Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-05
ABOUT CHEWING GUM
A Peep Into the Mysteries Of Its Manu-
facture.
ABOUT
GUM
After a Visit to Place Where Gum
is Made n Visitor Tells
All About 1t.
From the st. Louis Republic.

| The manufacture of chewing gum, which
until the last few months was exclusively
| 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 moth
ing of the smaller ones-each employing no
less than 300 people, the greater number
being women, making the total of all en-
gagged directly in the factories in this work
$500. But these figures do not by any
means cover the entire number Of people
in the United States that are engaged in
this business. for according to even a
rough estimate, there are 25,0OO or $4,000
people earning a livelihood 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-
for twenty years, it's fame has spread
abroad. and last year no less than 81 100000
worth Of different varieties of chewing gum
was exported Now chewing gum has been
declared mot patent medicine" on the
other side of the Atlantic, and in future
both England and Germany will make and
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-
ducing 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 its employment in India rubber
manufacture, but since the making of
chewing gum has become such an impor
tant and wealth-yielding industry 1t has an
enormous value for that reason. The gum
from this tree is called "chicle," and from
in America is made. The care, and propa-
cation of the gum-producing tree is now
also an important matter. Most of these
trees grow in Mexico, TuXpan being one OF
the principal places where their cultivation
is carried on extensively and from which
district the greatest amount of "chicle' 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 chewing gum
contains, in reality 1t comprises but three
ingredients: The chicle, or sap of the Meg
lean tree, sugar and ffavorfng extract.
Chewing gum in its crude state appears
something like great. rough stones. These
Jumps are of light brownish color and
one can easily bite or break off pieces,
which, when chewed, form the same sub
minus the fiavoring. This shows that 1t Is
not dependent upon anything but its own
original quality to sustain 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 in
teresting.
First the chicle is ground into powder
and put into porcelain kettles, holding
eighteen gallons each and boiled for three
hours over a slow fire of coke.
Al the kettles used in the twenty-five
actories 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
S2l gallons apiece, or the total number OF
gallons for the twenty-five factories not
less than 500. This amounts to almost
100000 gallons year, which, when re-
duced to it's marketable shape and size,
forms an enormous amount of goods to
handle, and 1t seems almost incredible that
ready sale is found for 1t ALL but such Is
the case.
When the boiling mass has reached the
sugar ard water. being mixed with the
proper consistency, 1t is poured from the
great kettles onto long, white marble slabs,
where, before it cools, it is rolled into the
desired final thickness by enormously
heavy steel rollers. manipulated by steam.
Sharp knives, also governed by steam OF
other motive power, cut the nat sheet OF
gum into uniform squares, circles or strips,
i
as the case may be be.
After the gum is thoroughly eooled-it
is never wrapped until the day after 1T is
n,ade-it is turned over to number OF
young women, who, with deft fingers, put
on the little thin paper wrappers and mar
row little bright ribbons that tie into pack
ages the different fruit-1avored CONNECTIONS
for chewing that the enterprising manu-
facturcr turns out.
1t requires men for the cooking and
otherwise preparing the gum, but women
are always employed to pack it, 1t is
very cleanly and really dainty feminine
occupation.
In the large factories hundred or more
girls may be seen seated at long tables,
dressed neatly, and even becomingly and
| when work is done in the evening their
white aprons are almost as fresh as when
donned in the morning, as there is nothing
about the work to soil either their clothes
or hands. A very munifcent salary cannot
| be earned through wrapping gum, though
! 1t pays equally as we'll as many another
! line of work that Is more laborous and
altogether unpleasant. a girl can earn at
| wrapping from 81 to 50 a week. according
! to the rapidity with which she works. Fore
women OF establishments employing
| hundred girls or more are generally paid
salaries of Sl2 per week. There are gener
ally two three forewonen for as large
| number of girls as this.