New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-25
AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
ATLANTIC FLOUR MILLS OF. SOUTH BROOK
IYN

OF MANUFACTURE AND TRADE
A wise old saying informs us that Bread
is the STAFF Of Life" and when the Great Authority tells
us that man cannot live by bread alone" and when
pray to the Authority to give us this day our
daily bread" we recognize the supreme importance OF
the chief article Of human food that bountu Providence
has made native of almost every and country Some
times pass place where grain is being moved, ara
trample down the insignificant little kernels, we sud
denly remember the value Of these bits of DUST think
Of the fable Of the that liberated the on and
haps recall homely rhyme pertinent TO sucn Incidents;
DoTse thou the smallest thug waste thou not the smallest
FoI grams Of So The mountains n. imbele inGrmiiy
i1ake For fit,7r seconds minutes make.
And atoms make inanty. Aud minutes form eternity.
But our purpose is not to 60 into minute detail Of the
History Of q Mouthul Of Bread" Most Of us take the
bread without troubling ourselves about its origin land
sometimes not enough about its character and thank
Heaven that we have got H.
Having often noticed, during some months residence in
Brooklyn great degree Of hustle and business around
and in a huge building between Hamiltonaye. and the
Atlantic basin, an establishment in which work con-
tnued both night and day. got possessed Of restless
curiosity know something Of the inner history Of so re-
markabe a concern And 50. some days ago, we made
the venture.
MI +. Z. Smith the head OF the Atlantic Flour Mills
comes to his milling business by legitimate dcsccufrom
The nobility Of labor.
The long pedigree OF TOLL
His father and uncle settled in the wilderness where the
great Touring city of Rochester stands bringing
with them the family occupation Of mllers. One Of
these made the first highgrade Genesee flour ever
the market brand that held the highest place
in public esteem for quarter OF century, and which still
holds a frst-class position The grandfather Of the
Brooklyn miller preceded his at Rochester coming
when there but single ishanty the Falls and
he. too was practical miller one Of the family was
lucky enough buy half Of land for mere song
on which the best property in Rochcsters standing
. oh
able offer
Being in some-in fact in a great-degree methOdical
in way Of getting at things, propOunded TO Mr.
Smith number OF questions followed HIM over the
vast mandatory, the general answers TO which ques
tons we embrace as follows:
The Atlantic Flour Mill built in 1864. the west
or south side of Hamtonave about 200 feet from South
Ferry having the the pier Of the Atlantic
basin The main building is about 200 feet long by IS
wide beside which there is elevator IS by 2 and six
stories high The main building Is OF brick with heavy
walls five stories high. and about 100000 Steam
mower is used produced by an upright horse power
engine Of singular perfection built by the SuyaLosa
Works at Cleveland Ohio Steam j. furnished 10y Tour
drophue boilers q by feet This heavy but smoothly
working engine stands upon solid iron and pile iOunda-
ton, entirely distinct from the mill so that no damage
Having discovered the place the man. and the power
that kept things in notion we undertook to trace gram
wheat from market wheat 10 sale a. Hour ana TINS
is brief idea OF It's voyage; Mt smith j. ono OF he
largest operators in market lie goes daily to the
Corn Exchange to buy and sell In that great mart,
each dealers table dozen or more OF little boxes mold
ing perhaps quart two OF the wheat or -four offered
with labels OF quality attached Here Mr. 3 and others
select what suits them and often in 1--WE minutes he VIII
select twenty thousand bushels OF wheat and sell
three four thousand barrels OF Hour Ihe stIctcst
honor Is preserved by Corn Exchange dealers, and II
fails to meet the requirements Of itH sample the
difference is at made good. Any Intentional fraud
would forever shut the perpeirator from the companions
snip Of honest dealers.
the way Mr. :. deals IN no other grain which may DO
coming down the canal or river he orders the boats to
1afrlLh q4n a.
This vcy-wOrkinR machine viii hoist TO the top OF the
mill at the rate OF 5000 bushels an honr having been
elevated the skyght, the wheat l. stored IN i'm
neuse bins, first, however, being carefully weighed.
