The Republican journal., 1896-12-10
Where Pies Are Made.
An Establishment That Turns Out Thousands of
Them,

eff you want to see something interest
ing he said, "come with me. 1t will
make your mouth water if you have a
taste for sweets, and in addition it will
give you an insight into business that
has reached immense proportions within
the last ten years. Down this street,
and up the next, and up a long flight of
stairs, to an Office where the lucky num-
Der of thirteen misses were at work. This
was the initial bow to the largest pie fac
tory in the whole of Gotham, and for that
matter the entire country. Here it is that
an average of Is, 900 pies are turned out
every day of the week except Friday
when the figures go over the 20, 600 mark,
because OF the demands for Sunday. Pies,
little and big, and in all conditions of pre-
paration, are to be seen here, and the
average office boy or down town ''clark"
would imagine himself in pie heaven were
he to get into this establishment.
ASK the most experienced housewife
and she will readily testify to the state
ment that it is no easy matter to make ?
first class pie. Pie making is easy with
the young bride only. Still, in this big
factory spoken of, it really does seem a
simple atfair-the putting together of
fruit and dough-because the workmen 60
through the performance in Empire State
express order; but it is practice and ex-
perence with them rather than personal
pleasure. To make a pie correctly, as
well as digestiyely, it is necessary to re-
sort to tour processes.
lake, tor instance, mince pie. The
work OF preparing the filing is the first
, undertaking, and then in regular order
hat
the pie and baking it. Contrary to some
ideas, it is essential to the welfare of the
aforesaid pie that the meat required be of
a superior kind. This obtained, it is con-
signed to an immense steam tacketed cop
pei kettle that has the capacity of a medi-
UNI sized barrel. In this way it is cook
ed, and then intrusted to the beneficial
graces Of an enormous chopping machine,
that does its work as finely as projectile
from a twelve-i inch gun might do with a
wooden fence. Next come for attention
the beef suet, apples, citron, currants,
spices and finally the brandy, and these
| are mixed with the mincemeat by another
machine, and are sent to the filler. While
the mincemeat is being mixed with the
other mix ture, another force of men are
engaged i'll preparing the crust. This
force of men work before an immense
trough, and are rugged out in clothes of
immaculate white, with bare arms as
powdered with flour as the hair on their
beads. The trough is partly filled with
flour, and shortening or lard is worked
into it by the white workmen. Water
that has been specially iced is worked in
to the mixture in the trough. and the
whole thing soon takes on quite a dough-
like appearance
This dough is taken TO another force of
men, who roll it out into thin slices and
place it on tin plates This operation is
perhaps the quickest of any of the pro-
cesses. The men go through the noun
tain of dough like wind through sand
hill. Quicker than it takes to tell the
white-covered tins are delivered to the
tiller-in, and no army of old topers ever
filled in as rapidly as do they. All
use long handled di, per which has
capacity just sufficient to fill one pie.
With this dipper in one hand and the
dough covered tin plate in the other the
filler in dips the dipper into the barrel of
filling alongside of him. raises it in the
air and with a graceful movement of his
wrist turns it into the waiting plate
This accomplished, everything is ready
for the oven. The latter is a gigantic
thing operated much on the style of the
Ferris wheel. Suspended by its axle above
red hot fire, is a wheel about II feet
long and Ii inches in diameter. Eight
iron platforms are hung from the rims of
this wheel, and upon these platforms the
pies are placed. The manner of suspen-
sion is such that the pies always remain
horizontal. One of the platforms is
always over the opening in the oven.
The attendants cover the platform with
pies and the wheel is then TUNED until
the next platform comes into view. which
in like manner is filled. This is continued
until the eight platforms have been cover
ed. The next turn brings into view the
first lot put in, all baked to nicely. They
are then removed and the platform filled
again. Again the wheel turns and an
other army Of baked pies is presented and
removed. This continues hour after
hour 50 long as the demand lasts. An
average of about LOO pies are baked
hourly over this oven The pie factory
is great institution. New York Mail
and Express.
Mice Pie on the Bill,