Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-03-19
CRACKERS FoRTHE WORLD
American manufacturers Far Ahead OF
Their Rivals in Any Land.

American manufacturers Far Ahead OF
Their Rivals in Any Land.
Few people," said a large cracker
and biscuit manufacturer of this city to
2 reporter for The Mail and Express,
''know how the various kinds of bis
cults they so often eat are manufac-
tured, or the vast amount of business
that is done in this line"
Has the business grown lately?"
1T 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.
ITO what do you attribute this great
SUGGEST"
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 far 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 a 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 pro-
duced in the old country. Then, through
our machines, we are able to sell bis
cults that y years ago sold at % cents
a pound for 10 cents.
The reporter and the manufacturer
assembled 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
were baked and ready for packing; that
six hundred barrels of flour alone were
used, and large quantities of such ma
terials as ginger, lard, sugar, currants,
etc.
This" said the merchant, on reach
ING the top floor, sis where we begin
operations, and from here until the bis
cult is baked is one continual process.
With these machines we grind the va
rious ingredients we use. This (point-
ing to a 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 trough about fifteen
feet long, three wide and three deep.
Here the various ingredients used in
the manufacture were mixed together,
but only lightly, as it is placed in anoth-
er trough of similar size through which
a large piece of twisted steel is turned;
this is mixer. After it is well 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 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 ma
chine work?''
Zone hundred and fifty stamps a
minute, and we have stamp that will
cut sixty-eight biscuits each stamp;
that makes Z, 40 biscuits in one min
ute
How long are the biscuits in bak-
ingP"
''Stay a moment. First look at the
ovens. We have done away with the
old-fashiOned tiled ovens. These are
four-stories high with walls three feet
thick. They took as much 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 sWiyels, and remain
in the same position all the time. One
shelf is filled with biscuits to bake and
then lowered and the next one filled,
and so we 90 on until the first one
comes round cooked. Then they are
pulled off into this chute and placed in
baskets"
''What is the heat of the oven?"
''It varies from 400 to 600 degrees.
The men are so we'll informed that they
know if it is the right heat directly they
1.laoe their hands in it. The biscuits
take two minutes and half to bake.
The fires are never put out"
"What is the next process?"
1.-The biscuits are sent up to the pack
ing-room, where they are placed in tin
boxes, sealed up, labelled, and ready
for export"
How many different kinds do you
make?"
Cover 800, both sweet and dry,
the navy bread to the sugar waters. .
Ne10 York HAL and Cypress.