
which separate the white sugar from
the adhering syrup. The wet white
sugar then goes through rotary dry
ers, after which it i. packed in hund.
red pound bags and is ready for mar.
ket. The remaining syrup is boiled
again to the point OF crystaliz alton
and is kept for 100 hours in enormous
crystalizers. From this product is
obtained yellow sugar which is re-
fined and transformed into yranulate ed
sugar, while the resulting molasses is
desugarized by special process.
"From the time the first beets arr
received in the factory, it will require
36 hours before the first granulateC
sugar is turned OUT and after all ar,
sliced, it will take ten days to conver
all of the products into granulatet
sugar.
'Our operating season will, under
normal conditions, extend over "A per
; iod OF about four months. II would
not be consistent to run longer thar
this. as the beets would spoil on oul