Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-07-01
A MODERN ELEVA
TOR AT WILLIAMS
Capacity Of Structure Will be In
creased to About 10000
Bushels of Grain.

The Farmers Elevator company
at Williams, the live little town
about fifteen miles east of Webster
City, are improving and thoroughly
remodeling their grain elevator at
that place.
This elevator was built in the
early 70's and has only been the
property of the Farmers Elevator
Co. since the middle of August,
1912. Before that it belonged to
private individuals and had only a
capacity of about $4,000 bushels,
which is now being increased to
about 10000 bushels. The propel-
ling power of the elevator is an
electric motor, the building also be-
ing lighted with electricity. The
building is throughout being equip
ped with new and modern machin-
cry, of which perhaps the most
worthy of men ton is the new Rich
ardson automatic grain scale, which
weighs the grain right out Of the
bins into the, car. Heretofore the
grain has been weighed but once,
and that over the Fairbanks scale
while in the wagon. In this way
there was always some loss on each
car shipped, averaging from 5 to %
bushels loss on carload. There
was no way to recover this loss, for
the commission houses would not
recognize an estimate made by any
buyer on the amount of grain con-
tanned and shipped in the car. They
do, however, recognize the weights
recorded from the Richardson scale
anywhere. One of these modern re-
corders of weights is in use here. in
the city by the Trans-Mississippi
Grain Co., and it is now not a mat
ter of good guessing what car con-
tains but an accurate record to the
pound of what goes into the car, aud
if the weight is found to be short
when it reaches the commission
house, indemnity may be had from
the commission house, who in turn
get it from the railroad company.
The grain is removed from the an
mex to the elevator at Williams by a
screw c5nveyer which is ascrther
modern piece Of machinery. 1a-sl
removes the grain which is stored
in the annex in the heavy grain sea-
SON to the elevator proper, where it
has to be taken in order to be
weighed out into the car. The grain
is removed into the car by gravita-
ton, which .obviates the difficulty
the old way of shovelingi
into the car, for no buyer in the
shipping season when shipmentsl
were heaviest, was able to get sut-
ficient help. A trip-dump is being
placed also, which is used with a
Weller-dump controller, the best
dump on the market, and does en-
tirely away with the old crank dump
that used to be considered modern
convenience in elevators. The crank
dump was all right for a few loads
of grain, but after being used by
hand to dump hundred loads Of
grain, was an old story. This eleva-
tor as it stands now equipped, with
two men, can handle with ease two
hundred loads day. 1t will be
when completed, Sc feet in height.
and 20x30 feet at the base, exclusive
of the annex, which is in itself
20x100 feet in dimensions. A COW
cred Fairbanks scale is in use at the !
protecting the farmer and
his load from Indictment weather. As
soon as completed the building will
be painted box-car red with white
which is according to
regulations Of the Illinois Central
railroad now. The work of remodel
Ing was begun on the elevator about
June 10th and 1t is expected will
have been finished in proper order
by July 18th. These improvements
will make of this grain storehouse
one of the most modern structures
as to machinery and appliances In
the county.