The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-12-30
SUGAR IsQUIBs.
Close Of the erinfdna Campaign in
Ascension and Elsewhere Items
of Interest from Field and
Factory.

After more than a week of inces-
SAINT rains and high temperatures. the
weather changed for the better last
Wednesday and was clear and cool
that day ana the next, but on Fri
day the temperature moderated rap
idly and shortly before dark a
steady drizzle commenced to fall,
continuing throughout the night.
This morning the precipitation de-
yeloped into a downpour, and at this
writing there seems to be no indi-
cation of an early cessation of the
wet spell Heavy frost and thin ice
were noted by early risers Thursday
morning, the mercury having executed
a sensational high dive from the Co
degree mark to the freezing point
within the short period of twenty
four hours.
The brand of weather inflicted up
on this section practically all Of last
week and until Wednesday of this
was about the worst we have ever
experienced, statistics showing that
from Dec. II up to and including Dec
q there were exactly four days devoid
of rain, to-Wit; Dec. IL, Is, ri and 81
On the other severn days rain fell in
varying volume with depressing con-
tinuity, one result fof the incessant
downppur being to put a complete
stop to field work, thereby causing
number of factories to suspend oper-
ations owing to a shortage of cane.
AS a consequence Of this unfortunate
condition of affairs, 1.-THE cane remain
ing to be ground, already of doubtful
value, has been stilI further damaged,
and the work Of the grinding season
has been materially prolonged.
The ST. Joseph Printing and Manu-
featuring Company 'sEwell-equipped St
Joseph factory in st. James parish
crushed its last stalk of cane at 3
O'Clock Wednesday morning, Dec 20,
and tWenty-Gour ho1rs later the final
strike OF sugar had been boiled and
dried and the house was in shape to
be closed down. Approximately 10000
tons OF cane were passed through
the rollers and something like IT,
100000 pounds of yslloW clarified SUI
gar were manufactured. In addition
to this yield, SECONDS and thirds yet
to be manipulated are expected to
show an out-turn OF about a quarter
Of a million poundsSThe mill was in
operation one moth and nineteen
days, and lost five days time-tWo
days on account of 4 leaky tube and
three days during which the field
forces were engaged in WinaroWing
following the November freeze. Gale
T. Chapman, of Dcnaldsonville, was
the efficient chief engineer Of the
ST. Joseph factory, Ind W. J. Simon
served as assistant. Rene Simon, of
Feitel, presided over the pan-room
in the capacity of chief sugar-coolz,
which position he Shas filled most
ereditabiy for a nunlser of years.
S. Prejean's Halfway factory in
upper Assumption finished grinding
last Sunday at q oAIock a. M, boil
ing being concluded lat Q o'eIoek the
fol aIssa syal.a
viii appso1inaate l2poo,oOo pound al
Of which is in the shape of 9e-de-
gree test. and fancy grades. The on
" tine lost during. the campaign was
a period Of three days when opera
lions were suspended in order to
give the field forces an opportunity
TO widrow cane after a. freeze. Apart
from this brief shutdown the mill
was in continuous operation from the
time of opening the season up to the
final moment of the campaign, rum
ming throughout with a degree OF
smoothness and efficiency which re-
fleets much credit upon the capable
mechanical crew in charge, headed
by Louis Landry,= of PaincourtVIlIe,
chief engineer, and Jules f. Landry,
of Donaldsonville first assistant. Ed
gar Templet, also of Donaldsonville,
held down the pest of chief proof
stick manipulation and gave an excell-
ent account Of himself, as is his Gus
tom
Charles G. Maher, q well-knoWn
young Donaldsonvillian who is pres
entity making his home in New Or
leans, writes The Chief that he will
leave today for Preston, Cuba, where
he goes annually to assume the i'm
portant position Of head sugar-mak-
er of tne big plant Of the Nipe Bay
Company. Mr.. Maher is one Of the
best of the many 'cracker=jack'' SUI
gar cooks halling from this sectlon OF
the Louisiana sugar belt.
The San Francisco Planting and
Manufacturing Cempany's San Fran
cisco factory in ST: John parish ter.
minated the 1911 grinding season at
1920 o'clock p. m.sSaturday, Dec. %,
after grinding BLOOD tons of cane and
producing approximately 100000
pounds of fancy yellow clarified su-
gar. The house experienced a sue
cessful and uneventfui campaign, los
ing only twelve hours during the sea
sons run, and this OH account Of
weather conditions which rendered a
shutdown imperative in order that
windrowing might be done, As a re-
suit of the foresight ana careful man
agement of Field Marshal Wagues-
pack, who put 2 large acreage of the
standing cane in WindroW immediate
" after the first November freeze,
not stalk of cane was lost, and
while some trouble was experienced
during the last week or two of grind
ing from acidity In the cane which
through lack of time had been per-
c-f~ limo hp n Lola