490 Scientific Industries. 



CO-OPERATIVE WHOLESALE SOCIETY, LTD., SILVERTOWN 

 SILVERTOWN FLOUR MILL. 



One of the most imposing buildings in Silvertown, as seen from 

 the south side of the river, is the Silvertown Flour Mill replete 

 with the most improved flour milling plant in the country. Occupy- 

 ing a site of about five acres, with a river frontage and railway 

 sidings at the back, it is exceptionally well placed for receiving 

 British wheat, and delivering the finished products to all parts of 

 the country. 



There are two complete roller milling plants, capable of dealing 

 with 14,000 Ibs. per hour, and an important feature is that the 

 products are never touched by hand during all the processes of 

 manufacture. Elevators receive the wheat at the wharf, direct 

 from the hold of the vessels, or from the railway vans, and deliver 

 it to band conveyors, which carry it to the storage bins. From 

 these bins the wheat, which does not require washing, passes to 

 the dry cleaning machinery, and thence through the various breaking 

 and grinding roller mills, separators, purifiers, dressing machines, 

 and automatic weighers. For wheat requiring washing a well has 

 been bored to a depth of 450 feet to ensure an ample supply of 

 good water. 



The buildings are protected against fire by a complete installation 

 of automatic sprinklers, and a volunteer fire brigade has been 

 formed from amongst the employees. 



W. CORY & SON, LTD., SILVERTOWN, ERITH, AND CHARLTON. 



An ample supply of cheap coal being an absolute necessity for the 

 various industries to be carried on in the district, this firm, founded 

 by William Cory, has done much to render such a supply possible. 

 As soon as the Victoria Docks were opened in 1855, coaling stations 

 were acquired within and near the entrance to the docks, and 

 hydraulic cranes were installed for rapidly and economically dis- 

 charging coal from the colliers. Before this time, seaborne coal 

 had been carried in brigs, which were unloaded in the " Pool " 

 below London Bridge by " whipping," a manual operation, which 

 was much too slow and costly a method of discharging from the 

 steam colliers, then beginning to supersede the brigs. 



In addition to cranes, a floating wharf was built, and this was 

 anchored in the river for the colliers to come alongside at any state 

 of the tide, and no dock dues had to be paid. 



The business of the firm has grown enormously and in 1896 an 

 amalgamation was effected with other companies, the new company 

 taking the present title. 



