AYRES
[AYERS] FAMILY.
V.
M. Ayres [Ayers].
Arkansas City Traveler, May 4, 1881.
We are informed, on good authority, that
Mr. V. M. Ayers, of Illinois, who was at this city a short time since in search
of a location for a mill, has finally decided in favor of Arkansas City, and
will remove his mill from Henry County, Illinois, forthwith. Mr. Ayers and his
family are highly respected in the community where they have lately resided,
and we shall have much pleasure in welcoming them to our social circle.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 18, 1881.
A mill site with 20 acres of land
adjacent and a 60 horsepower, with option of increasing the same if desired,
has been leased by the A. C. W. P. C. Co. to Mr. V. M. Ayers, of Illinois, who
was here for several days last week. Mr. Ayers has left the necessary authority
for the immediate construction of a suitable stone building for a mill, which
we presume will very shortly be under headway. This gentleman is financially
solid, and we take much pleasure in chronicling this, the initial step, in the
future important milling interests of our city.
Mr. Ayers has rented E. J. Godfrey's new
house, and will shortly arrive here with his family.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 27, 1881.
We had the pleasure of meeting Mr. G. N.
Abbott last week. Mr. Abbott will have charge of the mill of V. M. Ayers when
completed, as well as assisting in its completion.
Work upon the foundation of the mill, in
course of erection by V. M. Ayers upon the canal, is about completed, and the
superstructure will be the next on the tapis. During last week Mr.
Ayers received six carloads of material and a turbine wheel for the above and
the work of putting the same upon the foundation and preparing the waterway,
etc., will be commenced at once.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 3, 1881.
Mr. V. M. Ayers, the gentleman who is
putting up the new flouring mill on the canal, southeast of town, called upon
the TRAVELER last Monday morning, and helped us to spend a half hour very
pleasantly. From him we learn that the work upon the superstructure is going on
as fast as possible, and if nothing adverse happens, the mill will be enclosed
and shingled in two or three days. Sixteen hands are now employed thereon, and
it is hoped to have it in running order in about two months time. At first the
mill will have four run of burrs, with a producing power of over one hundred
barrels per day, but should occasion demand it, its facilities can be largely
increased. Work upon the mill race is in progress, and the water-wheel will shortly
be in position.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 21, 1881.
Mr. Ayers informs us that he expects to
have his mill in shape to commence grinding about the middle of January.
Workmen are now busily engaged in putting the wheel into position.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 4, 1882.
A side track is to be laid to V. M. Ayres
mill on the canal, and the orders for its construction have been given to the
R. R. company.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 4, 1882.
An accident occurred at the Ayers Mill
last week which will unfortunately prevent the machinery being put in motion
for at least thirty days longer than was anticipated and necessitate an outlay
of over $500 to repair the damage done. It was hoped the mill would be in shape
for custom work anyhow, by January 15th, 1882, but this unlooked for
occur-rence will postpone that much looked for event at the least till the
middle of February. It would appear that the tackle with which they undertook
to lower the water-wheel into position was inadequate to support the strain,
and breaking, precipitated the wheel, weighing some three tons, to the bottom
of the wheel race, completely demolishing the outer race. The repairs will have
to come from the East, hence causing the delay and expense above stated.
Arkansas City Traveler, February 15, 1882.
We are pleased to state Mr. V. M. Ayres
received his new wheel casing yesterday and proposes to make things hum at his
mill within a few days.
Arkansas City Traveler, February 22, 1882.
The Water wheel at V. M. Ayers' mill was
safely lowered into position on Thursday last and the work of preparing the
machinery and interior of the mill is being rapidly pushed forward. It is
hoped all will be ready inside of two weeks from this date.
Arkansas City Traveler, March 29, 1882.
Ayres' Canal Mills are now in full blast.
Arkansas City Traveler, April 19, 1882.
The
Canal Mills.
It is but one year ago that Mr. Ayres,
the proprietor of the above mills, came to this section of the Southwest while
in search of a location for a mill, yet last week saw, as the result of that
visit, the successful completion and starting of the finest mill yet erected in
this section of the country. Before entering into a minute description of the
water-powered building, machinery, etc., we will say a few words with
reference to the novel features of the undertaking, the advantages of the
gradual reduction process, and other improvements.
There are three methods of milling at
present in use, which may be designated as “Old Style,” “New Process,” and
“Gradual Reduction.” “Old Style” is that generally pursued by the majority of
small custom and grist mills, while the “New Process” consists in purifying and
regrinding the middlings made in the old way, and may be said to be half way
between the “Old Style” and “Gradual Reduction” milling of the present day.
