Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-21
PIES AND THINGS.
The Great Factory in which Pies are Made
by Machinery

The Great Factory i'm which Pies are Made
by Machinery
From the New York Sun.
The New York Pie baking company's
factory at 80 Sullivan street, the Largest
establishment of the kind in the world
has an invested capital of $3.50, 900.
The company was organized two Years
ago through the exertions of Mr..
William Thompson. He induced SIX
OF the largest pie bakers of the city tc
consolidate with him and form the com.
pany. The buildings cover six and g
half city lots, and the stables have &C.
commodations for fifty horses. Thirty
seven large wagons are employed to
deliver the pies turned out daily,
and one hundred and twenty
persons are employed all the
year round. On the third story is a car
penter shop, where two men are con-
stantly employed in making the boxes
and trays used in the business The re-
mainder of this story is used for the
preparation of the fruit for the pie. 1t
has an enormous boiler, in which some
times five hundred pumpkins per day
are reduced to jelly by steam of course.
Near 1t are two steam mincing machines,
capable of slicing up fabulous uuanti-
ty OF fruit. A little further on is a
row OF immense brass kettles full of
steamlng berries, which two men are
stirring with great ladies'. In the
further end of the room are seated in
groups on the floor by heaps of fruit,
which they are sorting and cleaning.
Eighty bushels of berries day is the
average consumption.
In another wing the floor is covered
with apples, which man is pairing and
cor1ng by machinery barrels week
are used. Further on are a large ice
house and a cider-mill, with which, in
the fall, when apples are cheap, enough
cider is made to supply the factory for
the year. Against the walls here, as in
every available spot throughout the
building, are piled cases of sugar and
barrels OF lard. In the second story,
oh one side along the entire length cx-
tends table covered with pastry, which
thirty men, attired in neat linen suits,
are rolling out and laying on tin plates.
On the other side of the room are two
large troughs, in which the paste for
crusts is mixed, One hundred and fifty
barrels OF flour and 5000 pounds of lard
are mixed in these troughs every week.
At times l, 800 quarts of milk and 5000
eggs day are used. In this story are
a dressing room, where the workmen
change their street clothing for the neat
suits IN which they work, and a room
where eight women are constantly wash
ing plates. The loss on plates, through
their retention or loss by customers,
amounts to over So, 900 year.
The first story is used for storing and
delivering the pies. In the cellar are
ten large ovens, baking pies by thou
sands. In addition to the ten ovens
mentioned there is patent oven, the
only one of the kind in the world. It
was erected at cost of 81, 700, and
contains a series Of revolving shelves,
each of which in turn presents itself at
an aperture, where it is filed with pies
by workman, and then rolls on to give
place to another, which is filed in the
same way, and SO on until every shelf
is full and he comes to the first shelf
again. Then it's freight is found nicely
baked. The finished pies are removed;
the shelf, being reflled, rolls on, and
thenceforth the machine pours on a
continuous supply of smoking pastry.
In the storeroom $4,000 worth of lard
it frequently stored. This is one of the
advantages which the pie bakers gained
by consolidating-the ability to buy in
large quantities as low rates everything
required in their trade. Much of the
success of the company is due also to
the fact that every member of it
thoroughly understands the business.