Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-20
A LARGE BAKESHOP.
1T TURNS OUT TWENTY MILLION
LOAVES OF BREAD A YEAR.

Two Thousand Barrels of Flour Consumed
Each WeelI-IIou' Machinery Is Used In
Making Brcad-An Army of Night Work
ers In the Zig brooklyn Concern.
The largest soft bread bakery in the
world is located in Belfast, while the
next most extensive plant Of tho kind
is located in Brooklyn. What is meant by
the term "soft" bread bakery is that moth
ing but bread is baked on the promises.
Crackers, sea biscuits, pies, cakes ana the
almost endless variety of products Of The
average bakoshop are not made in this
establishment, which is located at the COR
ner of Harrison avenue and Rutledge
street.
Some idea of the magnitude of the bust
ness can be had from the statement that
from its 40 ovens the product of 2, 900 bar-
rels of flour is distributed each week in this
city, New York and the vicinity. This is
at the rate Of 104, 900 barrels per annum
and signifies the baking of So, 600 loaves Of
bread per day, 1892 600 loaves per week,
1,736, 600 per month and the enormous to-
tai of 20, 44O, 600 loaves every year.
The employees of this establishment,
with the exception of few who knead and
bake the rye bread output, arc included in
the great army of night workers, who toll
while the average citizen is resting from
the labors Of the day. To partially supply
the million of people who do not make
their own bread, but who depend upon the
baker for the staff of life, over 300 people
are employed in the various departments.
So quietly and systematically is the work
performed that the casual passcrby, hear
ing no noise, and seeing no evidence of
stir about tho promises can form no AIDE
quate idea of the busy sccne which takes
place nightly beneath his very feet, nor
can he conceive tho appearance of the place
when the white aproncd bakers are at
work.
Tho first relay of workmCn makes its APP
pearanco at O'Clock in the morning.
These are the men who set the sponge for
the following nights work. At $3.50 the
men who work exclusively on rye bread
come on duty and remain until in tho
afternoon These two gangs constitute
the entire day force To these men is dele
gated the duty of getting everything in
readiness for large force of bakers who
make their appearance ut . p. m, when
the real work of the establishment may be
said to begin. The flour, which will soon
come from tho ovens in the various shapes
so well known to the consumers, has been
siftCd in the stOrCrOOms overhead. Follow
ing this it passes through the several
acrating machines and is sent below,
through several great chutcs, which lead
to various sections of the baEcshop floor
in the basement. Hero it is again put in
barrels, where it is left to settle and cool
until it reaches the proper condition to be
run through the mixing machines.
The sponge, which has been set during
the day, is distributed in long, deep wood
en- trougbs, situated in localities convenient
to the work benches. Its transfer to and
from the mixers is one OF the most inter-
esting details of the entire breadmaking
process. Every thrifty housewife knows
the consistency of bread sponge, but can,
with difficulty, realize that it requires the
services of several stalwart men and large
cart to carry the sponge of ono baking
from the trough to the machines. This
cart contains possibly 500 pounds of solid,
unwieldy bread dough, which Is dumped
into a revolving cylinder, the interior of
which has been treated precisely as the
housewife treats her shining pans when
about to bake batch Of bread. Whon the
sponge is once in the mixer, the various
ingredients, including milk, water and
salt, are exactly and carefully added, and
the mass is allowed to stand for a few mo-
ments when it is ready for the flour. Again
would the average housewife be astonished
at the manner in which the flour is added
to the sponge.
No scoop, dipper, pan or pail would
answer the requirements Of this gigantic
sponge. Strong men pick up an open bar
rel and toss the entire contents into the