The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1861-10-17
The CAPITOL Bakery.

| 1eSteraay morning We palu VISIT to
the Government bakery in the basement
of the Capitol building, and were much
surprised at the sights that We there
saw. On entering the lower door, i'm
mediately behind the fountain. we found
ourselves in the presence of the indefat-
igab!e superintendent, Lieut. I. j. Cate,
formerly of the sixth Massachusetts reg
lment, but now Of the sixteenth regiment
United States Infantry, who was busiy
employed, as well as his two able clerks
and assistants, Messrs. W. II. Mitchell
aud c. G. Merrill, Of Lawrence, Massa.
chusetts. We, however, secured the
services of friend, and commenced our
tour Of inspection.
We first visited the vault under the
rotnuda, which is used as a store room
for the immense quantity of -four which
IS caily being received. The wagons
are constantly Kept busy delivering their
loads under the eastern portico, from
whence the barrels are rolled iuto the
vault Whenever the -four is needed. it
is slid down to the floor below The
amount of -four constantly in this room
is between four and eight thousand bar
rels.
Ketraclng our steps, We come again to
the vicinity Of the fountain, where we
found eight ovens in full operation, turn
ing out about 10000 loaves of bread
every twenty, four hours The bread is
of the best quality, and each loaf weig Chs
- ounces. There are forty bakers EN-
p'oyed at these ovens, who have on one
or two occasions, when pressed, run out
2l,OOO loaves per day.
Adjacent to these ovens are two rooms,
one on each side of the entrance. from
which the bread is delivered 1t may
not be uulnterestiug to know the form
Ia use. When the rcqulsition is sent by
quar,erma>ter to the Subsistence De
paltn'ent at the Post Office for the ra.
tlons TOR his regiment, an order is drawn
for the bread, on Lieut. Cate, to whom
the driver Of the wagon presents it. and
Is furnished with ticket, which is
handed in at the delivery window, and
the bread is forthwith passed out on
smooth boards to the wagon The mess
room and the kitchen is also on this floor,
and, the hands. TO the number of one
hundred aud sixty, here take their meals.
This department is supern,ended by
Mr.. Levi NJ Pierce, formerly of the S,h
Massachusetts, regiment, and the clearly
appearance observable, as we'll as the we'll.
catered meals set out, give iudisputable
evidence that he "can keep hotel"
Outside the building, in the vaults
heretofore used for the slowing of fuel,
we find six double sized ovens built, EN-
p!oy'ng ten bakers each, and capable OF
turning out 10000 loavcs per day, bu.
at prcsen: averaging about SO, 600 Near
by are two other rooms, in which eight
men are constantly employed in making
yeast, of which about fourteen hundred
and fifty gallons is made per day.
The bakers are all under the foreman
ship of Mr.. John II. Sower,by, baker
of seventeen years experience, and for
merly of Bonds celebrated bakery at
Wilmington, Mass.
The total number of persons abou, the
establishment is one hundred aud sixty,
OF which atout one hundred are employ.
ed in baking bread, thirteen delivering
it, eight making yeast, six in the cook
room, SIX splitting wood, four ia the
store room, three watchmen. twelve
teamsters. and the others as clerks, run
ners, and extra hands. OF the whole
number employed, about fifty are from
the North, the balance being our own
citizens.
The pay roll for the last month amount
ed to over six thousand dollars. The
hands are divided into four classes. the
best of which get S42 per month with
rat'ons, and inferior ones, S35, S3S, and
$40 each
Too much praise cannot be awarded to
LIT. Cate, to whose jud .mcnt and expcr-
ience much Of the success of the bakery
is due.
The establishment is attached to the
Subsistence Depa, tmen', of which Ma.
jor Beckwith, assisted by Lieutenant S.
c. Green, A. a. c. S.. has charge
The depot to which the bakery is at.
tached is in the Post Office building,
from whence the troops now on this side
of the river receive all their supplies,
excepting bread, which is procured from
here or one of the other minor bakeries,
of which there are some eight or ten in
the city.-Nutional Republican,.