32 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



A cane-hoist in British Guiana 



BRITISH GUIANA CANE HOISTS 



On the sugar estates in British Guiana 

 canals take the place of the light railways 

 which are used in connection with the 

 central sugar factories in the islands (see 

 illustration). How to transfer the sugar 

 canes economically from the large iron 

 punts used on the canals to the cane-carrier 

 of the factory has for long been a problem. 

 This, it is hoped, has been solved by a 

 cane-hoist, which has lately been erected 

 at Port Mourant Estate, in British Guiana, 

 for Major-General J. N. C. Galloway and 

 Lieutenant-Colonel F. Galloway. The hoist 

 was made by the American Hoist and 

 Derrick Company, of St. Paul, Minnesota, 

 and it is used in the following manner : 

 Chain slings are laid across each punt be- 

 fore it is sent to the cane fields. When 

 the punt load of canes is to be transferred 

 to the cane carrier of the mill, the slings 

 are simply hooked on to a bar attached 

 to the cane hoist ; the latter then lifts 

 the cane bvmdle and deposits it on a feed 

 board at the cane carrier. Or, if occa- 

 sion requires, the cane bundle is laid down 

 at the side of the canal to be subsequently 

 picked up by the hoist and taken to the 

 cane-carrier. The chains around the 

 bundles are locked tight by means of patent 

 clips. 



British Guiana exported sugar to the ex- 

 tent of 108,000 tons in 1909-10 and 100,000 

 tons in 1910-11. 



A NEW CABLE SERVICE 



The Western Union has made the neces- 

 sary arrangements and extended to the 

 island of Cuba a new deferred cable serv- 

 ice, which began on January 1st. 



This new service is applicable between 

 Cuba, Great Britain, Germany, France, 

 including Algeria and Tunis, Portugal, 

 Sierre Leons, southern Rhodesia, Trinidad, 

 Aden in Arabia, Ascension Island, Bath- 

 urst in British Africa, British North 

 Borneo, Ceylon, Cocos Islands, Cyprus 

 East Africa, Uganda Gold Coast, India 

 and Burma, Labaun Island, New Zealand, 

 Northern Nigeria, Perim Island, St. 

 Helena, Somaliland, South Africa Union, 

 Straits settlements, and Malay States and 

 Zanzibar. 



The rate charged for deferred cables is 

 one-half the rate charged for full paid 

 cables between the same terminals. 



ALCOHOL FROM HENEOUEN 



An invention which will be of great in- 

 terest to the planters of henequen, or sisal 

 hemp, in particular, has lately been 

 patented by a Air. Ernesto D. Castro, a 

 native of Tabasco, but resident for some 

 years in Yucatan, for utilizing the residue 

 of the plant, after the fiber has been taken, 

 for the manufacture of alcohol. 



By this process he produces merchant- 

 able alcohol as high as 40 degree cartier. 