Gradual Reduction, as its name implies,
consists in reducing the wheat to flour, shorts, and bran, by several
successive operations, or reductions, technically called breaks, the process
going on gradually, each break leaving the material a little finer than the
preceding one. Usually five reductions or breaks are made, though six or seven
may be used. The larger the number of breaks, the more complicated the system
becomes, and it is preferable to keep it as simple as possible, for even at its
simplest it requires a good, wide-awake, thinking miller to handle it
successfully. When it is thoroughly and systematically carried out in the mill,
it is without question as much in advance of the New Process as that is ahead
of the old style of milling.
The mill building is a frame structure of
three stories in height, 30 x 36 feet, with a frame lean-to of two stories, 26
x 36 feet, the whole being mounted upon substantial stone foundation walls
three feet in thickness. There are also an office and store room fitted with 4
ton scales separate from the mill proper.
The capacity of the mill, when in full
run, is 150 barrels per day. Every convenience, for doing both custom and
merchant grinding, is provided, the reels for which are kept separate, so that
a man bringing his grist to mill can, if he so wishes, secure the flour from
his own wheat and will not be kept waiting very long either.
The machinery of the mill is run by a 20
foot head of water, which sets in motion an American Turbine wheel, with a
diameter of sixty inches, capable of transmitting sixty horse power. It is run
in a forebay [?] of masonry, the outside measurement of which is twenty feet,
inside 10 feet, further strengthened by four 3/4-inch stayrods anchored into
the walls every three feet.
The interior arrangements of the mill
have been made with a special view to the convenient dispatch of business, and
the different parts of the complicated machinery which compose the Canal Mills
is distributed about as follows.
In the basement we find the Line Shaft,
which is driven by a pair of mitre wheels of nine inch base and 59 cogs with a
pitch of 2-1/2 inches. One wheel is fitted with wooden and the other iron cogs,
thus assuring comparative outlet in working. The burs frame is placed on solid
masonry 30 x 8 feet and 6 feet in height, and supports 4 spindles, two of
which are fitted with bevel gear and two
with belt and upright shaft with bevel gear. The cleaning machinery, run by a
belt wheel on the main shaft, consists of a Barnard & Lease Separator,
Eureka Smutter, Eureka Brush, and a Monogram Blower of the Steubenbaker
pattern.
We also find on this floor a Corn sheller
capable of shelling 2,000 bushels a day, by which patrons of the mill can have
their corn shelled without any extra charge. One convenient feature is that the
grain can be fed to the sheller direct from the wagon on the outside, or from
the inside, as circumstances render convenient. There are wheat and corn bins
on this floor, the former having a capacity of 2,000 bushels and the latter of
800 bushels.
We now come to the first, or main,
business floor, upon which are found four run of stones mounted on a line
hurst, three sets of rolls, one pair of reduction rolls, one pair of smooth
rolls, for middlings, and a pair of corrugated rolls for bran. There are
fifteen elevator stems on this floor, a steam generator, for heating wheat and
warming hurst, two flour bins, one Barnard & Lease flour packer, and large
corn meal and bran bin.
The first thing that attracts attention
on the second floor are four bolting reels, two of which are 30 inches in
diameter and 20 feet long, and two 32 inches in diameter and 18 feet long.
Flour bin for packer, a corn meal bolt, middlings bin, and large bran bin. The
counter shaft for driving the purifiers and bran duster on the upper floors are
also in this part of the mill.
Upon the upper or third floor are six
reels, two 30 inches in diameter and 20 feet long, two 32 inches in diameter
and 18 feet long; the scalping reel 32 inches in diameter and 12 feet long, and
the reduction roll reel 30 inches in diameter and 12 feet long. There are also
17 elevators, bran duster, purifier with all the requisite machinery for
working the same to the best advantage.
We congratulate Mr. Ayres upon the
successful completion of this enterprise, and doubt not the advantages, offered
by him to the farmers of this section, will meet with a ready response.
In this connection a word of credit is
due to Mr. G. W. Abbott, of Avon, Fulton Co., Illinois, who has had charge of
the construction of the mill. Mr. Abbott is a thorough mill wright, and the
Canal Mills are a testimony to his ability.
We understand that Wm. Speers has
secured the services of Mr. Abbott to get his new mill in running shape.