Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-12-04

binary business, such as filing claims against
the estates of decedents, issuing marriage
licenses, &c.
A VISIT TO HUMPHREYS Pork HOUSE,
Approaching the importance Of the vast and
constantly increasing pork trade Of our city,
destined soon to become, if she is not already,
the "porkopclis of Iowa, we accepted an
invitation kindly extended US Monday by
Mr.. Chittenden U. Hatch, to buggy ride to
the slaughter and packing houses Of W. S.
Humphreys, Esq.
The slaughter house, which is situated on
the bank of the river, above the city, has
been enlarged during the past summer and
many improvements added, under the super
intendence of Mr.. Hatch. The building is
81 feet long, and so feet in width. The floors
are double, and pitched, SO that all fluids run
off. The hogs are driven in from the "shute''
on to an elevated platform, where, by Wig
orous blow, the life Of the porker goes
sweetly out" They are then showed forward
few feet, where the sanguinery fluid is let.
From this they 90 into steaming hot vat,
where the defunct porcine IS scalded. From
this vat they are raised to the scraping table
adjoining, by an ingenious pronged iron ma
chine, shaped like a horse hay-rake or an
cd fashioned COW catcher. On the scraping
table the critter is soon Invested of his =" out
side covering" He is then hung, snout down,
on a wheel upon which six may be hung at
time, where the intastines are disposed of.
The offal is thrown into the steaming room
adjoining, and the porker carried to his hang.
ing place to cool. This operation is perform.
cd with the aid of an ingeniouslY constructed
truck, used only in this house by boy. II
is 10 other houses the work of three men,
The hogs are hung by gambrels on the beams.
There is hanging room in this house for
$50 hogs. Twenty-Five hands are employed
in the various departments. The ibis and
back bones are pressed out into grease, by
Mr.. B. Middleton, in another building near
by. From the slaughter house the hogs are
conveyed in wagons to the immense packing
establishment on Second near Pine street, and
thither we will follow them.
THE PACKING HOUSE
IL built of brick, is lao feet in length, by 80
in width, and four stories in heighth, with a
good cellar underneath. In this house, also,
many improvements have been made during
the past summer. The cellars, which are
Aoored and drained, are used for packing
bulk meat. The first floor is used for storage
where everything necessary to the successful
prosecution of the business is kept. On the
second floor are the cutting rooms and lard
tanks. Mr.. Humphreys devotes considerable
attention to the packing Of "prime mess
pork" for the use Of the navy.
The hogs are quartered, that's cut through
lengthwise and again through the sides, leav'
Jog the shoulder, the hams and head only
being taken of. These quarters are then
thrown into brine tubs, Of which there are
eight, and allowed to remain in pickle twenty
days, when they are removed and cut into
four pound pieces and packed in barrels
Mr.. Hatch is engaged in building two more
immense brine tubs for this establishment.
There are four large kettles on this floor, in
which lard is rendered out, after which il
goes into coolers, Of which there are five
large ones situated in the story below. Every
labor saving invention known to modern
hackers is used in this establishment.
We left the house well pleased with our
visit, and with the conviction impressed firm
" on our mind, that to carry on such bust
ness requires large amount of business tact,
energy and capital, and that Muscatine has
greater facilities and advantages for pork
packing than any other city In Iowa.