A VISIT TO A DEMERARA SUGAR FACTORY 43 



upper storey of the factory, where we can see the canes 

 being crushed. They pass through four sets of rollers, 

 for this is a mill designed to squeeze out practically 

 every drop of their juice. The juice extracted by 

 each crushing falls through a copper strainer, and 

 is all conducted through channels, via a pipe, into 

 one tank. Another sliding staircase carries away the 

 mangled remains of the canes, known as megass, which 

 will burn and give a great heat. Hence megass is a 

 valuable economic asset ; it furnishes practically all the 

 fuel for the motive power of a sugar factory. Megass 

 has other uses, of which more anon, for at present our 

 interest is wholly claimed by another economic triumph 

 achieved by this very modern mill which we are visiting. 

 It has a labour-saving device for feeding the furnace ; 

 in course of transit, part of the megass is thrown off 

 down a sHde to keep the fire going, and there is a 

 contrivance by which the supply can be increased, 

 diminished, or completely shut off. The surplus is 

 mechanically shot into a storage siding. 



We now go down to the ground-floor and watch the 

 cane- juice, fresh from the rollers, running into the col- 

 lecting tank ready for its second stage of evolution. 

 For clarification purposes it is pumped into iron tanks, 

 and mixed with a certain amount of lime. It is then 

 pumped through steam-heated vessels and raised to 

 boiling-point, or higher. 



Further to follow this stage in sugar-manufacture 

 we have to climb up various flights of steps. As we 

 begin the ascent we cling to the handrailing — of 

 course it is sticky, that was only to be expected if we 

 had stopped to think, and there is really no necessity 

 to hold on, for the steps are very firm and not particu- 



