344 BISCUITS 



hand tho handle of a long shovel called a pool, the other end of -which was lying flat 

 in the oven. Another man took the biscuits as fast as they wore formed and stamped, 

 and jerked or throw them into the oven -with such undeviating accuracy that they 

 should always fall on the peel. Tho man with tho poel then arranged the biscuits side 

 by side over the whole floor of the oven. Nothing could exceed (in manual labour 

 alone) the regularity with which this was all done. Seventy biscuits were thrown 

 into tho oven and regularly arranged in one minute, the attention of each man being 

 vigorously directed to his own department ; for a delay of a single second on the part 

 of any one man would have disturbed the whole gang. The biscuits do not require 

 many minutes' baking ; and as the oven is kept open during the time that it is being 

 filled, the biscuits first thrown in would be overbaked were not some precaution 

 taken to prevent it. The moulder therefore made those which were to bo first 

 thrown into the oven larger than the subsequent ones, and diminished the size by a 

 nice gradation. 



The mode in which, since about the year 1831, ships' biscuits have been made Ly 

 machinery invented by T. T. Grant, Esq., of the Eoyal Clarence Yard, is this : The 

 meal or flour is conveyed into a hollow cylinder four or five feet long and about three 

 feet in diameter, and the water, the quantity of which is regulated by a gauge, 

 admitted to it ; a shaft, armed with long knives, works rapidly round in the cylinder, 

 with such astonishing effect, that in the short space of six minutes, 450 Ibs. of dough 

 are produced, infinitely better made than that mixed by the naked arms of a man. The 

 dough is removed from the cylinder and placed under the breaking rollers ; these latter, 

 which perform the office of kneading, are two in number, and weigh 15 cwts. each ; 

 they are rolled to and fro over the surface of tho dough by means of machinery, and 

 in five minutes the dough is perfectly kneaded. The sheet of dough, which is about 

 two inches thick, is then cut into pieces half a yard square, which pass under a second 

 set of rollers, by which each piece is extended to the size of six feet by three, and 

 reduced to the proper thickness for biscuits. The sheet of dough is now to be 

 cut up into biscuits ; and no part of the operation is more beautiful than the mode by 

 which this is accomplished. The dough is brought under a stamping or cutting-out 

 press, similar in effect, but not in detail, to that by which circular pieces for coins are 

 cut out of a sheet of metal. A series of sharp knives are so arranged that, by one 

 movement, they cut out of a piece of dough a yard square about sixty hexagonal 

 biscuits. The reason for an hexagonal (six-sided) shape is, that not a particle of waste 

 is thereby occasioned, as the sides of the hexagonals accurately fit into those of tho 

 adjoining biscuits, whereas circular pieces cut out of a large surface always leave vacant 

 spaces between. That a flat sheet can be divided into hexagonal pieces without any 

 waste of material is obvious. 



Each biscuit is stamped with the Queen's mark, as well as punctured with holes, by 

 the same movement which cuts it out of tho piece of dough. The hexagonal cutters 

 do not sever the biscuits completely asunder, so that a whole sheet of them can bo 

 put into the oven at once on a large peel, or shovel, adapted for the purpose. About 

 15 minutes are sufficient to bake them ; they are then withdrawn and broken asunder 

 by the hand. 



The corn for the biscuits is purchased at the markets, and cleaned, ground, and 

 dressed at the Government mills ; in quality it is a mixture of fine flour and middlings, 

 the bran and pollard being removed. The ovens for baking are formed of fire-brick 

 and tile, with an area of about 160 feet. About 112 Ibs. weight of biscuits are put 

 into tho ovens at once. This is called a suit, and is reduced to about 110 Ibs. by tho 

 baking. From 12 to 16 suits can bo baked in each oven every day, or after tho rate 

 of 224 Ibs. per hour. The men engaged are dressed in clean check shirts and whito 

 linen trousers, apron, and cap, and every endeavour is made to observe the most scru- 

 pulous cleanliness. 



We may now. make a few remarks on the comparative merits of the hand and the 

 machine processes. If the meal and the water with which tho biscuits are made bo 

 not thoroughly mixed up, there will be some parts moister than others. Now, it was 

 formerly found that tho dough was not well mixed by tho arms of the workman ; tho 

 consequence of which was, that the dry parts became burnt up, or else that the moist 

 parts acquired a peculiar kind of hardness which the sailors called ' flint : ' these 

 defects are now removed by the thorough mixing and kneading which the ingredients 

 receive by the machine. 



"Wo have seen that 450 Ibs. of dough may bo mixed by the machine in throe 

 minutes and kneaded in six minutes; we need hardly say how much quicker this 

 is than men's hands could effect it. The biscuits are cut out and stamped 60 at 

 a time, instead of singly: besides the time thus saved, the bisc\iits become more 

 equally baked, by tho oven being more speedily filled. The nine ovens at Gosport 

 used to employ 45 men to produce about 1,500 Ibs. of biscuit per hour ; 16 men and 



