The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-07-12
A GREAT INDUSTRY.
MANUFACTURE OF CHEWING
GUM IN THIS COUNTRY.
The Process Of Makino-Recent Wars
Have Greatly Increased its Con-
sumption-The Gum in Its
Original State.

| F1dVC oICdliy IhSl CdoSQ ibS SOii-
sumption-The Gum in Its
Original State.
ventions which have had material
effect upon The progress of the world,
the discovery of chewing gum came
about by accident. To be sure, the old
spruce gum was then already in
vogue, but it was hard and brittle
and had its adherents only because
there was no better substitute. The
real chewing gum, as we know it to
day, has for its basic component, the
South American gum known as chiclc.
New York capitalists first imported
some of it, thinking it would make a
substitute for rubber. After tests it
was found unsatisfactory for the pur-
pose. The whole shipment was about
to be thrown away when one of the
experimenters picked up piece OF
the chicle and put it into his mouth.
In that motion the idea of chewing
gum originated The name of the
inventor has unfortunately been lost.
When the Importance Of his discovery
IS more generally appreciated. his
name may come to light. Then his de-
scendants will adopt coat of arms
tri-colored wrapper on a white field.
with a package OF chewing gum ram
pant.
The chicle of commerce is the sap
that eXudes from wounds made in the
rough bark of a South American tree.
This sap is of a milky Whiteness and
consistency when it first issues, part
ly coagulates after continued expo
sure to the air. but becomes. after
boiling, hard, heavy mass. In this
form it is ready for transportation,
and comes to this country seWed up
in big burlap packages. The finest
class of the chicle, like the large ham,
mock of Yucatan, is not exported, be-
ing all required for home consump-
ton. 1t is called "sicle" by the ma
tives, and is prepared by picking the
unripe fruit of sapOta and collecting
the thick, white, milky sap. Sicle is
the perfection of chewing gum. 1T
cannot be bought for less than 81 a
pound, and usually costs more. 1t is
snow white, extremely elastic and
highly aromatic.
The burlap packages of chicle find
their way to this country, and some
of them, about twenty tons at time,
reach a Kansas City factory and re-
70 hn nrlI a g
chewing gum. The process of manu-
facture is a long and very delicate
one.
First Of all, a man takes the Jumps
of chicle, which may be a foot in
diameter, and throws them on bench
which somewhat resembles a trough.
He breaks the hard but not brittle
mass into smaller pieces. These go
into the chopping machine to be cut
still smaller. Four big knives move
up and down continually while the
wooden table carrying the chicle re-
wolves beneath them. From there the
chicle goes in trays to the drying
room, kept at uniform heat of 40
degrees Fahrenheit. When practically
all the moisture has been removed it
is ready for the cooking, which is
done in 2 large kettle with double
walls, between which steam circulates.
Sugar, cream, paste, flavors and other
ingredients are added while the cook
ing is in progress. A central shaft
with two projecting arms, such as
may be seen in an ice-cream freezer,
revolves constantly and keeps the
heavy mass in motion. When ready
to be removed from the kettle the
gum has almost the color of molasses.
The cooking Is the critical part of
the whole process. If the time is too
long or too short. the gum Is either
too soft or too brittle. In either case
it is it for nothing. The cook must
judge entirely by the eye. There is
no other method of treating. 1t is
almost a natural gift to tell the ex-
act moment when the cooking should
cease. That is why some men never
become experts at gum manufacture.
They lack gum eye" 1t is said that
there are only twenty-five successful
gum makers in the United States. A
man may look on for ten years and
then not learn.
The dough is then lifted out of the
pot on to a table and rolled and knead
ed as bread would be. In place of
-four, granulated sugar, powdered very
fine, is used. The loaves are cut into
smaller pieces and passed between
rapidly receiving rollers to be flat
tened to the proper thickness. In this
form the sheets of gum are passed be-
tween rollers which have knives set
in their face, marking the sheets into
the proper sizes for packing. After
drying for a day the gum, now in
sticks, is ready to be packed and put
on the market-Kansas City Star.
Sole Survivor of Spirit Lake Massacre
Mrs Abbie Gardner Sharp, of ONo-