The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-01
HOW CHEWING GUM IS MADE.
An Interesting Expedition TO n Fac
tory That Turns Out Sweetened
"ChfcIe."

An interesting GNpeultiOn 10 n rae
tory That Turns Out sweetened
"ChicIe."
From the st. Louis Republic.
The manufacture of chewing gum. which
until the last few months was exclusive
ly an American industry, is decidedly of
more Importance than the average and
casual buyer of the little packages Of
glutinous substances imagines.
There are twenty-five large chewing gum
factories in the United States-to say
nothing of the smaller ones-each employ
ing no less than 300 people. the greater
number being women, making the total
of all engaged directly in the factories
in this work 1900. But these figures 10
not by any means cover the entire num-
| Der of people in the United States that
! are engaged in this business, for accord
| ing to even a rough estimate, there are
$4,000 or 5000 people earning a liveli-
hood in one way or another with their
respective connections with the making
selling and advertising Of chewing gum.
Though the manufacture of the chewing
gum originated in America, and has re-
manned distinctly American industry for
twenty years, its fame has spread abroad
and last year no less than Sl,000OO0 worth
Of different varieties of chewing gum was
exported. Now chewing gum has been
declared mot a patent medicine" on the
other side of the Atlantic, and in future
both England and Germany will make ana
sell at least portion of the gum that is
used In those countries.
The habit of chewing gum has become
widespread in America within compare
lively the past few years. Until old Mr..
Adams-the father and founder of the
Adams Chewing Gum Company of New
York-twenty years or so ago discovered
that Mexican tree, closely allied to the
India-rubber tree, was capable of pro-
ducng a gum that was most satisfactory
to chew, nothing in this line was known
or thought of but spruce gum.
This tree was first imported in 1867, with
a view to it's employment in India-rubber
manufacture, but since the making of
chewing gum has become such an i'm
portant and wealth-yielding industry it
has an enormous value for that reason.
The gum from this tree is called "chicle,"
and from II the greater part of all the
chewing gum in America is made. The
care and propagation of the gum-pro-
ducing tree is now also an important
matter. Most of these trees grow In Mex
leo, Tuxpan being one of the principal
places where their cultivation is car
ried on extensively, and from which dis
trict the greatest amount of ''chlcle' is
obtained.
1t may afford certain amount Of COM
fort, and certainly satisfaction, to those
addicted to the habit of chewing gum,
and who find pleasure in 1t, to know that
in spite of the rather horrifying stories
told of all the impure things that chew
ing gum contains, in reality 1T comprises
but three ingredients: The chicle, or sap
of the Mexican tree, sugar and lavoring
extract.
Chewing gum in its crude state appears
something like great, rough stones.
g sS~l-a II
color and one can easily bite or break
off pieces which, when cnewed, form the
same substance as the finished chewing
gum only minus the havoring. This
shows that it is not dependent upon any
thing but its own original quality to sus-
tain 1t in its proper consistency.
The making of the rough and lumpy
gum into the neat little squares and strips
that one can buy at almost every street
corner or store is simple enough. as far
as the main points are concerned, but
interesting.
First the chicle is ground into powder
and put into porcelain kettles, holding IS
gallons each and boiled ror three hours
over a slow fire of coke a syrup Of white
powder as soon as it is put on the fire.
All the kettles used in the twenty-five
factories before alluded to have capacity
of not less than eighteen gallons and
eighteen of such kettlefuls are turned out
every day, thus making daily output of
324 gallons apiece, or the total number of
gallons for the twenty-five factories not
less than 500. This amounts to almost
900 gallons year. which. when re-
duced to it's marketable shape and size,
forms an enormous amount of goods 10
handle. and il seems almost incredible
that ready sale is found for II all, but
such is the case.
When the boiling mass has reached the
sugar and water being mixed with the
nroper consistency II is poured from the
treat kettles on 10 long, white marble
slabs. where before IL cools. II is rolled
into the desired final thickness by enor-
nously heavy steel rollers, manipulated
Nv steam Sharp knives, also governed
bv steam or other motive power, cut the
fat sheet Of gum into uniform squares,
circles or strips, as the case may be.
After the gum Is thoroughly oooled-it