The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-01-09
THRONGS INSPECT
HOLMES BAKERY
Westinghouse Enjoy Romance
of Breadmaking in Big
Modern Plant.

Scores who may have heard a trav-
eltalk took one last evening" trav-
eltalk talk of an hour or more, that
might have been called the romance
of modern bread-making.
Holmes Modern Bakery will con-
ington public each evening except
Saturday for several weeks. Expert
demonstrators will conduct the visi-
tors through the 100000 feet OF floor
space of the big new bakery at 10I-
115 F street northwest, which, COM
bined with the present plant, makes
one of the largest and most complete
ly equipped plants in the country.
Grandmother, the classic bread
maker, would marvel at the sights she
could see there. Instead of the erst-
while barrel of -four, for example,
there are piles and piles of great 140-
pound bags of -four stored UP on the
top floor resting on slSids to aerate II
and avoid worm breeding.
Large Quantities Used.
Where grandmothers apportioned
their bread making by pounds and
loaves, and "pinches" of sale, and
pints of milk, q great modern plant
like this works in hundreds of pounds
and loaves, in quarts OF salt, and in
gallons of milk.
The new building is fireproof, with
iron stairways, and white enameled
walls. In one respect grandmother
differed not a whit from the Holmes
standard, for the mammoth plant is
as scrupulously clean in every nook
and Granny as her kitchen. The
Health Department once gave a rat
ing of 9e.75 per cent to this establish
ment. 1t even goes the homemade
process one better by devices through
which bread is handled usually but
twice, at most three times, before 1t
gets to the consumer.
Flour il sisved three times, once
on its way from the bags on the
fourth floor, down chutes to the bins,
again before II goes into the blender,
and again after that.
Large Mixing Room.
On the third foor is the big mixing
room. along a platform on one side
the chutes which bring the fuolr from
aloft, in quantities controlled by the
operators, and ice boxes containing
milk, supplied to this bakery by eight
shippers.
Just off the platform are the big
flour mixers, into which the milk is
siphoned, and then the mixture runs
out into the dough troughs. Thence
the dough goes to the chute carrying
n IN the dough reservoirs for the seal
ing machine.
On this floor is a testing labora-
tory, and a room containing Kit TOT
first aid treatment.
For Employer Comfort.
The equipment for employees conf
fort throughout the new plant Is no.
table. There are locker rooms, wash
rooms, shower baths, and ice water
available everywhere.
The secnd floo is the baking place.
The dough is divided into loaves in
a "rounder" and a belt device comes
forth tor convey these foaves, IN
fours, into an automatic proofer, re-
naming there eight minutes. From
there IL is fed into an elevator and
to molding machines, and
thence to a platform, where it is
handled for the first time. The men
put the loaves on racks, and 1t is put
into a proof box, which does the
same thing that grandmother accom-
plished by putting a cloth over the
bowl of dough and letting it stand
for several hoursA
Bread Wrapped In Paper. d.
Then the loaves go to the great
draw plate ovens, each plate holding
4s6 loaves, and these plates slide
back and forth into the ovens on
roller devices.
From the ovens the bread is conveyed
to the wrapping room, where 1t is
wrapped into paper. and hands not
touch the bread again until 1t is opened
IN the buyers home.
On F street the bakery extends from
I07 10 Ill., and II also occupies a 'front.'
age from COS to SIS on First street
Lewis Holmes is president Of Holmes
Modern Bakery, and Leon s. Ulman is
vice president, treasurer and general
nanger.