Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-04-28

THE OFFICES, AND THEREIN AN INCIDENT.
The counting rooms occupy the second
story OF therbock ON Washington street, op.
posite the factory and are spacious, we'll
furnished, well-lighted rooms, in which q
force OF bOok-keepefs and clerks are busily
at work. Here we first meet the gentleman
iy and unassuming proprietor, and as We sit
{ conversing with hm, we arc eye witnesses
to a little transaction worth recording, Our
readers are probably aware that within q
few weeks the New York Journals have been
engaged in one OF their periodical sensation
al crusades against dealers Of short-weights
and adulterated goods, We are not aware
that any such charge was made against the
Babbitt productions, arerg which, besides
soap and soap-poNdtlk and concentrated
potash, are also saleratus, cream tartar, sal
soda, super-carb, soda yeast powder and
Lion coffee, articles in common use, and most
liable TO be adulterated or sold at short
weight. Such charge against the Babbitt
goods would, to us, be unworthy Of credence,
and for this reason: As We sat in the Office
on this occasion, party from California ten
dered the proprietor an order to the amount
Of several thousand dollars for Cream Tartar,
upon the condition that II be put mp In mir
teen ounce packages, instead Of one pound.
This proposition was promptly declined, and
the Californian departed in deep disgust. =
. This incident spoke a volume concerning the
integrity OF both goods and proprietor.
Accompanied by Mr.. Babbitt, wc made a
tour through
THE GREAT ESTABLISHMENT.
The motive power of the factory is gem
Grated in the basement four steam boilers,
one of five hundred, one of two hundred and
fifty, and two of sixty horse power each being
required to drive the machinery, heat the
buildings and for other purposes Of manufac-
ture, the first mentioned one is one of RUot'a
patent safety toilers, OF peculiar construc-
tion. These furnish steam to no less than
thirteen engines, the largest Of which is a
beautiful Corliss of ono hundred and twenty
five horse power. Water is pumped into
large reservoirs at the top Of the building,
and there are many extensive and unusual
appliances necessitated by The immense
scale upon which affairs proceed here, as
will be seen when We speak of the soap maxi
ing. Three OF Otis steam elevators distrib-
ute the raw materials to the various storiee
and bring away the manufactured articles.
steam pipes extend beneath tho pavement
to othe building on the opposite side of Wash
ington street, which constitutes an impOr-
tant portion of the factory Between two
and three hundred hands find employment
in the various departments.
Among the interesting branches of manu-.
, iacture Is that of
sALERATUs.
An article in such common use in the dOmes.
tic economy as to make it Of the greatest
importance thatit be wholesome and pure
The soda ash Of which ii. is made ia first
treated with water in q large closed iron
tank: the solution is then drawn into the
crystallization rooms of which there are two
each twenty-five by ninety feet; around these
rooms are placed tiers of many hundreds, ol
aueer looking iron kettles into which the so.
da solution runs and where it remains unit
it becomes perfectly solid crystals, looking
much liae cakes OF ice. These beautiful
CRYSTALS are then broken up and in another
department are grouIM to powder in burr
stone mills, then put into boxes two inches
deep and six feet square and placed in the
carbonizing rooms. There are six of these
rooms and the boxes are piled up in tiers six
hundred boxes in q room and subjected ia
the influence of purified carbonic acid gas
until the material is fully charged. The
great skill and watchfulness displayed in this
department; the perfection of the manufac.
ture and the absolute purity of the materials
have rendered competition with the well
known "Babbitt's Saleratus" almost impos.
sible.
Another important article is the
"sTAR YEAST PowDERs,"
and lis relation to human comfort; it's time.
saving as well as hygenic qualities entitle ita
invenlorp,tO tho name OF benefactor, II is
well-knoWi, That in The uee Of ordinary Yeast
a c0fsidefAble portion OF the saccharino and
nutritiye proDerDies OF Hour are destroyed In
the generation ofcarbonic acid gas. BY the
use Of this chemical yeast no fermentation
takes place in the -four Itself, and the bread,
when made, contains only flour, water and
common salt; 1t is not only more digestible,
oh m hIf
It's use barrel of flour will make twenty
pounds more bread than by the use Of ordi'
nary yeast. AS the materials of which the
chemical yeast is made are not readily per
ishable, it will keep in any climate, and ia
invaluable at sea and on our Western plains
In the department where saleratuB, yeast
powders, &C., are made up into packages
from thirty to forty men and from twenty tc
thirty girls are employed. The dexterity
which they acquire in Weighing, wrapping
and closing the various packages, would be
incredibleto to those who have never expert
encAd how mechanical the movements ol
tho arms and fingers, by long practice, may
become. M
Fifteen tons per day of these articles, dur.
ing the busiest season, are frequently turn
ed out.
These items of Mr.. Babbitt's business, al
though each large and important enough tC
completely dwarfed by the grand proper
tions of his
MANUFACTURE OF SOAP.
Conveniently located near the centre o.
this great pile Of buildings, standing OF
massive foundations of brick and stone, an(
towering thence until their tops reach thu
fifth story, are five enormous cylinders o
iron, each about fifty feet in circumference
and each holding about fUe hundred tt0usdn'
pounds of soap. These are
THE SOAP KETTLES,
and they are the largest in The world On,
thinks in vain OF something with which /,
compare them, but standing at the top, ther
was no difficulty in comprehending thei
huge dimensions. Fall into that four-stor,
iron cylinder, and you would need o hool
and ladder company to rescue your remains
II would take considerable OF a lie-boat u
live in that ocean of boiling soap The sa
ponacious pillows rise and fall in great swells
now sending up spray Of soap and steam
and now tumbling in breakers against irO
shores.
'Tike sea that Is ab'ring tho birth Of a sea-"
To fall therein would be to ''suffer a sea
change" into something erasive-to ey
perience metempsychosis into hard soar
These kottles are made OF boiler iron
and are heated by coils OF steam pipe, G
which some four thousand feet are required
To ill such enormous caldrons as these b
any ordinary method would require weeks 9
time Ingenious provision has therefor
been made for doing this expeditiously ant
easily by tho potent aid Of steam. And her
Il Is necessary TO be disburdened OF cor
fession which has lain on our conscience
stake cake of hard soap, since our pleas
ant visit at the BaDbitt works. Having bee
Taught by the yeraciouB newspapers TO assC
ciate in one cat CORY OF horrors all bon
factories rendering houses and soap factC
ries in New York, which are said to annihi
late all healthful atmosphere for square
around--haying Witnessed the quality {
grease put into domestic soap-kettles, tn
country soap -grease-tub being the generi
receptacle OF fatty refuse, We had eypecte
TO como upon some room OF Blue Bear
abominations in q great soap factory, an
fall oyerpowered with o shocking stencil
AS we passed through room after rool
,yhara unnna GRAND nnaratiau UNA 0Onq M