Old Time Trains

Quaker Oats plant description.

The accompanying cut will give some idea of the immense plant of the Quaker Oats Company, although two very large buildings, one seven storey building and a large warehouse, 280 feet long by 60 feet in width, four storeys and basement, are hidden from view.

This is the plant wherein are manufactured the World's Breakfast Food, "Quaker Oats" and other Quaker quality products, such as Quaker Flour, Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice.

This Company adopted years ago the trade mark of the "Quaker" representing "Purity" and the excellence and purity of their products is in direct keeping with their trade mark. A visit to the plant cannot help but impress one that the trade mark is appropriate.

The Quaker Oats Company at Peterborough are immense consumers of grain. The large elevators, shown in the above cut, have a capacity of 1,300,000 bushels and the yearly consumption of grain in bushels would fill the elevators over five times during the year. This immense plant receives and ships out daily about forty carloads. The daily consumption of grain is approximately 35,000 bushels.

The entire plant is operated by electrical power, generated by water power on their own premises a short distance up the river, where a total of 3,500 H.P. is developed.

One cannot help but be impressed with the automatic methods of handling the grain, etc., from its receipt in cars until the product is delivered into packages and finally into cases for shipment. Each step is done by machinery-neither the grain nor the product comes in contact with human hands during the whole process. The unloading is done by machinery. The oats are then cleaned thoroughly: all chaff, dust, foreign grains and small oats are removed and disposed of as offal, only the best part of the oats continues on through the process of being thoroughly dried, graded and milled. In the process of milling, hundreds of machines are used for the purpose of separating the groats (berries with the hull removed) from any oats which are unhulled. This is a very intricate and interesting process. The groats are again graded as to the diameter, so as to assure perfect rolling. At the rolls the groats are sterilized and finally rolled into a flake. The product then goes through further machinery in order to remove any flakes, which become broken in the rolling, or any dust which might be caused by conveying the flakes from the rolls to the Package Department.

The Package Department is especially interesting from the fact that about two hundred girls are employed, each one wearing a white apron uniform and cap. This Department alone creates a very great impression to the on-looker, as regard cleanliness. The Rolled Oats are automatically weighed, delivered on to the carriers, past the girls who do the wrapping and after being wrapped are replaced on the carrier and carried through the drier to the Casing Room, where the packages are cased ready for shipment.

This Company sends immense quantities of Quaker Oats to Great Britain, in fact handles all the export trade.
Practically everything used in the plant is made on the premises, Box machines are working constantly, making up boxes, scoring and gluing machines for the making up of cartons and shells, and barrel and keg machines for making up barrels and kegs.

This plant employs five hundred people, the great majority of the employees have been with the Company since its inception in Peterborough in 1902.

On account of the exceptional quality of its products, the requirements of the business are constantly increasing. It is already the largest and finest oatmeal milling industry in Canada. The plant has a total capacity of 5,000 barrels, and with few interruptions runs practically the year round on a twenty-four hour basis from Sunday midnight to Saturday midnight.

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Old Time Trains © 2014

Quaker Oats plant description.

The accompanying cut will give some idea of the immense plant of the Quaker Oats Company, although two very large buildings, one seven storey building and a large warehouse, 280 feet long by 60 feet in width, four storeys and basement, are hidden from view.

This is the plant wherein are manufactured the World's Breakfast Food, "Quaker Oats" and other Quaker quality products, such as Quaker Flour, Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice.

This Company adopted years ago the trade mark of the "Quaker" representing "Purity" and the excellence and purity of their products is in direct keeping with their trade mark. A visit to the plant cannot help but impress one that the trade mark is appropriate.

The Quaker Oats Company at Peterborough are immense consumers of grain. The large elevators, shown in the above cut, have a capacity of 1,300,000 bushels and the yearly consumption of grain in bushels would fill the elevators over five times during the year. This immense plant receives and ships out daily about forty carloads. The daily consumption of grain is approximately 35,000 bushels.

The entire plant is operated by electrical power, generated by water power on their own premises a short distance up the river, where a total of 3,500 H.P. is developed.

One cannot help but be impressed with the automatic methods of handling the grain, etc., from its receipt in cars until the product is delivered into packages and finally into cases for shipment. Each step is done by machinery-neither the grain nor the product comes in contact with human hands during the whole process. The unloading is done by machinery. The oats are then cleaned thoroughly: all chaff, dust, foreign grains and small oats are removed and disposed of as offal, only the best part of the oats continues on through the process of being thoroughly dried, graded and milled. In the process of milling, hundreds of machines are used for the purpose of separating the groats (berries with the hull removed) from any oats which are unhulled. This is a very intricate and interesting process. The groats are again graded as to the diameter, so as to assure perfect rolling. At the rolls the groats are sterilized and finally rolled into a flake. The product then goes through further machinery in order to remove any flakes, which become broken in the rolling, or any dust which might be caused by conveying the flakes from the rolls to the Package Department.

The Package Department is especially interesting from the fact that about two hundred girls are employed, each one wearing a white apron uniform and cap. This Department alone creates a very great impression to the on-looker, as regard cleanliness. The Rolled Oats are automatically weighed, delivered on to the carriers, past the girls who do the wrapping and after being wrapped are replaced on the carrier and carried through the drier to the Casing Room, where the packages are cased ready for shipment.

This Company sends immense quantities of Quaker Oats to Great Britain, in fact handles all the export trade.
Practically everything used in the plant is made on the premises, Box machines are working constantly, making up boxes, scoring and gluing machines for the making up of cartons and shells, and barrel and keg machines for making up barrels and kegs.

This plant employs five hundred people, the great majority of the employees have been with the Company since its inception in Peterborough in 1902.

On account of the exceptional quality of its products, the requirements of the business are constantly increasing. It is already the largest and finest oatmeal milling industry in Canada. The plant has a total capacity of 5,000 barrels, and with few interruptions runs practically the year round on a twenty-four hour basis from Sunday midnight to Saturday midnight.