The state herald., 1914-10-02

particularly SO to rum.drinkers In this
country, for a large percentage of the
West Indian product is consumed here
l was an overseer on two plantations
In Demerara, British Guiana, on the
west coast. and a year on another
plantation on the east coast. In each
place ! had charge OF the buildings and
superintended the manufacture and
shipment OF the rum and sugar. When
! was there the great bulk of our rum
was shipped to New York.
In sugar manufacture the green
Juice Of the sugarcane Is gradually
heated In tier of huge open boilers
or pans. and is ladled from one to the
other of these. until from the last and
hottest of them the liquid is sucked
into a vacuum-pan. where 1t boils at
n low temperature and soon separates
into sugar and molasses. From the
vacuum-pan this mixture goes into
centrifugal sieves, which. revolving at
great speed, swing the molasses out
OF the sugar. The latter is then
scooped out OF the machines into
wooden trays, generally by Chinese
coolies, and borne on their heads to
the packing.room. where negroes pack
It into bags or hogsheads for ship.
ment.
While the cane Juice SINNERS in
those big pans a great deal OF black,
Shiny scum rises to the surface, which
is deftly skinned off by negroes and
emptied into cutters, along which It
flows into mighty tank sunk into
the ground, SO that It drains every
floor of the buildings. This receptacle
ought to interest rum.drinkers. for the
filling of it with what is aptly termed
wash" is the first act In the making
OF rum. It is the mother rum.tank.
Any water spilled on any Of the
floors Is bound to find its way into
this great underground receptacle.
That is SO arranged for the careful
gathering OF all waste "sweets'-mors
or less sugar, molasses. skimmings,
etc. that are dropped on the floors
This waste. with the continuous, dense
steam from the pans. makes every
inch Of the brick-paved floors most
disagreeably moist. Particularly Is
this felt Mt night. when one treads
on living carpet OF reaches. etc.
What May Be In Rum.
The crunch Of these underfoot and
the incessant flight between the
lamps. and often into ones face. OF
large insects. together with the LET'S
urely moving of innumerable liz rds
and large. fat rats. makes n! lt.
round OF the buildings anything hut
pleasant. Night and day these cru !.
Ing things are foraging all over the
floors: and all the time. but especially
at night. reaches are crushed by thou
sands under the feet always bare
feet except the oyerseer'sl OF men
who are all the time pattering back
and forth about their work.
At $3.50 every morning hose.pipes
play on the floors and big broom,
swish the water along. helping II
carry Its load OF filth-out OF doors
into the canal. you may think? Not
SO, by any means. but forward and
down.grade. until It falls like n small
Niagara into the mother rum.tank.
II was indispensable that the floors
Be cleaned OF their coating Of that
kind OF saccharine mucilage once In
every twelve hours. The night gangs
washed off before they left at In the
morning: the day gangs did the same
before @ In the evening. The cane.
mill never stops grinding out the
Juice. night or day. nor on Sundays.
while cane.cutting Is on. No stop In
any OF the sequence. the mill. boiling
pans. whirlinx centrifugals, and carry.
Ing ou, the sugar.
As TO that general cleanup. one part
deserves special notice. II can easily
be imagined that those Cinnamon who
carry the sugar as montioned-all
nakod. Of course, save for the scanticst
loin.clo,h-working hard as they do IN
that hot. moist atmosphcre-bccomc
more or less coated all over their yel.
low skins with adherlng sugar. This
they are carefully prevented from car.
rying home with them. There II u big
faucet supplying plenty Of warm wa
ter. as condensed from the steam OF
the engines. Under this faucet eaAi
sugary Celestial has TO stand whilc
the headman. or driver. lets 10 OF
each copious sousing. Then he l.
allowed TO leave the buildings.
To rum.drinkcrs the real and cruel
interest Of these baths must lie In fol
lowing the waste rinsinFs: for these
can b. traced with deadly ccrtaint.
until they TALL into the rum.,nnk.
There II another sight not easi'y
forgotten. There are pumping dayn.
when the big "wnsh" reservoir has 10
b. relieved OF some OF It's contents. .
steem.pump In used 10 lift the stuff
TO the great watts, two floors above.
The big rore on tho end OF tho hose
lowered Into the sce,hing oaldron often