The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

THE WAREHOUSING OF GRAIN 685 consists of planks nailed upon one another, and overlapping each other at the corners, as already described. The strips of timber used for these silos are 5 in. wide by lj in. thick for the lower portion of the silo; in the upper the battens are 3 in. by lj in. The boards thus fastened together form wooden walls of strength which can withstand the pressure from the grain in the silo. The silo bottoms consist of cast- iron plates which rest on girders and columns, the latter being supported on substantial concrete foundations. The columns, girders, and hopper bottoms are all shown in the illustrations. The silos are utilised for three different purposes. Twelve are used for storage purposes only; fourteen others for the purpose of mixing the wheat; and six to receive same after mixing. This accounts for thirty-two bins. The remaining bin is solely used for the storage of English wheat, which does not arrive by water, but is brought to the mill in trucks. An automatic weighing machine enables the operator to weigh the contents of any one of the silos for stock- taking purposes, and return the grain to an empty one. Beneath the storage bin is a second band conveyor with a capacity of 25 tons per hour, pro- vided with a movable hopper. 1 his hopper can be brought underneath any one of the silos from which it may be desired to draw wheat. The grain thus drawn can be readily conveyed by band to an elevator feeding the other band conveyors at the top of the silo-house. This second band is for the purpose of feeding the fourteen mixing bins, in any one of which wheat may be mixed in the re- quired proportions. Fig. 979. Longitudinal Section through Granary at Bow, showing Throw-off Carriage and Band Conveyor. These mixing bins are fitted with automatic mixers mounted on top of a worm, which mix the wheat in the required proportions, taking as much as is required from each silo to the worm. This mixing worm is in connection with another elevator, which feeds the worm over the top of the six blending bins. Beneath these blending bins is yet another worm into which the contents of any of these bins can be fed as soon as the wheat has lain together for a sufficient length of time, after which it can be drawn off and conveyed to the weighing machine before being removed into the mill. Granaries at Mannheim in Germany.—These granaries, which have been erected at Mannheim on the Rhine by G. Luther, of Brunswick, have a length of 370 ft, a width of 78 ft., and are 78 ft. high. Their total capacity is 2,000 tons of grain. This granary is divided by transverse walls into three sections, one containing the silos, the second Deing used for storing grain on open floors, whilst the third or middle portion contains the grain-cleaning plant. This very complete installation is illustrated in Figs. 980 to 985.