The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-11
MILLIONS OF CARAMELS.
Enormous Consumption of the Can
dy in the United States.

MILLIONS OF iCARAMELS.
Enormous Consumption of the Can
dy in the United States.
Ninety percent of all the caramels made
in this country represent the product of
three factories in Pennsylvania that are
operated by a single company. An accu-
rate count showed that one of these fac
tories put upon the market last year SS2,-
O0o 900 caramels, and 1t is approximately
estimated that the output of the three fac
tories aggregated 200. 600 600 caramels, or
enough. If the dainty morsel were strung
out in line, leaving a wee bit of space
between each caramel. 10 girdie the earth
with sweetness. Enough caramels, 1t
would seem, to keep all of Uncle Sans
fair daughters in good humor for the rest
of their lives: sonnet thing like fifteen cara
mels for each inhabitant of the United
States, Porto Rico. Hawaii. and the Phil
ippines, with a generous supply for every
body in Canada and Cuba besides.
The consumption of caramels in the
United States Is enormous. There is
steady demand for them in nearly every
State and Territory. They are shipped to
Great Britain, to Germany, to France, and
to some extent to Asia. Africa, and South
America. And where do you suppose the
sweetest tooth is found? / may as well
tell you for you could not guess in a
month of Sundays" The sweetest
tooth is in New England. at least it would
seem So for not only are more caramels
sold here in proportion to population than
anywhere else in the world. but it is the
best market for caramels that bring fancy
prices. Other sections of the country, and
some foreign parts as well, buy fine
grades of caramels but not so extensively
as Yankeeland.
One would hardly think of the little
caramel as being an important article OF
manufacture and export. but ii is. The
concern which controls the caramel trade
of the country is big institution in its
way. 1t provides employment for 1.4o0
persons in it's factories alone; pays hun
dreds of thousands of dollars annually for
labor and raw material; keeps its plants
in the pink of physical condition and pays
a substantial dividend on $500. 90 of capt.
tai.
Sugar. milk. glucose. chocolate and CO.
coanut are the ingredients chiefly used in
factories where carameis are manufacture
ed on a large scale. The consumption of
sugar and glucose in the three Pennsyl
vania factories amounts to many thou
sands of barrels every year. The average
daily consumption of milk during great
er part of the year is 10000 quarts. and its
quality may be judged from the fact that
none is accepted which does not come up
to the test of I per cent butter fat. Enor-
nous quantities of chocolate and cocoa
nuts are used. 1t is not uncommon for
500 cocoanuts to be consumed in one day
in a single factory and the record is Is. 600
cocoanuts in two days. Strange to say,
the only part of the cocoanut which goes
to waste is the milk; various experiments
have been made in the hope of finding
some use to which the cocoanut milk
could be pr0fitably put. but thus far with
out success. The shell OF the cocoanut
makes good fuel and is a supplement TO
coal as a steam producer.
The various ingredients which enter in
to the manufacture of caramels are first
put into big kettles in the cooking
room" and are thoroughly mixed, accord
ing to formula. Heat is then applied and
the savory contents of the kettles are
boiled to the proper consistency. The
mixture is next spread over the surface
OF large sheet iron pans. after which 1t
is taken to another room and put into a
cooling apparatus. 1t is then sent to the
cutting room which it is fed to an in
genious machine, which can be trusted to
cut tons of the delicious stuff into little
or other shapes, as desired, with
out filching so much as a penny's worth
Now we have the finest caramel, as
sweet as any nut and as wholesome as
edible can possibly be. If the
C4rIYlels are to be coated with chocolate
they are taken to the Chocolate room
AND there placed on wire frames. each
camel in a little compartment by itself.
n5 re then immersed in bath of pure
ill., 81 chocolate One operative is required
TO- tend a machine. but his work is very
nple About all he has to do is to ham
r-Ie a lever. From the cutting room the
are removed on large trays to
the packing-room, where they are wrap
ped in wax paper and carefully packed in
dainty boxes. = ton of wax paper is
USED in one factory in day. Next the
so to the examiners and testers.
whose duty it is to see that weight and
count are correct and quality up to the
standard. The business system in these
factories is well-nigh perfect and short
age of single box of caramels In a dai-
~ output of many thousand boxes would
be quickly detected.
A majority of the employees in the fac
tories are girls. many of whom were born
and bred on the farms in the adjacent
They seem to be cheerful and
happy lot. In one of the factories on the
walls of the wrapping and packing room.
in which 100 girls We're at work. are huge
on which are inscribed the
names of a number of employees and fig-
ures representing their weekly wage.
You combine the school and the facto-
ry,' was remarked to the superintendent
We'll, to some extent" he replied.
This" pointing to one of the black
boards, is our roll of honor. AT the be-
ginning of each week we put upon the
board the names of five or six girls and
the amount OF money which each earned
during the preceding week. There is a lot
Of good-natured rivalry among the girls
to have their names on the roll: All of
our wrappers and packers are paid by the
piece. and the maximum wage which a
girl may earn depends to a great extent
on the girl herself"
Plenty of light and pure air are essen
tial to the manufacture of wholesome
and these caramel factories
are models In these respects Cleanliness
is. of course. of the utmost Importance
Boston Herald