The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-12-17
A yIslt !, ne rsrkl psa-..s.

an inspection into The yasious processes
and appliances fer getting hogs 70 pieces
and ready for market is'interesting if not
wonderful. sa nj
Yesterday we visited three Of the four
pork houses doing business here, and re-
ceived from the sen,lemanly preprietors
all the information asked in reference to
their business. s14 .oq !,
The hogs are killed with tolerably
heavy and long handled hammer, and af-
forwards stuck, in high pen, just outside
Of the building and at the end Of the rucs,
which pen has An open slat floor thereby
disposing Of the blood without any .rouble.
The view of whole pen full Of kicking.
squirming, agonizing, dying hogsis moth
ing 10 the hands, who pitch them writh-
ing into the vat of hot water, Is unrelent-
ingIy as Fulstaf was tumbled into the
Thames. From this bath they are drag
god and soon stripped of NATURES oover-
ing by a'doxen or more hands, and at the
| end of the dressing, or undressing, table,
suspended on the hooks of large revolv-
ing wheel. in the exact reverse order Of
What is due and awaiting JEFF. Davis and
his crew. On these hooks they are OPEN
cd uhd thr en'rails removed, which 10 per-
formed with great rapidity, the operator
cleaning out q considerable number in Z
minute. From this place they are wheel
cd on high cars and hung together to
cool, ready for cutting the next day.
The dressed hogs are wheeled to the
cutting blocks, and after being weighed.
are cut up in trice, BY four men who
with their long axes make nothing of cut
ting of the head or hams at single
lick, and separating the body in two or
three more. Around the chopping
block are some engaged in trimming
hams and shoulders, some weighing
aud packing, and some wheeling off the
lard trimmings, heads, feet, DC. The
hands are so well acquainted with the es
sen.ial anatomy of the beast that before
he can say Jack Robinson y he finds him
self in sundry parts and places for srndry
uses. The packing is done in Turk Is
land salt with little saltpctre, and the
barrels afterwards filled with the strong
est Aind OF brine, drawn from large tanks.
The hams, shoulders and long sides are
wheeled off, salted dry and corded up on
the floors. The piles Of meat are tremen-
dous, and would 60 quite piece in ma
king Notifications for an army the size of
Stonswsil Jackson. No doubt his ar
my would feel little better fortified by
intrenching something oil this sort inter
nally.) Some of the cording was very
nice, particularly at Goldman l. Co.'S
house, resembling the best kind OF stone
masonry. The wide spread pile Of hams
aud shoulders. covered slightly with salt,
might be compared to miniature sea,
withits multituiinous and uniform waves,
gently crested with the white sea foam.
The meat thus packed is handled aud
s'lted three times and left till Spring,
when is nicely cleaned and trimmed
and packed in boxes, with salt, for mar
ket. A good deal Of the cutting done
here is by some Of the several Eng
lish methods, of which the Cumberland
is common one, and the meat is put up
in boxes for the English market
A very large percentage Of the hog goes
for lard, so that a goo Id hog yields some
30 lbs lard. The lard is rendered in
very large tanks, some Of iron and some
of wood. In rendering lard in this way
nearly everything-heads, ribs, legs,
trimmings, &c., is used up with much |
greater economy than can be done BY the |
farmer. They get, probably. 40 to SOC more
value out ola hog than farmer can. The
iron tanks bear two or three times tho
pressure ofsteam put en- the wood tanks and |
consequently the work is done in one
half or less time. These tanks and the
coolers, and the kettles, and furnace for
kettle rendering, occupy . considerable
space. and are great expense in fitting
up for the business. The lard is finally
run off in tierces, something larger than
pork barrels, and kept out Of doors in
lorg and large piles, where they remain
together with the tremendous rows Of .