The Daily Herald

A VALUABLE INVENTION.
Hawaii to the Front Again-Device for
Increasing the Yield and Quality
of Sugar.

Mr. A. Young, manager of the Ho-
nolulu Iron Works, to whom much of
the credit due Hawaii for leading the
world in methods of manufacturing
sugar, has just scored another triumph
in that direction. For months past he
has been quietly but assiduously per-
fecting an original invention in the
shape of an automatic cleaner for clean-
ing cane juice in a vacuum at a low
temperature. Heretofore the cleaning
pans required live steam, which meant
a certain expenditure of fuel. With
Mr. Young's automatic cleaner the ex-
haust steam may be utilized, thus effect-
ing a great saving in the coal bill. Be-
sides it makes the juice much cleaner
and purer. It having long been dem-
onstrated that the higher the tempera-
ture the more the quantity of the unde-
sirable product called "invert sugar" is
obtained, it follows that this newly in-
vented process of cleaning the juice at
a low temperature will be productive
of a better quality of sugar, as well as
an increased quantity of the genuine
article.

These results have, at all events,
been obtained by practical experiment-
ation. Mr. Young the other week
went to Hawaii to superintend the
application of his invention to the
manufacture of sugar at the Waiakea
mill. By its use a sugar was obtained
that gave a polarization of 99.4 de-
grees, and it was expected that with
the experience of a week a still higher
grade would be the resultant. Not
only that, but the machine is so con-
structed that it was proved feasible to
have it attached to the double effect
and run in conjunction therewith. The
vapor coming from the cleaning pan is
thereby transmitted to the double
effect and does its work there in the
process of evaporating. This produces
a still further saving in fuel.

The new device is very simple in its
operation, so much so that, at the Wai-
akea mill, a Japanese boy was taught
in one day how to run it. Although
originally designed to be worked by
itself, the valuable discovery has been
made, as noted above, that it can be
attached to the double effect. Mr.
Young sent off an application for a
patent in the United States two months
ago. He also took steps to have the
invention patented in all the Spanish
dominions. Before leaving for the
United States, as he did by the steam-
ship Australia yesterday, Mr. Young
had the valuable machine secured by
patent in this Kingdom. It is a most
timely invention in the present de-
pressed situation of the sugar industry
from low prices universally prevalent.
Besides its effect in cheapening produc-
tion, it has that of enhancing the mar-
ket value of the product, for sugar
brings an eighth of a cent more per
pound for every degree that it polari-
zes over 96 per cent.