The Forrest City times., 1909-10-22
THE RICE INDUSTRY
Newspaper Man Visits Thriving Prai. rie City and Inspeets Mill and
 Electric Power Plant.

If was the good fortune MDndav morning Of a representative of The Times 10 be one of party of seyeraI gentlemen who took a trip to Wheat. ley, the rice metropolis Of the prairies to look over the big new rice mill ana power plant recently erected bv tbe Arkansas Rice Mill and Power Com. pany The party consisted of Capt. Jas. Russell, Capt. !. G. Stern. NIT R M Hopkins of Chicago, NIT. Jas. Fon- dren and MT. Edgar r. Taylor. The first three gentlemen named being largely interested in the rice growing industry Stern being general manager of the plant, and Messrs. Fus- sell and Hopkins directors and large stockholders in the enterprise.
 For the other members of the party this was their first visit, and they had little or no idea of the nature or ex- tent of the rice industry in that sec. tion Of St. Francis County, and the magnitude of the new industry and it's fiatterlng prospects came as a mat ter or surprise and congratulation. Arriving at Wheatley, the party pro- Geeded at once to the plant, where MT. Redwood, the genial and efficient nanager of the rough and clean rice department, showed the visitors through the mill, explaining the va rious processes through which the grain passed from the time it was brought to the mill from the threshpr in the rough until it came out in the form of the finished product, ready for the table. The rice is brought to the mill in the rough, as it comes from the threSher, ill sacks holding from three and one-half to four bush els. At the mill it is stored in the warehouse, which has capacity of 10000 sacks, and which by the way was pretty nearly full Monday. From the warehouse the sacks are taken to the hopper on the ground floor of the big mill, and conveyed through eleya- tors to the top floor, running over monitors or Separators for the purpose ot taking out seed, straw and other foreign substances, passing thence t0 the stones, thence to the chaff moni- tor where the chatf is removed. then renewing it's journey and passing to the huller where the euticle from which the bran k made is removed From the hullers it is taken to the cooling bins. where it is left until cooled sufficiently to be brushed. the brush, as 1t is called, being large cy- llndrlcal machine lined with sheep skin, with the wool left on. and having core or centre made of coarse screen wire, which Is rapidly revolved This removes the eye, or germ, from which the rice polish or flour is made, from the grain From the brushes it goes to the trombols, which are large re- yolvlng cylinders, where an artificial polish Is given the rice with glucose and tale. From these machines the grain Is taken to the grader, where the different grades are separated au- tomatically, and the finished product is sacked and labelled, ready for the market.
 There are four grades turned out by this mill, namely: First or fancy head. second or head third screenings, and fourth brewers. The first grade is the large whole grains, and the second and third grades consist of smaller grains, according to the grade. The fourth grade, or brewers, as il is called, is the smallest broken grains that come to the grader, and bears close resem- blance to gritS II is sold to the brew CTS in large quantities and used for making malt. It also makes an excel
 
 from the cuticle or white skin of the rice, and is used as q feed for stock and cattle, being, il is said, much more nutricious than bran, and is eaten with great relish by all grain eating animals.
 The mill is brand new one and is d model of neatness and cleanliness It is three stories in height, and every floor Is full of modern up-to-date ma chinery, in charge of competent, skill ed operatives. The motive power of the mill is furnished by a well equip ped steam power plant. In the boiler room are two ordinary boilers of l50 horse power each, and one 300 horse power Edgemore water-tube boiler. giving the plant boiler power of 600 horse The furnaces are fitted for burning either coal, wood or chan The engine room and electric power house contain one Corliss 250 horse power engine and one compound high speed Fitchburg engine of 250 horse power. Either of these engines can be used to drive the mill machinery, and both of them are belted to l50 kllo Watt electric generators for use during the pumping season. In addi- ton To the main engine room there is an auxiliary engine room. where a small engine runs a blower or chatf machine and small generator for furnishing light for the mill and for General Manager Stern's bachelor quarters. The engine room and power house is in charge of MT. 0. ]. Hinck- ley, an experienced engineer, who has been with the company since work was begun on the plant, and under whose supervision the boiler and engine room was built and who put up the ma chinery in this department. He is as- sisted by MT. Jesse McCrary, of this city, who during the pumping season acts as night engineer, and at present IS filling the position of electrician
 MT. Redwood also furnished the newspaper man with the following facts regarding the operation of the rice mill pt0per;
 The warehouse where the rough rice is stored has a capacity of 40, GOO sacks The daily capacity of the mill, run hing eleven hours per day, is }, 900 bar rels of the rough rice Ten men are employed in the warehouse depart ment handling the sacks of rough rice