Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1856-12-26
heap Bread for the MilliOr
A Revolution about Home!

In Brooklyn, on the corner of Fulton
avenue and Elm Place, there is now in
successful operation one of the great invsn.
tions Of the age-"BERDAN's AUTOMATIC
OVEN" We say this, bearing fully in
mind the Railroad, the Magnetic Telegraph
and the Photograph; and when we tell our
readers that among the other advantages
occurred by this Oven, is the reduction Of
the Prize of Bread from for,y to .ftiy per
cent, they will rot wonder at the rank
which we assign it.
Our readers must rid themselves of all
notions and prejudices, just or unjust,
against "machiue bread" "steam baked
bread" aud the like The bread produced
at this oven is made in the ordinary way,
and baked 10 . brick oven by radiation, or
heat applied from brick surface, just as
the bread is which ia made in the old FIRE
side brick oven. 1t is not raised by any
new tangled chemical invention, but with
yeast; and it comes from the oven baked
through and through and not burned.
The Oven is of brick eighteen feet long,
sixteen feet broad, and thirty two fl high,
having lower aud upper storey. Under
meath the oven is furnace from which the
heat is conducted to and through the oven
by means of Ere brick tubes /; and the
furnace is so constructed and arranged
that by means of a self acting damper
attached to piece ~ metal which opeus
ami shuts, rs the metal contracts and
expan is, the heat in the oven can be
Regulated and kept constantly at the
same temperature. The mercury stood at
292 degrees at the time Of our visit. -Four
doors or entrances to the oven, two III the
lower and two in the upper storey. Within
the ovon is an endless chain, to which are
attached arms, and upon which thirty two
forms are laid, about two feet apart. This
chain can be moved either by hand or by
steam power, C,he latter being used in the
present case, y aud revolves perpendicularly
through the oven at just the rate of speed
required to bake the bread with single
revolution. By means of a conical cylinder
the time of the revolution is regulated to
the fraction Of a minute. The thirty-two
platforms support thirty two bread pans.
Outside, and BY the doors of the oven, are
two waiting or tender.cars, and all these
cars and oven doors are moved by the same
power that moves the endless chain.
Thus our readers have as plainly as we
can describe it, the Automatic Oven in
repose When it is put in motion, one
of the oven-doors rises of ITS own accord,
an empty pan ,ruudles out Of the o'en,and
is placed upon the tender-car, by which it
ia carried to door on the other side of the
oven. A pan containing sixty loavss of
dough is placed on this car. The door
opposite to which the car is, opens, and
the loaded pan at once moves into the oven;
the door instantly closes after it, and the
+ pan commences ts revolution upon the
endless chain. Immediately after the
close of this door, the other door opens,
and another empty pan moves out, is filed
a, once with its freight Of dough, land then
takes its station like its predecessor at the
first door, and follows after in the same
mauuer until the thirty-two cars are filled;
the pans always entering at one door and
issuing ut the other From the time that
all the pans are loaded, pan of baked
bread cumes out and dumps itself at one
door of the oven as fast NJ the dough Is
put in at the other door. The sight of the
cars full of baked bread rs they emerge
quietly and slowly from their fiery furnace
aud deposi, their rich freight, all brown
and fragrant, in the bakers basket, all
without the aid or intervention of single
baud, is very interesting and gratifying.
Thus much Of what is to be Seen but
il is worth while to consider what this in-
v,utiou will effect iu ~ important mat
ter to the private individual and the poll
,ical ecouomlst as the supply of bread TO
large communities. Reliable statements
and calculations show that MIR. Berdsn's
oven will bake I've hundred barrels of -four
daily. The oven is kept continually heat
cd and at the same Temperature, not vary
lux five deg,e,r, unless different temper
ature is desired. The machinery is kept
CONSTANTLY in mutton. Baking is thus TO-
lug on continually. We have inquired Of
experienced bakers who inform US that
dough for baking eau be supplied without
difficulty, to keep she oven at work at all
times. We have eaten tue bread, and