New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-03-25
CRACKERS FOR THE WORLD.

CRACKERS FOR THE WoRLD.
American Manufacturers Far Ahead Of Their
Rivals in Any Land.
..Few people, = said large cracker
and biscuit manufacturer of this city
to reporter for The Mall and Egpress,
''know how the various kinds of bis
cults they SO often eat are manufact-
ured, or the vast amount of business
that is done in this line.''
HAS the business grown lately ?''
cit has assumed during the past few
years immense proportions, and now
we are able to compete. with any coun-
try in the world in this line.''
TO what do you attribute this great
success?''
principally to machinery and the
care we have taken to place before the
market good and pure articles. A few
years ago we used to import in large
quantities sweet biscuits from Eng
land, they on that side being far in ad-
vance of us in their manufacture, but
to-day we export to London, and, in
fact, to all parts of the world. The
last biscuit that for a long time we
were unable to produce was the sugar
wafer. We have recently placed this
article in the market, and superior
one to that produced in the old coun-
try. Then, through our machines, we
are able to sell biscuits that twelve
years ago sold for Is cents pound for
Is cents
The reporter and the manufacturer
ho or S~o1 ao 20
of the factory. The latter stated that
in this factory not any of the material
was touched by hand until the biscuit
were baked and ready for packing;
that six hundred barrels of -four alone
were used, and large quantities of such
materials as ginger, lard, sugar, cur
rants, etc.
''This," said the merchant, on reach
ing the top floor, sis where we begin
operations, and from here until the
biscuit is baked, is one continual pro-
cess. With these machines we grind
the various ingredients we use. This
(pointing to a large sieve) is for sift-
ing the flour, and after that operation
it is placed in this shaft and shot
down to the next floor, where we will
follow it. This shaft was made simply
OF canvas, and on the same principle
as the shaft in the grain elevators.
The end of the shaft came into a
trough about fifteen feet long three
feet wide AID three deep. Here the
various ingredients used in the manu-
facture were mixed together, but only
lightly, as it is placed in another
trough of a similar size through which
large piece of twisted steeli is turned;
this is mixer. After it is we'll mixed
it is turned into another shaft and low
cred to the next floor. Here the first
operation IS to press the dough under
very heavy rollers, answering the
same purpose as the cook rolling pin.
This is done great number of times
until it is rolled to about half an inch
in thickness, when it is passed into the
last machine before the oven"
Chow fast does the stamping ma
chine work?"
Zone hundred and five stamps a
minute, and we have stamp that will
cut sixty-eight biscuits each stamp;
that makes Z, 140 biscuits in one min
ute.''
''How long are the biscuits bakings''
''Stay moment First look at the
ovens. We have done away with the
oldfashioned tiled ovens. These are
four-stories high with walls three feet
thick. They took as pnuch brick to
build ;as would build large tenement
house. At each floor is large wheel
just like paddlewheel, only the pad
dies are swung on swivels, and remain
I'm the same position all the time. One
shelf is filled with biscuits to bake and
then lowered and then the next one
filled, and SO we go on until the first
one comes round cooked. Then they
are pulled off inte this chute and
placed in baskets
.''What is the heat of the even?''
'''It varies from 400 to 600 degrees.
The men are so well informed that
they know if it is the right heat direct
ly they place their hands in it. The
biscuits take two minutes and half
to bake. The Gres are never put
out"
"What is the next processp''
1.-The biscuits are sent up to the
:packing-room, where they are placed
in the tin boxes, sealed up, labelled,
and ready for export. -
''.How many different kinds do you
makep''
cover 800, both sweet and dry, from
the navy bread to the sugar waters. -
-zNea0 York Matt and Express.
Trailed by BloOdh0unds.
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