Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-01-31
CRACKERS FOR THE WORLD.
American Manufacturers Far Ahead oi
Their Rivals In Any Land.

American Manufacturers Far Ahead of
Their Rivals in Any Land.
Few people, said large cracker
and biscuit manufacturer .know how
the various kinds of biscuits they so
often eat are manufactured, or the vast
amount of business, that is done in this
line. ;,
HAS the business grown latelyP'
1T has assumed during the past few
years immense proportions, and now we
are able to compete with any country
in the world in this line. =
ITO what do you attribute this great
success?o
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 England,
they on that side being fas in advance
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 long time we were unable to
produce was the sugar wafer. We have
recently placed this article in the mar
ket, and superior one to that produced
in the old country. Then, through our
machines, we are able to sell biscuits
that twelve years ago sold at twenty
five cents pound for fifteen cents. y
The reporter and manufacturer
ascended the stairs leading to the top
of the factory. The latter stated that
in this factory not any of the material
was touched by hand until the biscuit
was baked and ready for packing;
that six hundred barrels of flour 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, lis where we begin
operations, and from here until the bis
cult is baked is one continual process.
With these machines we grind the vari-
Gus ingredients we use. This (pointing
to large sieve) is for sitting 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 wide and three deep. Here
| the various ingredients used in the man
ufacture were mixed together, but only
lightly, as it is placed in another trough
| of similar size through which large
piece of twisted steel is turned; this is a
mixer. After it is well mixed it is turned
into another shaft and lowered to the
fhf,G
to press the dough under very heavy
rollers, answering the same purpose as
the cooks rolling-pin. This is done a
| 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"
''How fast does the stamping machine
! workP''
Zone hundred and five stamps q
| minute, and we have stamp that will
| cut sixty-eight biscuits each stamp; that
makes I. 140 biscuits in one minute. y
"How long are the biscuits in balz.
s.Stay a moment. First look at the
ovens. We have done away with the
4 old-fashioned tiled ovens. These are
four-story high with walls three fee
thick. They took as much brick tc
build as would build a large tenement
house. At each floor is a large whee
| just like a paddle-wheel, only the pad
dies are swung on sWivels, and remain
in the same position all the time. One
shelf is filled with biscuits to bake anC
then lowered and the next one flied
and SO we GO on until the first ont
comes round cooked. Then they ART
pulled off into this chute and placed il
baskets. -
''What is the heat of the oven?"
1T varies from four hundred to si1
hundred degrees. The men are so wei
informed that they know if it is thu
right heat directly they place thei
hands in it. The biscuits take two min
utes and half to bake. The fires ar
never put out. !"
What is the next processp'
''The biscuits are sent up to the pack
| ing-room, where they are placed in til
boxes, sealed up, labeled, and read,
| for export.
! How many different kinds do yo1
make?"
"Over three hundred, both sweet an,
dry, from the navy bread to the suga
waters. IN Z. Mail and Express.