The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-13

later begin to be audible--the elanking
and clashing of cars being coupled and
uncoupled, the elinking of chains, cog
wheels grating together, and the dull
rumble of tanks being moved from
place to place. The huge mill now
stands out before us, sometimes with
many smoke-staeks, sometimes with but
one. Besides the mill itself there is
an ice plant, electric plant, often a
soda water plant, and many other SINH
lar enterprises for the necessities and
convenience of those who live there.
The ears are run into a long shed-like
place, track extending on each side
of what is called the carriage. This is
in reality only a wide, moving belt.
Rake-like machines unload the cane up
on this belt and carry it slowly up to
a place above the rollers. This belt
does not move continuously for it would
soon clog up the rollers so that the best
results would not be obtained. Where
fuming is used, the fumes empty onto
this carriage and the water drains
through. A man stands at the head of
the carriage and as the rollers need the
cane he operates lever which feeds
the proper amount. Before going into
the rollers, however, the cane passes
through set of knives, rapidly revolv-
ing, which break and tear it into
shreds It then slides down an incline
into the first set or rollers. In all large
mills there are at least nine rollers,
and in a few there are twelve. These
are arranged in sets of three, each set
being closer together than the preeed-
ing one. They are fixed a certain dis
lance apart, but should anything go
through which could injure them they
will separate.
The trash as the crushed cane is also
called, after it has passed through the
last set of rollers, is carried by con-
veyors to bin from which it is used
to feed the fires by automatic stokers.
There are coal fires as well, but as the
mill is only in operation from January
until August the coal-fed boilers are
kept almost exclusively for the pumps
and other accessories which have to be
run the whole year round
From the rollers the juice flows into
large tanks where it remains until it
-. X
vacuum pans. The vacuum pans are
large cylindrical vessels ten feet in
diameter and a little more in length.
Down one side is a line of long, mar
row windows through which the sugar
juice may be seen boiling. A thermo-
meter is placed near the windows on
the outside but having direct connec--
tion with the boiling syrup. On the
top is pipe about two feet in dia-
meter which carries off the vapor. In
side, coils of Pinch copper tubing are
arranged into conical helices. There
are usually three such pans placed
about six or eight feet apart. Live
steam is passed into the coils of the
first pan, thus boiling the syrup at
high temperature something over 100
degrees Centigrade. When this steam
passes out it still contains great deal
of heat, though not enough to boil any
more juice under similar conditions;
but by increasing the vacuum in the
second pan, the same steam may be
used with just as good results as in
the first one. And so on to the third,
where one may place his hand against
the glass, on the other side of which
the juice is boiling violently, and not
feel any uncomfortable warmth.
The juice is boiled down in these
huge retorts until it reaches a viscous
condition, when it is run off into tanks
and allowed to cool. As this thick
syrup cools, the sugar in solution crys-
tallizes out, but is still, of course, thor,
oughly mixed with the molasses. To
separate the good sugar from the mo-
lasses, the mixture is placed into a rap
idly revolving copper sieve which is
called Centrifugal On the ground
floor Immediately under each of the
huge molasses tanks some twenty or
more of these machines. which in a
laundry would be called dryers, are ar
ranged an a line. There is a tap over
each bowl connecting with the tank
through which molasses may be fed
into the centrifugal at the will of the
operator. This instrument stands on
a vertical shaft and the whole, up to
the top of the bowl, is surrounded by
a metal jacket, which leaves about an
inch space between the bowl and the
outside casing. In the bottom of the
bowl, and in the center, is a circular
hole covered with copper cone held
IN place by the shaft passing up
through it. Now when molasses is run