The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-09-27
In a Cracker Factory.

sample of what is to be seen in other
bakeries, there is no cause for the most
/ fastidious housewife to fear that the
crackers she places before her guests
are not clean and wholesome. On the
second floor of the building there are
five ''reeI' or cylinder ovens. These
ovens, about twenty feet in diameter,
4 have the fires at the bottom, and above
the fire is a large wheel or cylinder.
On the outer frame of this wheel
are ten swinging trays. On these
trays the crackers, as they are
turned out from the stamping ma
chine close by, are placed. and the
wheel regIolves slowly, lowering the next
tray into apesition. Thus the wheel is
Kept ins constant motion, the biscuit
being removed from the trays after
making one revolution of the cylinder.
/ In this bakery the weekly supply. OF
materials is 500 barrels of flour, $1,000
pounds of butter, &c, 900 pounds offlard,
30 barrels OF, sugar, 25 barrels of mo-
Flasses,s 10 barrels of curTants, together
with eggHs honey, cornstarch and other
necessary ingredients. The mixing of
the dough, the rolling and the stamping
are done by machine. s
/ The mixing-machine is on the second
Floor of the building. One shoot lead
| ing into the mixer, whichgis a large
wooden cylinder supplies the proper
| proportion of flour, another supplies
the milk, another the sugar, another
| the water, etc. In the mixer there are
| three spoons or bars revolving alter
nately, which thoroughly mix the dough.
| 1t is then taken to the floor above.
where row of boxes. is placed, in one
of which the dough is put. to ''rise. -
When ready for baking, it is taken
again to tile floor below, unless it is to
be used in making soft crackers. Here
lit is placed on large trays, and as the
workmen knead it, they slice off large
| pieces of the dough and place it in a
rolling machine. It is rolled four or
five times until it becomes of the
lsproper thickness, and is ensplaced on
theA1cracker-making machine. Before
reaching the die it is passed beneath
another roller, and at either side of the
tray on which it is placed are knives,
which trim it to the proper shape.
From the roller the sheet of dough runs
oAtC 01Css+ WHICH SulfS QtlH bkfE
crackers and at the same time stamps
the name or other device and makes
the ,'pinzholes,n ~ In stamping square
crackers, such as soda biscuits, there is
ksbut little waste, but in cutting out.
other shapes. fully one-haf of the
dough is not used. The finished shapes
and waste material are passed upon a.
cloth roller, an iron bar with a toothed
edge being SO set, at short distance
from the die, that as they pass upon
kanother cloth band the crackers are
pushed down upon the original roller,
being thence carried, to thesend of the
machine, where they fall upon the
trays, which, as soon as they are full,
are put upon the swinging shelves in.
the .sreel oven The trimmings
are taken up and again passed through
the. machine. This same plan Is pur-
gsued IN making all hard crackers, the
quantity and kinds of Ingredients, to-
gether with the favoring used, varying
according to the special variety to be
made from the dough
: On the third floor the soft crackers,
such as 1naccaroons, lady fingers, but
Aterscotch, honey-cake, etc, are made.
-Four mixers for the dough of which
these are made are placed on this floor.
These goods are. baked in square ovens.
Some of the finer varieties Of crackers
are made BY hand, but others even of
these are made by ingeniously contrived
machinery. The reporter stood by and
saw the method of making s.cocoant1t-
drop cake. y A tray placedin an1achine
moved under an uprig treceptacle filed
with the soft dough forming the BODY
of the cake. This was fed through five
tor six holes, slowly dropping upon the
pan. Another n1ant then took the pan, and
turning it upside down pressed the soft
cakes upon a surface of dessieated
cocoanut spread on a sheetresting upon
water in tank. The cakes were then
placed in one of the square ovens. and
in less than five minutes the reporter
had positive knowledge that cocoa
nut-arop cake is y delicious morsel.
i The fruit, for sfruit-crackers, the re-
porter was assured, is the best quality
of dried ctirrants. They are washed
and dried, and are then carefully picked
over by boys and all imperfections re-
moved. To make fruit crackers the
process is much the same as with other
hard crackers. The. dough is rolled
thinner than usual, a layer of .curralats
is spread over it, another layer OF dough
is placed ever the eurrants, and the
whole is then placed upon the cracker
making machine. One of the newest
and most peculiar designs Is the ssehar-
coal cracker, in. which small pro-
portion of chareoalis mixed with dough.
This variety is In considerable demand
by dyspeptfcs, for whom also oatmeal
and graham crackers are made
On1the upper floors the crackers are
packed In barrels and in tin eases. The
practice of packing in cases is RAPIDLY
growing. Some OF these tins have
glass fronts to display the contents.
Others are made wholly of tin, and
these are now coming more into favor
with groeefs and dealers, the returned
empty cases being thoroughly eleansed
IN large tanks of boiling water and
otherwise made fit for refillfnp.a4N.. =.
sAss a8 4sa--4sses4ss p-4-a-.--- SOS Z
What are Enowvnl Gas bead dresses
appear TO abe m hfSif favor ~ T,S,,sy