From these bins II IL drawn needed for use, when II
is weighed again and every pound and ounce duly re-
corded. The miller sends IL 10 the smut and screen
Ing machines where u goes through shaking ana dust
ing aud banging about that beats DOnny brook Fair.
After an hsur Of this screening, tanning ana general
tr,re il lis eansed Of all impurities denuded OF much
OF its skin, aud pronounced ht for grinding II now falls
into large gamers the third floor, situated Just over
The mills OF stones and from these garuers It fed by
simpe machinery To the Here IL Is ground. and
the -four not from the boxes ~ torment, small
elevators now quickly raise the ground aud
process Is cooling THIS Is done by dropping the
flour into series OF rough 10 or ~ Ieet lohE ana ABOUT
ve square, open at the top II each box there 10
an Archlnedian endless screw, with deep thread
These slowly work the Hour along nom one series
Of coolers another until tho proper temperature u
Here u masses FIRST into the finest boiling cloth and from
this comes product the me hour when = TIE
only kind sold from the mill That which Goes not pass
thru gh the first screens goes the second much
cOarser sieve which lets through an inferior grade OIL
ground over After the second boiling we get the uiti
refuse, consisting Of bran, generally known us
feed of which there four Ye grades This feed
b afterward packed In bags OF convenient SIZE aDG Is
ready for market OF course, 80 large business must
produce enormous quantity .
We have now followed Que grain of wheat from the
sowing IN Iowa. The haryesng threshing wasohlns 70
Change elevating, smutng winnOwlng screening ana
grinding into flour and have got that flour through
eevatng cooling and. boiling, whence IT falls into
srous packngchess on another hOor OF which we see
three holding 100 barrels Of loose -four Now what
small we do with it, In this country the general PROCESS
Is putting II up In barrels Of 1876 pounds net flour each
Mi smith has made provision with single man1lactuIer
for the delivery Of about 1000 empty barrels every
week, and the first aud second stones seem
10 be full OF them Every one OF these Dailcls
Is separately weighed, and the tare distinctly
marked thereon The barrels are then Whlieu uhdeI Tue
spOus OF the packing chests ana by curious dchlhey
each is filled IL an instant aud stamped do"h 10y
huge worked ramrOd The barrel Is then WhllIed
the carefully adjusted scaIe Whefe II II ~
The eigher wnO With quantity OF loose nOuf az MS
elbow and small scoop In hand, takes out or puts IN
the amount and then on goes the DatIel 10 he
headerup lie stands by with proper tools caps IN the
lining and away goes the barrel Hour to the marking
room There a hole is bored In the head for sampng;
cry Is the branding properly recording the amount
and OF it's readiness for delivery The stoekteper
takes charge nOw aud not barrel or pound goes OUT OF
the place without first being put down III Ills DOCKS
For delivery ana othes purposes, the m,ils employ
rcls al trip. These barrels are raised OF lowered from
the several stories by proper elevator sone{s Mhv
Is feet, which the barrels are carried. LAsh tle
barrel is shot down long sde 70 Inc tGS Tnu 'eNu
EecdEa term properly applicable 10 the process by
which we get our chief article OF foods an important
item ~ this milling business OF TINS ieed' y.
tbe husks OF the wheat, there are hve or SIX dHehl
Grades Most Of IL Is readily bought up by those VINO
eep horses or cows in Brooklyn they know just what
tbeV gef and prefer 10 deal at headquarters. -
The Atlantic Mills are among the largest IN he "ou'
There ro twelve runs ln operation, ana prODd
bly more will soon be added. These rapacous feeders
| are kent al work day aud night, save when O1e or
another may need dressing or sharpening Ihelr re
morsecss laws grind up from $500 10 900 bushels OF
wheat per day The used Is the ola Frehcn buIr
FOR which no substitute has yet been discovered
many things have been tried THIS stone Is IOuhu onS
In the valleys Paris, ana Is exceedingly expensive