77 



through the last three rollers of the adjoining mill, and an extra 2 per 

 cent on the weight of the cane, in juice, was obtained. In consequence 

 of this, the company, which has recently purchased the Fort ana factory, 

 is at present installing there a fifteen-roller mill, with crusher. It may 

 be mentioned here that at Fortuna factory the Naudet process was for- 

 merly in use, but the machinery for this is now being discarded so as to 

 make room for ordinary multiple miUs. 



From the weighing tanks, the mixed juice is pumped to the liming 

 tanks. On. its way to these, milk of lime is run in at the rate of 1 pound 

 of lime to 1 ton of canes, and by means of a small pimip a stream of 

 the limed juice passes in an open gutter in front of an operator, who 

 with a solution of phenolphthalein, contained in a large glass receiver, 

 ascertains whether the juice is sufficiently limed, by dropping a small 

 quantity of the indicator into the limed juice as it passes before him. 

 In the event of the juice needing more lime, by opening a cock he in- 

 creases the quantity, and if he finds it is too great, by partially closing 

 the cock decreases it. After the juice is limed it passes to Deming 

 horizontal superheaters, kept at 220° F., and is run from these into 

 absorbers, where the gases and air included in the juice escape through 

 a pipe inserted in the top of the vessel. These hot ga?e? are used for 

 heating the juice that comes from the filter presses. 



From the eliminators the juice passes to six Deming separators. 

 These are cylindrical vessels, cone-shaped at the basal end ; f onr of them 

 have a capacity of 12,000 gallons, and two of 10,000 gallons each. The 

 settlings from these separators are drawn off every twenty minutes, and 

 run into tanks, where, by means of cocks at various heights along the 

 sides of the tanks, the clear juice is withdrawn. The residue is run into 

 separate tanks, and after 50 per cent of water is added, is thoroughly 

 mixed, steamed, and passed through a range of thirty-four filter presses. 

 The clear juice from the Deming separators is sent to the Lillie qnadruple 

 evaporators, of which there are three, capable of evaporating 40,000 

 gallons of mixed juice each, to sirup of 28° to 30° Baume, in twenty- 

 four honrs. In addition to the Lillie evaporators, there has been recently 

 installed a Kestner climbing film evaporator. 



From the evaporators, the juice is pumped into tanks, whence it is 

 drawn by the vacuum pans, of which there are six, two 12^ feet in 

 diameter, and four 12 feet in diameter. Each part contains, when fully 

 charged with massecuite, sufficient to yield about 27 tons of dried sugar 

 per strike. The massecuite from the pans is discharged into the crystal- 

 lizers, and allowed to remain for five hours; it is then run into pug 

 mills, and on to the electrically driven centrifugals, of which there are 

 thirty-three. These run at the rate of 1,000 revolutions per minute. 

 The molasses from the first sugar is reboiled ; this is done by first grain- 

 ing the pan with sirup, and then the molasses, which has been diluted 



