294 CORN 



GRAIN STORAGE. 



Handling millions of bushels of grain annually, the central market 

 must have some provision for storage. This need has given rise to a 

 great elevator and warehouse system, It has also made necessary an 

 iron-clad system of supervision and management. 



When the commission merchant has disposed of a car of grain he 

 delivers to the purchaser the certificate which he received from the 

 Inspection Department with the sample. The buyer then armed with 

 the number and description of the car issues orders to the transporta- 

 tion company stating where he wants the car delivered. The switch- 

 ing engine is soon busy making the transfer and the car is promptly 

 placed for unloading. 



In many cases this means at some warehouse. The car has been 

 carefully traced by a special police force provided by the Board of 

 Trade to prevent pilfering and stealing. Before it is unloaded it is 

 inspected by a deputy track man who again records the seals and 

 reports any damage or leakage. 



When the car is placed for unloading over the "sink" or "dump" 

 the deputy trackman is present to see to the opening of the car and 

 to see further that the dump is clean and the deputy weighmaster 

 above ready to receive the grain. The car is quickly unloaded with 

 special machinery. Again the trackman sees that the car is thoroughly 

 cleaned and the dump empty before signalling to the deputy weigh- 

 master to record the weight. 



The grain is elevated to a large hopper in the top of the warehouse. 

 This hopper will hold the contents of an average sized car. The scale, 

 which has been inspected, automatically records the weight, but a 

 weighman from the elevator and the deputy weighmaster from the 

 Board of Trade, with probably an inspector also from the State In- 

 spection Department, are present to see that no error is made in re- 

 cording the weight. 



From the scale hopper the grain is conveyed to a huge bin which is 

 allowed to contain but one grade of grain. The spout from the con- 

 veyor is set by the State Official and locked and sealed to avoid any 

 possibility of the grain being deposited elsewhere. When grain is 

 taken from one of these bins the same precaution is taken to see that 

 only the grade specified in the order is drawn. It is a serious criminal 

 offense to either unload or load grain from the warehouse without 

 permission and without the supervision of the Inspection Department. 



