The Pensacola journal., 1920-03-30
Pensacola Compress and Ware
house Company High Density
Plant Has First Tryout.
MARKS EPOCH FOR PORT
Backers Believe Pensacola Will
Become a Cotton Shipping
Port in Few Years.

With Construction Engineer A. r.
MacDougal at the throttle and score
Of interested Pensacolians watching
the process, the Webb High Density
cotton compress of the Pensacola Com
press & Warehouse Co.. yesterday
pressed its first bale of high density
cotton. The event too place at ASS
o'clock and occupied less than three
minutes but it was an occasion which
marks an epoch in the history of the
port.
| The try-out was scheduled for 2. 40
o'clock but several minor adjustments
remained to be made and il was 4:s5
before the standard bale of low density
cotton was trucked onto the compress
| platform Mr.. MacDougal opened the
throttle and the side doors of the com
press slowly lifted, squeezing the bale
from feet to less than in width.
Then the great piston moved upward
and the thickness of the bale was re-
duced TO little more than 16 inches
To those who never had seen high
density compression the performance
was little short of marvellous. Two
bales the size of the high density pro-
duct occupy less space than one OF
standard density. 1t is for that reason
ships refuse to carry cotton which is
not high density compressed Cargo
space is too valuable TO waste on low
density bales and Pensacola has been
neglected as port for cotton ex-
ports because no high density press
was-in operation here
The Pensacola Compress & Ware
house Co. plant is some distance short
of being completed but work is pro-
crossing satisfactorily and the hackers
of the project are confident it win
- ELL
issue of 100000 has not been fully
subscribed yet but it is expected il win
be shortly. John A. Merritt is presi-
dent of the company.
Speaking of the compress as a BUSH
ness proposition, a member of the
board of directors said yesterday: I'm
every city where high density COM
presses have been established the in
dustry has grown rapidly and all have
paid high dividends Al Austin. Texas
one concern paid almost 35 per cent in
one year. OF course such dividends
are not looked for here. but this is
a money making proposition and we
expect good dividends"
The walled part of the warehouse
and compress building is 300xl00 feet.
divided into three compartments of
equal size. The center compartment
is subdivided. boiler and fuel room
being arranged in one corner. Except
for door and window space the walls
are of solid reinforced concrete con-
struetion and the dividing partitions
will extend three feet above the roof.
making the compartments wholly inde-
pendent of each other The roof ex-
tends so feet at one end making shed
1oox5o feet for an open air working
space. Concrete platforms will run
long sid of he
cotton will be transported from com
partment to compartment on trucks
by way of these platforms. The car
tracks are so arranged that the floors
are level with the loading platforms
The fire house will be located about
90 yards from the main building
As soon as the center concrete posts
are poured and have had time to set
the roof will be put on. This has been
fabricated by the Pensacola ship
building Co. and a railway crane from
the shipyard will be used to set 1t in
place. The operation will take only
a few days.
The compress is being installed by a
construction crew from the Webb Com.
pany. in charge of Engineer A l.. Mac
Dougal- Quick work has been done
and all members of the corporation
unite in praising the way the work
has progressed
Plans are being made to bring great
quantities of cotton TO Pensacola for
compression from standard to high
density bales and it is believed by
those interested in the proposition that
Pensacola will become a great cotton
shipping port. Manager Sidney Nc
Nair is enthusiastic over the pros
poets.