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The island's picturesque old windmills and animal mills which dot its
landscape were mostly built early in the period of 1750 to 1800. A few
estates had two windmills, and in addition many had auxiliary ox or mule
mills. For when the cane was ready it must be cut, and when it was cut it
must be ground quickly to avoid fermentation. During "crop" speed was
essential; the mills ground incessantly, day arid night, with the men
working in shifts.
THE ANIMAL MILL. This consisted of the central grinding machinery
under a shed surrounded by an earthenwork or stonework elevated rim, with
the appearance of a circular crater. Along the top of the rim the oxen,
mules or horses walked on a path. A long pole ran from the animals'
harness to the center shaft of the machinery, thus turning it and
providing the power for the grinding.
The earliest animal mills did well if they ground enough canes in one
hour to yield from 300 to 350 gallons of juice. Later models, using up to
ten mules, produced some 500 gallons an hour. Allowing four hours out of
the twenty-four for loss of time, the return per day could be 10,000
gallons of juice, being equal to 36 hogsheads of sugar at 16-cwt. for
every week during the crop season.
 THE
WINDMILL-HOW IT WORKED. A windmill is essentially a simple
contrivance, yet great force is required to run it to overcome the
resistance of the cane being ground. In the early days in St. Croix, the
machinery inside the mill consisted principally of three upright
iron-plated rollers cylinders. The middle one, to which moving-power was
attached from above turned the other two by means of cogs.
Between these rollers the canes were compressed. They passed through
the first and second rollers; were turned around the center one by a
circular framework or screen sometimes called the "dumb returner," and
were forced back through the second and third rollers.
This operation squeezed the cane nearly dry. The juice ran downhill in a
leaded trough to the factory below. The leftover fibre refuse, called
bagasse was later used as fuel under the coppers in
which the juice was boiled.
The St. Croix mills were a Dutch type, in which only the dome was turned,
carrying the axle and sails with it into the required position. The
masonry top of the mill had a wooden (later cast iron) rim on which ran
small rollers on which the dome rested. The turning of the dome, so that
the four canvas sails on their wooden arms would face directly into the
wind, was accomplished by means of a long pole at an angle running down
nearly to the ground from the dome. A whole crew of men sometimes had to
rush to shift the pole when the wind blew stronger or changed direction.
The problems of controlling the sails to give an even grinding operation
were not easily solved. There was at first no means of reefing, and
sometimes a gusty wind revolved it all so fast that the sails were tom
off. Later, a way was devised for men to climb up to reef the sails
individually.
 The
first successful automatic reefing apparatus was invented in 1780, giving
controlled motion to the grinding for the first time. In 1807, a further
improved method of reefing the big sails was introduced. This was a
simple arrangement of movable wooden shutters or louvers in part of the
sails instead of canvas.
Today on St. Croix these stone windmills are highly prized for their
haunting quality of beauty and as reminders of the special historic
heritage of the island. Much of the old machinery was sold for scrap or
lies rusting in the underbrush. The mill at Whim Greathouse has been
restored to working order by the Landmarks Society so that visitors and
islanders can visualize its use.
THE STEAM MILLS. The first steam mill for grinding cane was put in
use at Estate Hogansborg for the crop of
 1816,
but it was so balky and broke down so often that other plantation owners
remained unconvinced that steam was worth the expense. It was not until
the 1830's that other steam mills made their appearance at Whim and
another estate. Wind power and slaves were still cheaper than steam.
However, just four years after the slaves were freed in 1848, there were
some fifty steam engines here.
 In
the yard of La Grange stands a piece of narrow-gauge railway track with a
small type of flatcar on it. This is one of the last remnants of a little
rail line which once ran along the northwest shore carrying cane to La
Grange factory. Another, south shore, railway led to the factory at
Bethlehem which served the estates in the center of the island.
Reportedly, the entire track, tiny steam engine and strings of flatcars
were sold years ago to Mexico.
In 1876, the Danish government underwrote the building of five large cane
crushing stations at Estates Fair Plain, Glynn, Barren Spot, La Grande
Princess and at Peter's Rest, which was the largest station. From these
estates, cane juice was pumped through miles of pipe lines to huge tanks
at Orange Grove where Cruzana now is, and on down to a Central Factory on
the shore near Christiansted.
Today the grinding of cane commercially on the island has come to a final
stop after over three hundred years. |
