The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-12-17
SUGAR soU1Bs.
Progress of the Grinding Campaign in AS
cension and Eisewhere-Itens of In-
terest from Field and Factory.


terest from Field and Factory.
The 1910 grinding season is rapidly
drawing to close. and by the end OF next
week the campaign will have been con-
cluded at all but few of the very large
houses throughout this section. While
there is no doubt that the crop this year
is somewhat shorter than the average,
and considerably below the yield gener-
ally estimated at the inception of the
crushing season, still it must be remem-
bered that the exceptionally favorable
weather with which the sugar belt has
been blessed for the past two months has
had a great deal to do with curtailing the
period occupied in cutting and harvesting
the cane crop. So far as atmospheric
conditions are concerned. the season just
terminating has perhaps been one of the
most suspicious IN recent years. The
weather for the most part has been cool
and dry, with just enough rain at widely
distributed intervals TO abate the dust,
and (apart from the severe freeze of last
week) just cold enough TO check the
growth of the cane and increase its
sucFose content.
With reference to the past week, the
weather has not been all that could be
desired. the rather high temperatures
which have prevailed for the greater part
of the period, following upon the heels of
last weeks freeze, having caused the
cane to sour and therefore suffer mate
rial loss in saccharine valae. All cane
that was not Windrowed prior to last
weeks cold spell will undoubtedly be dis
advantageously affected by the change of
weather, and the factories that have fin
ished their work and closed down for the
season certainly have something Oh" the
mills that are still pegging away.
The big Salisbury factory at Lauderdale,
ST. James parish, ground its last stalk Of
cane early Tuesday morning and dried
out its final strike of sugar in the after
noon of the same day, bringing to close
one of the shortest grinding campaigns in
its history. The Chief has been unable to
obtain any authentic figures concerning
the results attained at this well-appointed
house.
The Miles Company s mammoth Houmas
Central factory at Burnside made what is
very likely a record run for mills of its
class on Saturday last, the 10Th inst,
when it ground laos tons of cane in
twenty-four hours. Not the slightest
trouble was experienced in handling this |
big supply of juice. the splendidly
house having taken care of the
added work imposed on it with the same
degree of smoothness and ease of man
ipulation which has characterized its oper.
atoms throughout this and former cam
paigns
Walter Burke, who has been filling the |
position of sugar boiler at C. S. Mathews |
Georgia refinery in LafBurche parish. re-
turned to D9naldsonville last Sunday to
make preparations to leave for Guanta-
namo. Cuba, where he will be employed as
chief sugar-boiler of the Santa Cecilia
factory for the coming season. Mr.. Burke
will sail for Cuba some day next week.
Albert Muller, of Galvez, one of the I
efficient cane weighers of the Salisbury
factory, passed through Donaldsonville |
Tuesday en- route home, the Salisbury mill
having finished grinding early Tuesday
morning. Mr.. Muller comphmented The
Chief with pleasant call during his stay
lere.
A fire which started in the boiler room
if the Lockport Central factory late We'd !
lesday night threatened for time to de-
;troy the entire building. One man,
negro employee, was badly burned, but
will recover. The damage will reach
several thousand dollars. Louis A. Lam
Try, of this parish, is head sugar-boiler of
he Lockport Central, and a number of
,ther well known Ascensionites are men,
,ers of the mechanical corps of the big
nil.
Messrs. Justilien DeIatte and his son,
John, and Joe Montero, of this city, and
1amille Esneault, of Faubourg la Pipe, re-
urned Wednesday evening from Edgard,
i. John parish, where they were en-
'loyed throughout the grinding season at
& CARES Columbia factory,
he Messrs. Delatte as chief and assistant
ugar-boiler, respectively, and Messrs.
Gontero and Esneault as water-tenders,