Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-26
HOW CRACKERS ARE MADE.
Dough Machine That Handles Six
Barrels OF Flour at Once-Dies Gut
ting All Sorts of Thinos

A Dough Machine That Handles Six
Barrels OF Flour at Once-Dies Gut
ting All Sorts of Things
Here IS where the beginning is
made" said the cracker maker, as
usherlng Denver Tribune -Republi-
can reporter downstairs into the
bowels of the earth he pointed out
huge iron cylinder IN one corner, IN
to which some genius from above was
letting down foar as fast as a man
beside the machine could take care of
1T. The cylinder was what is known
as barrel mixer, and could work at
once dough containing six barrels of
-four. 1t had an open, rectangular
mouth into which the -four was slfted
down through a chute above as it was
wanted, and within were two hollow
shafts of equal length revolving in
opposite directions on q single core
shaft axis, and on which the cylinder
turns when it is to be emptied of it's
load. Perpendicular arms from these
shafts thoroughly mix the water and
flour, or sponge" as it is called.
which is the first operation in manu-
facture. Two lines of betting work
the shaftlng. 1t requires but twelve
minutes on an average to work UP a
batch Of sponge, which is gotten out
by turning the mixer three fourths
way and pulling the sponge out into
long, vat-lke tubs on wheels, holding
half batch apiece. These watts are
only half filled, as the sponge is left
to work over night, SO that in the
morning 1t is not unusual to find
vat running over. The aerated sponge
is thea tumbled back into the mixer.
and after few minutes working over
it becomes the regular article of
dough.
This machine is a wonderful help
for bakers, as with one man it does.
In the twelve minutes stated, what it
would take three men three-fo1rths
of an hour to accomplish, and half
kill them at that.
For plain sponge goods, the ingre-
dents ia this ''half stock" as paper
makers would call it, are the flour,
water, fine lard, salt, and bicarbonate
of soda; but it is only with soda-crack-
er stock that the sponge dough is
used. For sweet goods the mixing is
a single process. 1t is also at this
stage Of manufacture that spices,
fruits, sweet-meats, and other allur-
ing and palatable things go into the
goods. And 1t is here that the making
OF fancy crackers is full of secret
mlxlngs, some of these having re-
quired months of experimenting and
large OUTLAWS of money in their per-
lection. For this reason, weights and
mixtures are carefully guarded from
prylng eyes, especially from compe-
titors.
From the mixing machine, it is but
step to the kneaders, known as first
and second brakes. Each of these
consists ofatwo smoothTand parallel
iron rollers, set at such a distance
apart as the desired thickness of the
dough sheets may call for. The first
brake is in the cellar with the mixer,
SO that the dough is led directly to this
brake from the dough watts. The
sheets are sent up stairs and fed
through the second brake preparatory
to running through the cutting ma
chimes. These brakes" are some
what analogous to the brake and
fnisher of woolen-mill "set," which
cloth men will readily recognize.
These machines can be turned by
hand or steam power as may De de-
sired, or some fancy coughs of pc
culiar mixing require hand power;
and they take the place OF the first in
kneading. After the finishing brake
has polished off the dough into finish
ed sheets of a regulation width the
stock is then started On the cutting
machine. The dough is here carried
by an endless cloth carrier and fed by
a regulation attachment to another
endless cloth carrier belt below,
whence it passes under the cutter dies.
Here whatever form the cracker
is to take is stamped out, and
just beyond the dies the cracker
stock passes under rack like machine
set with the dip toward the belt, and
which picks up the skeletoped dough,
carrying it over into g. receptacle,
whence it is taken to be kneaded over
again into dough stock.
One boy keeps inserting wire trays
about three feet long at the end of the
carrier belting, and another boy furth-
er along moves the pan out rs the
bSAblAS oloPo GhC 6LoSh upOh it4c
pans. Each cutting machine is worth
from $500 to $1,000, and the one re-
ferred to can take care Of stock reQuir-
ing $50 sacks of flour in twenty-four
hours.
AS fast as the pans are filed the,
are set On the swing shelves of the
ovens, where single revolution of
the pans, requiring on the average
three minutes for the baking of all
goods. There are two ovens in this
establishment of ten and twelve pan
capacity. The first is ten feet wide
by twenty-five high, and the latter is
sixteen feet wide by twent y four high,
and the shelves are three feet wide by
ten and sixteen feet long. These
shelves upon which the pans are plac-
ed are on an iron skeleton wheel
which, revolves, with the shelves re-
naming, of course. horizontal.
The cooked goods are then carried
over to the packing table, where the
best are selected and packed in boxes