﻿MENHADEN 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  COAST. 
  23 
  

  

  to 
  125 
  to 
  each 
  bay. 
  The 
  pressure 
  is 
  apphed 
  by 
  a 
  lever 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  

   pinion 
  working 
  in 
  an 
  upright 
  rack, 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  fits 
  in 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  the 
  press. 
  The 
  bays 
  are 
  usually 
  filled 
  and 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   sure 
  by 
  noon, 
  and 
  by 
  evening 
  the 
  process 
  has 
  been 
  completed. 
  The 
  

   residue, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  thin, 
  hard 
  cake 
  of 
  scrap, 
  is 
  removed 
  and 
  thrown 
  

   into 
  the 
  scrap 
  heap, 
  it 
  not 
  being 
  necessary 
  to 
  run 
  it 
  through 
  the 
  drier. 
  

   The 
  manufacturers 
  of 
  this 
  press 
  can 
  furnish 
  as 
  many 
  bays 
  as 
  are 
  de- 
  

   sired 
  by 
  the 
  menhaden 
  factories; 
  a 
  one-bay 
  press 
  costs 
  $70; 
  two 
  

   bays, 
  $140, 
  and 
  so 
  on; 
  these 
  prices 
  being 
  exclusive 
  of 
  the 
  steel 
  plates, 
  

   which 
  cost 
  85 
  cents 
  each, 
  and 
  the 
  bags. 
  

  

  The 
  economic 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  gurry 
  presses 
  is 
  evident 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  that 
  one 
  plant 
  operating 
  a 
  three-bay 
  press 
  gets 
  about 
  10 
  

   gallons 
  of 
  oil 
  and 
  several 
  hundred 
  pounds 
  of 
  scrap 
  a 
  day 
  from 
  the 
  

   process. 
  The 
  gurry, 
  before 
  pressmg, 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  contain 
  equal 
  parts 
  of 
  

   oil, 
  water, 
  and 
  scrap. 
  The 
  other 
  apparatus 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  several 
  

   factories 
  for 
  pressing 
  gurry 
  is 
  a 
  filter 
  press 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   chambers, 
  50 
  in 
  number, 
  formed 
  by 
  recessed 
  plates 
  each 
  30 
  inches 
  

   square. 
  From 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  these 
  plates 
  projecting 
  lugs 
  rest 
  on 
  a 
  pair 
  

   of 
  parallel 
  bars 
  which 
  are 
  fitted 
  in 
  the 
  frame 
  at 
  each 
  end. 
  The 
  press 
  

   stands 
  4 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  is 
  12 
  feet 
  long. 
  The 
  gurry 
  is 
  pumped 
  in 
  

   through 
  a 
  channel 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  in 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  press 
  and 
  

   distributed 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  filtering 
  medium, 
  which 
  is 
  simply 
  

   heavy 
  canvas 
  placed 
  between 
  the 
  plates 
  referred 
  to 
  above. 
  The 
  

   hquid 
  passes 
  through 
  the 
  canvas 
  and 
  runs 
  down 
  and 
  out 
  through 
  

   cored 
  channels 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  plates 
  and 
  through 
  outlet 
  

   cocks 
  to 
  the 
  trough 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  oil 
  tanks. 
  The 
  advantage 
  of 
  

   having 
  a 
  separate 
  cock 
  on 
  each 
  plate 
  is 
  that 
  in 
  case 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  cloths 
  

   should 
  break, 
  that 
  particular 
  plate 
  may 
  be 
  shut 
  off 
  and 
  the 
  filtration 
  

   need 
  not 
  be 
  interrupted. 
  The 
  solid 
  matter, 
  being 
  retained 
  on 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  canvas, 
  gradually 
  fills 
  the 
  chambers 
  until 
  a 
  solid 
  cake 
  

   is 
  formed 
  in 
  each; 
  the 
  press 
  is 
  then 
  opened, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  removed 
  

   and 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  scrap 
  heap. 
  The 
  pressure 
  can 
  be 
  regulated 
  by 
  

   an 
  arrangement 
  which 
  diverts 
  the 
  gurry 
  to 
  the 
  tank 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  pumped 
  instead 
  of 
  running 
  it 
  on 
  into 
  the 
  press. 
  

  

  These 
  presses 
  have 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  60 
  barrels 
  of 
  gurry 
  in 
  24 
  hours; 
  

   one 
  '^pressing" 
  can 
  be 
  accompUshed 
  in 
  about 
  3^ 
  hours. 
  The 
  canvas 
  

   is 
  removed 
  and 
  thoroughly 
  cleaned 
  at 
  least 
  once 
  a 
  day, 
  and 
  an 
  extra 
  

   set 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  always 
  kept 
  on 
  hand. 
  The 
  gurry 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  state 
  is 
  

   so 
  thin 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  rmi 
  through 
  the 
  press 
  too 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  to 
  guard 
  

   against 
  this 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  use 
  a 
  filler 
  which 
  gives 
  it 
  a 
  greater 
  con- 
  

   sistency. 
  Maple 
  sawdust 
  is 
  generally 
  used 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  being 
  2^ 
  to 
  3 
  bushels 
  to 
  10 
  barrels 
  of 
  gurry. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  oil 
  flows 
  from 
  the 
  gurry 
  press 
  it 
  is 
  first 
  run 
  into 
  a 
  tank 
  near 
  

   by, 
  and 
  from 
  there 
  it 
  is 
  pumped 
  to 
  the 
  oil 
  room, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  rewashed. 
  

  

  