CHAPTER H 



FIRST YEARS IN AMERICA 

 1857-1868 



ON the 12th of May 1857, Goessmann embarked at 

 Bremen, in the steamship Ariel, for America. On his 

 arrival at New York he proceeded at once to Phila- 

 delphia, and entered upon his duties as Chemist and 

 General Superintendent of the Eastwick Brothers' 

 Steam Sugar Refinery. He had brought from Germany 

 considerable apparatus for the Eastwicks, and at once 

 set about increasing the efficiency of their plant by 

 introducing more scientific and economic methods for 

 refining sugar, not the least important being the appli- 

 cation of caustic magnesia with acid phosphate of lime. 



He greatly improved the method of refining sugar 

 by the defecation of solutions of crude cane sugar. He 

 found by experiment that by employing in combina- 

 tion caustic magnesia (or magnesium hydroxide) with 

 calcium hydroxide, better results were obtained than 

 by the use of either reagent alone; and, further, that a 

 thick cream of magnesium hydroxide and water, added 

 to the warmed sugar liquor, gave better results than 

 he or any one else had hitherto obtained. 



During the following months he made a thorough 

 study and investigation of the Chinese sugar-cane 

 (Sorghum saccharatum) , the results of which were pub- 

 lished both in this country and Europe. From both a 



