The juice
remains in the tanks, and in color it is--"
"Red!" cried Van, thoughtlessly interrupting.
"No, son, not red. It is black as ink."
"Black!" exclaimed the boys in a chorus.
"Black as your shoe."
"But--but I don't see how they--" Van stopped, bewildered.
"They bleach it by injecting fumes of sulphur gas into the tanks;
lime is also used to--"
"To clear it after the dirt has come to the top," put in the boys in
a breath.
"Exactly so," laughed Mr. Powers. "I observe you are now at the home
plate."
[Illustration: "THESE TANKS ARE CONNECTED"]
"We saw it done at the sugar-cane refinery," explained Bob.
"I see," nodded Mr. Powers. "Well, the principle of making beet-sugar
is the same as cane-sugar. By the use of chemical solutions the juice
is cleared until it is perfectly white."
Bob nudged Van with his elbow and the lads smiled understandingly.
There was no danger of their forgetting Mr. Hennessey and his secret
chemical formula.
"The remainder of the process is also similar to that used in
refining cane-sugar. The syrup passes from tank to tank, constantly
thickening, and the molasses is extracted in the same fashion by
being thrown off in the centrifugal machines when the sugar
crystallizes. Molasses is often boiled two and three times to make
second and third grade molasses for the trade, and you must remember
in this connection that the names _New Orleans_ and _Porto
Rico_ do not necessarily indicate where the product was made, but
rather its quality, these varieties being of the finest grade.
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