Washington sentinel., 1854-01-07
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
The Hog and its Product-The Hog Cul-
i ture-Slaughtering Packing, sc.


The Hog and its Product-The Hog Cul-
ture-Slaughtering, Packing, sc.
DRYING RooM-All the hogs slaughtered
during the day are successfully borne, on the
shoulders of these wet hog carriers, and hung
up in q long room capable of holding from two
to four thousand hogs, one man assists the car
rier to hook up the hogs, suspending them side
by side in rows, by iron hooks attached to each
side oftwelve inch beams. One person drenches
the hog with water, a bucket full being thrown
so as to wash out any blood left about the head,
the tongue being always drawn to one side OF
the mouth to allow the water to drain off. The
outside of the hog is also washed and scraped
clean, the two sides being kept apart by wooden
skivers. And here we will leave the drying
room to notice what is done with what by some
may be considered unimportant, but which
really is valuable part of the hog. We mean
the
OFFAL.-This was formerly refuse, or rejected
as of no value or unfit for use. The hair and
brstles are sold to dealers in those articles.
The interesting description of the processes of
preparing them for important uses, we will
speak of hereafter. There is generally con-
tract with the slaughtering establishments for
the hair and bristles, so much the hog, this
year the rate being seven cents. The gutter
having disembowelled the hogs, cuts off the
pluck, liver, and heart, (which are the only
parts Of the hog thrown away, rs they are gen
orally carted off and buried) and passes them
to the pluck fat boy, who rids it of the fat,
throws the residue out either to be carted off
for manure or to be buried. The gutter throws
the entrails on long bench, where six or eight
men are busy cleaning off and washing the gut
fat. This fat in the slaughter houses is worth
from thirty to forty cents per hog. This inside
offal is purchased as soap stock, the large en-
trails being hauled off to steam rendering estab-
lishments, dumped into the yard, and in three
or four weeks put into the steam tank, to make
soap grease. The smaller ones are of more
value, and are cleaned for sausage skins 1t
may be interesting for information to visit one
of these
STEAM RENDERING ESTABLISHMENTS
seventeen years ago an attempt was made to
make available the offal Of the hog. At the
establishment of Koeble 4 Miller, near the
Crighton House, but one of several establish
ments in the city, we learned to what extent
even the smallest and most inconsiderabe por-
ton of the hog was used. The rendering
apartments are built on the banks Of raw
inc, which carries all the waste matter off to
Mill creek. On the side of the building next
to the ravine is row of twelve large wooden
tanks with tops, which are raised when re-
auired to admit the Stock of which black and
white grease are made. Hogs that have been
smothered to death, or such as were scalded by
the recent explosion, worth twelve and half
cents pound, are thrown into the tanks
whole, and with the big entrails are boiled
and steamed, the grease at proper times being
scummed off, and the bones and refuse matter
let down into the ravine, by touching lever
which opens trap door; the bones are
picked up, and afterwards sold for one dollar a
dray load, to be made into ivory black.
This grease, purified by lye, becomes clear
and white, and in another building is placed in
linen cloths laying in small frame by IL
inches, the cloths folded over and the packa-
ges thus folded placed between boards, and put
in some establishments under steam or hydros-
tatic pressure, and others in presses, arranged
in great numbers up and down long apart
ment, regulated by cogs, levers, and weights,
by which gradually increasing pressure causes
the lard oil to exude, which runs down into
vats in the lower story to be barreled, the resi-
dunn in the cloths, being the article Of COM
merce which is called stearine, of which star
candles are made. Stearine is from Greek
word "Stear," tallow or suet. The various
kinds of animal fat commonly consist of two
SupStdHCcSj principally Stcdiiuc, " Soliu duu
olein, liquid. The stearine by further pro-
cess gives another article of commerce, known
as red oil, which is used in making what is
called olein soap. Cincinnati has a widespread
reputation for her manufacture of star candles
and superior soap. The amount of capital in
vested therein is immense.
In connexion with the same establishment in
which the large entrais are used in the steam
tanks, the gut, fat, and heads of the hogs are
submitted in other tanks to the same steam
process, and an excellent white grease or lard
obtained, which is extensively used by the lard
oil manufacturers.
Some fifteen or twenty men are also engaged
in another part of the building in cleansing
and thoroughly washing the small guts which
are passed some three times through salt, and
with much care packed in barrels and half
barrels and shipped to Europe and various
parts of the world, where they are used for
sausage skins. This has become very valu-
bic trade, the whole barrels at the factory being
worth SO, and the half barrels $685.
N Z. WI \