Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-05-15
HOW CRACKERS ARE MADE,
Hundreds of Women Are Employed
In the Business.


Knowing that the general impress
sion of the public regarding the ma
ture of a bakery is that of dark,
underground room, wherein is located
an oven, in which everything is baked,
a New York Recorder representative
inspected one OF the largest cracker
factories in the city. He says:
The first department visited was the
sample room. Here are arranged
and displayed under glass over 500
different kinds of crackers, waters and
biscuits-the product of these vast
works. The arrangement is so unique
and handy that, should you desire to
sample any particular kind OF biscuit,
it is but the work of minute 10 do 80
"A small "active" stock being kept
behind the framed sample.
We then entered the next depart
ment, where over twenty people we're
busily shipping goods to Mexico, South
America and the West Indies, to
which points enormous quantities are
sent daily.
The tin manufacturing department
was next visited. This is large room,
covering a space of 230x1O0 feet,
where 5000 large cracker cans are
made each day. The very finest
quality OF charcoal tin plate is used,
and great care is exercised in the
manufacture. so that every can is per-
feet. The machines are almost hui
man in their action, and it is simply
punch, and the sides are locked and
crimped ready for use. In this room
all the cans are received that have
been returned from the grocers and
dealers to be refilled. Before being
used again, however, the greatest care
is exercised to have them scrupulously
clean. Every can is thoroughly ex-
amined, placed in boiling water,
scraped and cleaned, then passed
through dry steam chamber. They
are finally passed into the hands of
the polisher, who, by means of revolv.
ing wheels, removes all traces of rust
or dirt on the outside.
In the packing department 1 found
25O women busily packing boxes and
barrels in numerous styles and shapes.
The marvellous dexerity of these peo-
pie is bewildering, and, notwithstand-
ing the rapidity OF their handling of
goods, all imperfect pieces are thrown
aside.
The mixing room came next. II
contains an endless number OF me-
chanical mixers, any one OF which will
accomplish in ten minutes what for
merly would have taken three men an
hour and half to accomplish by the
old method. Besides, the mixers do
the work more thoroughly-they do
not allow the life of the dough to be
lost. These mixers vary in size from
from three to seven-barrel capacity,
and all that is necessary to do is to
place in a mixer the flour, salt, butter
and other ingredients which enter into
the composition OF a biscuit, turn the
machine upright, attach belt, and
come back in ten minutes, and your
dough is ready. The dough is then
taken in trucks to chute, where it
passes to the floor below and is rolled
into sheets and baked at once. This
baking floor alone is capable of taking
care OF the product OF 800 barrels OF
flour per day.
Next we entered the bakery proper,
a bright. CHEEKY room, full of various
kinds OF machines for rolling, cutting
and spreading the dough preparatory
to baking. The machines for making
oyster crackers stamps out 1000 per
minute.
The baking ovens are located in the
wall OF the building, and are kept at a
temperature which is regulated by
mechanism. The goods are baked on
. wheel made somewhat similar to the
we'll known Ferris wheel, which is re-
volved before q fiery furnace slow or
fast, according to the product to be
baked.
The factory is lighted by electric
lights. When I entered the -four
vault l thought that preparation was
being made for a siege-20,OO0 barrels
were standing here ready to be used.
and this quantity is seldom reduced.
owing TO the immense demands made
on it by the factory proper.
ALFRED ALLENDER, who was crushed