Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-02-20
CINCINNATI COR .EspONDENUE.
CrNcrSyArG O. LIN. 1Gth- 1861

" rrophc,Jing all sorts of dire calamitie
: bankruptcy. civil war ami famine. CinciI
natl SEEMS to be doing er part to guar
h against the latter evil. that Is. if pork wi
prevent starvation Huge wagons draw
- 10y four horses. laden with defuncI swine
p1ckel. one upon the other. Ii eordwood
, continually pass through the streets, an
the neighborhocd of slaughter houses.
I made vocal by the shrill notes of the poi
. cine tribe. In fact a stranger passinl
through the streets of the Que, n ity
would be frrcibly impressed with the cor
: viction that somsJ ,dy was killing hogs
Perhaps a description of the INDUS up
, erandi of hog illing as practised in tn
: great Porkopolis." might Lot b: unintcres
ting to your readers. One of the larges
slaughter houses in Cincinnati. is that o
Bngen & O.. situated at Brighton, in th'
northern portion of the city. The build
ing no feet long by 80 wide is divided
lengthwiSe, into two departments, in one
of which, the hogs are butchered; in the
other. hung up until removed to the pack.
ing house Back of this building aie the
pens into which the new arrivals are driv-
en-, and kept until their thine comes. -
From these, the hogs are taken. i'll lots OF
from go to so, driven round to the end OF
the slaughter house, up an Inclined plane.
and into large pen. This pen. some ~
feet long by II wide. opens into two de-
pIrtmentS. one near each end, which con-
meet it with the slaughtering room Of the
main building The hogs are driven into
ti,is large pen until it is crowded full. then.
all points of cgress having been secured.
one On the departments leading to the main
building IS opeaed. and into this narrow
space. are driven as many hogs as can be
forced in Then i broad shOuldered. two
listed fellow g1es in aamong them. AM
with a long handled sledgc hammer
We gh;nI perhaps two lbs-knOck3 them
in the head. as fas,t as possible. Generss-
lily one blow to a l,og su.bces but soat-
tunes, when 4 sturdy yorker is the ogje;t.
and the blow is not welr directed uvr he
doesn't wait long for u f,ir mark but
whacks about here and thcr>, regardless
OF eyes and noscsl it takes three 1r tour. !
When every hog in the de!artntVt -
tiOorcd. he dives IN more Oh the tl.p 81
these from the main pen. which >harcs tae'
same fate of tn, first And when 1t is iln- Z
possible to force any NOR. hogs in he CLOSES I
this department.. and proceeds tu enact-thg
same sccue in the s,c1nl In the mean /
time. the do leading from the iirsl de- .
IN rf .it..ut T., ff, min, f,,;l ., -.
AMI the hogs. Somc dead ,ne dyiuL. are
handed IN on to "A platform wit fJ5r
grated that the blo,si may ruu through,
wheu Gheir thrOatS are cut. When the
hrst department is cleared. the sscund is
opened and 50 alternately. until the whole
lot Is hatcherei. As fast as their throats
are cut the hogs are thrown into vat.
Some 20 feet Eng by wide. supplied
with constant stIe ;n of hot water from
an immcnsc boiler situated ut the side of
the building This vat extends from the
platform. before mentioned. to d long bench:
and when his hogship has undergone the
scaldIng operation in the vat, lac Is placed
upon this bench, where his hair AMI bris-
ties are removed as he is relied over and
ouer through its whole length. some 30
feet Once arrived at the far end. he pre-
sents quite 4 respectable appearance, and
Is ready TO be hung up on one of the arms
Of large wheel which revOlvcs horizonta
lily. The wheel carries him round to 4
large tub of water. where u man. stationed
lor that purpose, rinSes him-a few feet
further on, and another cuts him open-a
third eviscerates him-a fourth riuses hun
again. and fifth removes him from the
wheel TO make room for his SUCCESSOR. and
;arries him into the deDartment of the
main building fronting the street Where
ie remains hung up until removed to the
'aeklng house. This room o:cupying the
whole length of the building is 90 feet
vide. and is supplied with 25 huge beams,
from side to side, with proper
upports,) upon which. the slain porkers
re hung. Each beam can support so
logs, 10 on each side, making actommoda-
ions for 1850 hogs in this Que depart .
nent. The whole process. knocking down. !
hroat-cuttisg, scalding scrapiDg and evils E
rating. occupies but very little time !
ONE idea of the rapidity with which the !
7erk Is carried forward, nay be obtained ,
y glancing at the fgures. At this estab. /
(Bosen 81 Co, they xii 1000
ogs per day. on an average which. r,ck- !
ming working hours per day, (the time
coupled a thi, establishment is n-ariy !,
lree hogs per minute. FOrty-ive hands :
re e'uplpyed, and the averag. nI,nb.r OF q
ogs slain Ter day, therefore is little I
1re than II to the hand. From the
latiUrm where their throats are cut, TO
le wheel wher. they are evi-cerated. seal
Ing vat aud scraping bench are literally
DIVIDED with hOgs, as clio together as
ley can l'c-when one is turned over an d
her takes his place Men stand Oh both u
deS OF Vat and bench. each having his
irucular duty to pcrtorm-one cleaus the "
e. another the ears-nj la0ir Is thrown IL
way. The who e Press is d.c.d sliy an h
lprovemeut upon the method of hog xiii C,
~ practiscd among iarlnsrs in the cneese a
dkIns PORTIONS of the Stat. W ere men a.
'uIiiy Kill not over halt d,zeu hogs, d
their years store Of pork y day Is b;
pointed Tor ''outcheriug, aud the ser q
;es OF tue hog butcher Of the nelg.b,r ev
cd, dul, secured. In the meantime kI
goes forward-the old sled h.
covered with bolrds-the 40 GALL Il
tile cleaned and prepared-a load of 81,
'od drawn up, and the neigh borhood
msacked for scalding tub, unless the P.
Tuer of the hogs Is the fortunate posses-
r Of that useful article. which is not al. M
ys the case. AT last the appointed day ii
-ives. the 10 gallon kettle is filled with ii
ter, aud fire kndled under it at an
-ly hour, rails, from which to suspend
: detunct porkers, have been duly notch it
and placed against the sled Allis. ag
idy; ami when the butcher. with the two on
three neighbors whose services have fir;
en- employed for the occasion comes On bs