The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-07
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE ERA.
FROM CINCINNATI.


To The Editor Of the National Era:
am now able to send you in part at least,
some promised statistics of
THE PORK TRADE IN THE WEST,
for the season just closing. A table, prepared by
a committee of the Chamber of Commerce, show
the number of Hogs packed in Cincinnati and
Covington in the season Of 1s49l50n has just
been publisheds From this it appears that there
are 80 establishments, reporting total of 396 4s6
hogs, from which deducting the product of 1000
hogs destroyed by fire, leaves nett number of
3ss, 1876 killed and put up this season. The num-
Der put up last season was estimated at al O 900
but as no means were taken to ascertain it with
accuracy, it might have been less The decrease,
if any, has been owing to the increased number
put up at various other points in the West-a
cause which will continue to operate. At Louis
vile the total number slaughtered was 1874 900 );
Chillioothe, $4,000; Hamilton, Is 600; Evans
vile, 10 O0O Lafayette, 10000 Terre Haute,
65,5OO; Vincennes, $4,000; Clinton, $4,000; At
tica, Williamsport, Perrysville, and other points
$4,000 The numbers for the Wabash Valley
seem too high, but the Lafayette Journal from
which they are copied, states that nearly all the
particulars were gathered from the most reli-
able sourcesn At Chllicothe, 1000 were killed
last year, and but $4,000 the present and from
other points there are reports Of great falling
off Aggregate deficiencies have been summed
up at seven or eight places, of so 900 head but
as they rest upon estimates rather than actual re-
turns, should not be too strongly relied upon.
There is an impression abroad, that there has
the whole West into account and yet the bust
ness has been entered upon by so many of the
smaller towns, and become so much extended and
diversified, that, could all the facts be ascer-
tanned, il would no doubt be found that in this,
as in all other branches Of commerce, there has
been for years past steady increase of the con-
sumption and exports of the West as there has
been of its real resources.
large business has been done this season, in
putting up and shipping pork for the English
market. 1t is prepared differently from that in
tended for the American trade. Hogs are chosen
process of cleansing is done, not by scading but
singeing. After the hogs are stuck, they are
dragged into fre-proof chamber, the floor of
which is covered with them, being laid on their
backs side by side, as closely as they can be
packed. They are then covered with straw, which
is lighted and the bristles entirely burnt from
all parts of the carcass, not in contact with the
floor. The animals are then turned, and the
brstles singed in the same manner from the back.
They are afterwards scraped and hung up, the
insides cleaned, the head and feet cut off and the
back bone removed, when each half is once di-
vided, and the quarters packed in salt, in boxes
made for the purpose When the pork arrives
in England, it is skinned, further cured in a
! style to suit English appetites, and there put
into the retail market. Much has been put up
/ in this way near CoyiDgton, opposite this city,
! at Madison Indiana, and a few other places.
F. Connected with this, to a great degree, is the
LARD OIL BUSINESS.
There are between forty and fifty establish
ments in this city, for carrying on this manufac-
ture Some of these press twenty FIVE barrels
of lard per day, the year round, and are able
to do far more Others do not press over from
two to five barrels per day. Taking the year
through, the amount consumed is not less than
200 barrels per day. In the summer, two-sevenths
Of the lard is made into stearine, and In the
winter four seventies, so that a fair average
would be three seventies stearine, and the residue
OIL Ii is estimated that an amount equal to
5000 900 pounds of stesrine and 1920 600 gallons
Of oil, (which ut 40 gallons to. the barrel would
be equal to SO 900 barrels) are made here in a
year. The lard produced, at cents per pound
(which is a fair average price, is worth $1,000
the stearne, at cents, Sis3, 900 and the oil, at
so cents a gallon, $500 0O0 These figures, to
our Eastern friends, may seem high, but II they
could witness for themselves the actual opera
tons in this great pork market, and see something
| Of our exports, they would cease to wonder
Much Of the best lard is made into oil but some
Of inferior quality Is used Of which the buyer Il
made aware, as it is marked No. 3, 2, or J. oil
and the price made TO correspond
THg BURNETT HOUSE
This magnificent Hotel the largest one Of the
kind built expressly as a Hotel in America, ID
now nearly finished. IL Is situated on the north
west corner OF Third and Vine streets, ON a part
OF the same square where Judge Burnet from
whom 1t takes its nsme) formerly lived, and on
the very spot where his house stood. The build
Ing fronts on Third street 2l2 feet, and run,
back on Vine to Burnet street 200 feet. Ii ID
hve stories high, besides the basement and Is sur
mounted by dome AZ feet in diameter, which il
ornamented with cupola Is feet high and !;
rect IN diameter. The summit of the dome Is loo
feet from the sidewalk The walls are built Of
rough stone, Incl INSIDE with brick, having q
space between them and the outside Is plastered
with solid and durable composition From ia
situation on the slope Of the hill, above the low
ct plain OF the city, Il can command from It's up
per stories an extensive view of the valley Of the
Ohio, snd Of Covinktou, Newport, and the hills
OF Kentucky, on the opposite side The style OF
the architecture 10 Bracketed Italian and In