The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-01
q In 4 Cracker FACTORY.

| A reporter recently ms ected thf
workings of the largest cracker bakery
in New York. q If this factory is a fail
sample of what is togbe seen in aothe,
| bakeries, there is no cause fol-. the mos
fastidious housewife to fear that III
crackers she places before her gn6sfs
are not clean and wholesome. On The
second floor of the. building there are
five reel or cylinder ovens, These
ovens, about twenty feet in diameter,
! 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 revolyes slowly, lowering the next
tray into position. Thus the wheel is
kept in 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 600 barrels of flour, 5000
pounds of butter, 20,000pounds of lard,
80 barrels of sugar, Is barrels of mo
ldSS6Ss IL IOlo VI lODpTnef
with eggs, honey, cornstarch and other
necessary ingredients. The mixing of
the dough, the rolling and the stamping
are done by machine; ,-5
The mixing-machine is on the second
floor of the building, One shoot lead
ing into the mixer, which is large
wooden cylinder, supplies the PROPER
rorOnnrtinn of Hnnr onnthar cnnDlip,
the milk, another the sugar, another
the water, etc. In the mixer there are
three spoons or bars revolving alter
nately, which thoroughly mM,the dough.
1t is then taken to the floor above,
where a row of boxes is placed, in one
Of which the dough is put to ''rise. "
When ready for baking, it is taken
again to the floor below, unless it is to
be used in making soft crackers. Here
it is placed on large. trays, and as the
workmen knead it, they slice off large
pieces of the dough and place it in q
rolling machine. 1t is rolled four or
five times until it becomes of the
proper thickness, and Is then placed on
the cracker 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
under the die, which cuts out the
crackers and at the same time stamps
the name or other deyice and makes
the "pin-holes. In stamping square
crackers, such as soda biscuits, there is
but little waste. but, in cutting out
other shapes fully one-half 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 beng SO set, at short distance
from the die, that as. they pass upon
another cloth band the crackers are
pushed down upon the original roller,
being thence carried to the end of the
machine, where they fall upon the
trays, which, as soon as they are full,
are put upon the swinging shelves in
the ''reel'' oven. The trimmings"
are taken up and again passed through
the machine. This same plan is pur-
sued in making all hard crackers, the
quantity and kinds of ingredients, to-
gether with the flavoring used, varying
according to the special variety to b
made from the dough. q. .' .. Z.
On the third floor the soft crackers,
such as maccaroons, lady inners but.
terscotch, honey-cake. ETC., are made.
Four mixers for the douoh 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 inpeniouslv contrived
machinery. The re9orter stood bv and
saw the method of making ..cocoannt-
drop cake" A trav placed in amachine
moved under an UPRIGHT recentacIe filed
with the soft doiGh7 formino. the hodv
of the cake. This was fed t6rouob five
or six holes, Slowly dropping un0n the
pan. Another man then tool9fhe nan. and
turning it upside down pressed the soft
cakes upon a surface of dessicated
cocoanut spread on sheetrestino upon
water in tank. The, cakes were then
placed in one of the, SQUARE ovens. and.
in less than five minutes the renorter
had positive knowledGe that . Cocoa
nut-drop cake il q ,delicions ,n6rsal =
rsTBa frniig fo,i tstr;f J,oa,.o,ai ~ -,
porter wasIassnn1S il tho bost pn '.1 in
of dried entrants = Th I, a uvs0 qa @,ea
ond - 1u III f'ii w.. lleY are oaShea