Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-10-20
A GRAIN Or WHEAT.
flow 81 IL Treated Bcfore IL becomes
| Flour.

now 81 IL Treated Before IL becomes
Flour.
One who has never been IN a flour.
ing mi / Of the largest size cannot re-
allie what peculiar lot Of noises are
made by the machinery. AS soon as
the wheat enters the machine from
the long spout which brings IL down
from the upper floors, 1t falls between
two rollers Of irOn-''chilled" iron
they call II, and very hard iron It 10,
too One OF these rollers revolves
rapidly. the other more slowly, in or.
der that the separation OF the coat, or
bran, from the kernel may be more
easily accomplished. The wheat
passes between rollers separated just
enough to allow the coat to he
crushed. 1t is then carried away uC
to the top OF the mill again, to q
room where the sun vainly tries tn
shine In through the tour coated
windows far above the citys roofs.
1t next passes over a wire eve whic!l
separates the bran from the kernel
proper.
This bran. which contains much Of
che flour material, again passes dowc
and Is ground once more, this process
being repeated four times, making
five grindings, each one finer than
the one preceding It. Each time the
fibrOus or bran portions are more
completely separated, and at last the
bran comes Oat clear, brow nish husk
with every particle Of flour removed.
The inside part OF the kernel has
meanwhile been going through very
interesting process. After the first
grinding or breaking, II passes to q
big six.sidcd revolving reel covered
with q fine wire netting or sieve.
Through this reel the timer portions
of the kernel pass. coming out In
what Is called "midd .ings,' a granu.
lated mass which goes back to the
rollers for another crushing. This
process is repeated through five reels,
all but the FIRST being Of silk. Tho
last one has one hundred and twenty
threads TO the lineal inch. The
flour which comes out OF the fifth
reel. while white In hue, Is yet not Ol
the finest or patent" grade, hut IL
classcd ~ ''baker's" or secOnd.grado
Hour.
The middlings above referred to are
purified by an Interesting process.
They are passed over fine wire sieve.
though tho upper part Of which o
strong current OF air Is passed. This
holds In suspense the tiny portions OF
tbrous matter. which may have been
In the flour, and ut last, after this
process of neutrality-suspicious. has
been very carefully carried out, the
hour appears u spOtlcsS snowy white
the "patent" flour, as 1t Is called.
In the process or grinding In this
gradual and repeated way, the germ
OF the wheat, u tiny particle about
the size Of mustard seed, Is sepa.
rated from the white -four 1t Is what
one might call the liic.part OF the
wheat. II Ii were ground up, 1t
would not leave the patent flour SO
white and DOwdery, SO II Is separated
In enc Of the sievings, and pa ,ses into
the darker or lower grade -four 1t
contains, however, the hest and most
nutritious part Of the wheat
The last thing that happens to the
pulveriled kernel, before II Is ready
fer market, Is the tlling OF barrels Or
sacks. Down many stor es through
u smooth tube come, the white OF
"patcnt" Hour Under the tube ID
the barrel or the sack, Us tho case
may be. and, o. II begins to Ill, z
steel auger. just the size OF the bar.
rel, bOres down into the flour, packing
1t carefully ana sOlidly beneath tho
broad DladeA