Report of Society's Meetings. 381 



often drawn to the wasteful, and unsatisfactory working of band and 

 screw conveyors, and this led me some years ago to take the matter up 

 with the idea of getting over the difficulties that presented themselves. 



1st. In the case of band, these arose from its total unfitness, in spite 

 of complicated brushes and cleaners, to carry and deliver the moist, 

 and often hot, and sticky Demerara sugar. 



2nd. There was no arrangement to clean out and liberate either 

 the solid or helical screw, which often became clogged and choked, 

 triturating the sugar, and necessitating its being dissolved and cleaned 

 with hot water, and sometimes the removal of the whole apparatus from 

 under the centrifugals, at a delay and expense that often prevented its 

 being again replaced. 



3rd. Molasses sugar, through its stickiness, cannot usually be carried 

 even by helical screws, hence the whole apparatus had to be hauled 

 from under the centrifugals. 



4th. Molasses or water could fall through the centrifugal basket 

 when standing on to the screw or band, thus making the sugar lumpy 

 or sticky. 



A brief explanation of the photographs will show you how these difficul- 

 ties are overcome. The sugar discharged through the centrifugal basket 

 bottom falls on to the hollow screw which conveys it to the elevator or 

 bunk. The trough shown can partly revolve on pokers, the withdrawal 

 of which allows one side of the trough to fall to the ground. 



This exposes the screw and liberates the sugar instantly, see photo. 

 No. 130. By raising the box and inserting the pokers again the appar- 

 atus is ready for work as shown on photo. 129. All this can be accom- 

 plished without either stopping the machines or conveyor. The light 

 tray to prevent the molasses or water falling on to the cured sugar is 

 pushed in by the operator's foot when the machine is not discharged, 

 and drawn out when emptying the centrifugal. The arrangement of 

 trough shown by the photographs is for two, three or four machines ; 

 for more, another style, with the sides and bottom partly or wholly 

 removable, is used. 



In long ranges of centrifugals where it is necessary to cure two quan- 

 tities of sugar at the same time, I have arranged either right or left 

 hand or double screws in one trough divided by a partition, which on 

 being pushed over delivers the sugar from each machine into one or other 

 of the conveyors as desired. The requirements here render it unneces- 

 sary for me to explain this. But those interested will find a detailed 



