STEARINE 



893 



The accompanying fy. 1898, is a view both of the exterior and the interior 

 of the saponifying tun of a stearine factory ; where the constituents of the tallow are 



1897 



combined with quicklime, by the intervention of water and steam : a is the upright 

 shaft of iron, turned by the bevel-wheel above, iu gear with another bevel-wheel on 

 the moving shaft, not shown in 



this figure. This upright shaft 1898 



bears several arms, d, furnished 

 with large teeth. The tun is 

 bound with strong hoops of iron, 

 and its contents are heated by 

 means of a spiral tube laid on 

 the bottom, perforated with nu- 

 merous holes, and connected by a 

 pipe with a high-pressure steam- 

 boiler. 



Fig. 1899 (next page) repre- 

 sents a longitudinal section of the 

 horizontal hydraulic press for de- 

 priving stearic acid, as also sper- 

 maceti, of all their fluid oily impu- 

 rities, a is the cylinder of the 

 press ; b, the ram or piston ; d d, 

 iron plates previously heated, in- 

 closing hair and flannel bags and 

 placed between every two cakes to 

 facilitate the discharge of their 

 oily matter ; e, c, solid iron end of 

 the press, made to resist great pres- 

 sure ; it is strongly bolted to the 

 cylinder a, so as to resist the force 

 of the ram ; g, g, are rods for 



bringing back the ram b into its place after the pressure is over, by means of counter 

 weights suspended to a chain, which passes over the pulleys //, h ; i. i, a spout and 

 a sheet-iron pan for receiving the oily fluid. 



STEARINE (from Gr. ffrtap, stear, ' tallow'). The solid portions of fats are known 

 by this term, the fluid portions being called oleine, from eAcno?, claion, ' oil.' If melted 



