The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-12
FROZEN SWEETS,
How Ice Cream Brick. arc Turned Out by
the Ton.


How 1oo Cream Bricks arc Turned Out b,
the Ton.
Opening into one Of the streets OIL
New York, says the Sun, is the mouth
of a vast underground cavern. From
the yawning orifice blasts OF polar-like
air are steadily emitted. An exeloring
expedition from the Sun Office recently
penetrated these depths.
On the main floor OF the cavern many
men were at work. Round about was
an imposing array of stout looking iron.
clad cans containing pure cream, cooled
almost to the point oil freezing. And il
was ready to be frozen, too. The cavern
was MI ice cream factory-the largest Of
its kind in New York city, and prob.
ably in these United States.
Some OF the men were preparing the
rich, pure, raw cream Tor the freGzers.
After having been properly favored
with expressed fruit juices the huge
cans, not quite filled, yet containing
several gallons Of cream, were conveyed
to the whipping wheels. There blades
or whippers were inserted in the cans,
the covers were tightly clamped on,
and steam power brought to bear upon
the machinery. This started with an
ear.rasping squeak and subdued roar
which was quickly succeeded by a crush.
ing, grinding noise as the cans werC
whirled about in their beds OF ice and
the .whippers did their work.
From the whppers the cream Is
passed to the hands Of expert brick
makers, who work at long, wide table.
How their hands fly us they load he
molds! How their white.capped heads
bob about and their spotless aprons
futter us they bend all their energies
to their work! Deity, layer upon
layer of cream is laid in the zinc
couches. One man quickly but neatly
dashes in a quantity OF water ice and
some vanilla cream. The receptacle is
passed to another workman and he,
with equal dexterity, adds strawberry
and chocolate creams in sections, clasps
on the cover tightly, and buries it in
salt and ice in corpulent looking
freezer at his elbow. There the tenn
perature is eight degrees below zero,
and there that little brick OF cream re-
poses until it is frozen solid.
Next the freezers containing the
bricks are rolled around to the opposite
side OF the table. As fast as one man is
oble to remove the zinc molps another
takes them from his hands. At his
side is d cask OF hot water. Into this
lie plunges the brick and gives it ter
rible scalding, although OF only a mo-
ment's duration. II is, however, sulli-
cient TO cause the brick to relax its
hold OH its coffin, and when the expert
sharply raps the metal upon the table
the brick, in beautifully varigtted col
ors, drops upon the table glistening
oblong square Of sweets. az.
Instantly the expert .seizes it, and
with flashing speed, but unerring accu.
racy, places it on the bed Of n queer lit
tie machine which is called a sliccr.
One downward movement OF lever,
and six set knives cut the brick into six
equal portions. These toothsome bits
are handed to other men, who quickly
wrap them in white paper overcoats, fit
them into pnsteboarl boxes, and they
are then passed to still other men, who
pack them away in great storage tanks,
where the weather is like Manitoban
midwinter. Then they are ready for the
market.