The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-02-16
Hog Killing in Chicago.

[ A correspondent in Chicago sends us the
following, which, though treating of some
what unsavory theme, yet contains a good
deal Of information upon the modas operandi
of very extensive and important branch of
business. Squeamish or fastidious readers are
invited to skip it altogether.l ...-4,rrf
To the Editor of the Press. -.ttsra AZ.
A few days since, / took hasty trip to the
slaughter houses, situated about four miles
from the business portion of this city, and
with your permission, will give the readers of
your paper some idea of what I saw there.
First imagine large brick building four sto-
ries high; then long spout or flue, four feet
wide, running from the pen to the upper Or
fourth floor, up which the hogs are driven in
squads of about dozen. We shall find on
our arrival in the morning about one thou
asnd hogs in the pen. Now the boys COM
mence to work, and drive about dozen up
the long fue to the fourth floor of the building
and shut them in small pen just large enough
to hold them. 49,. H.. :
A man stands ready with a hammer, having
a handle some four feet in length, with which
he knocks each hog in the head as the Maine
farmers do neat cattle. was astonished to
see how hard blow it required to knock them
down-harder than to fell bullock. f,.,,
As soon as this lot was all knocked in the
head the sticker commenced. He. gave just
one thrust with a knife, and did it so quickly
and skillfully that his knife was never bloody
after sticking hundred hogs, although each
stick was perfect. The floor upon which the
hogs lay when. stuck, is composed of Stats
through which the blood runs, and thence into
huge tanks.
As soon as the hog is stuck, two men catch
him by the legs and with roll or two, throw
him into a fue where he at once falls into the
scalding trough. @
This trough is about six feet wide and per-
haps thirty feet long, filled with water heated
by an engine, and always the same tempera
ture. The hog never rests after touching the
water, but is passed along by the men station
ed at each side, and by the time he reaches
theend is ready to scrape. For this purpose
he is thrown upon bench about as long as
the trough. Each man does his part, and no
more, each cleans particular part of the hog
and passes him on to his neighbor. As in the
scalding trough, so on the bench, the hog does
not stop moment but each man does his part
as the hog goes. MS d. ~ 81,
When he arrives at the end of the bench,
hooks are inserted into his hind legs, and as
he Is thrown from the bench he is suspended.
These hooks are connected with trucks over
head, and the iron bar upon which the trucks
run being an inclined plane, the hog runs of,
Of his own accord as soon as suspended. As
he rolls down the room he passes the Gutter,
who with slash neatly disenbowels him.
This is the most artistic if not the most agree
able part of the work, and the one who per-
forms it commands the best pay of any man in
the house. -FG
A quick hand will "gut" five hogs minute
and if hard pushed can do eight. He was
working leisurely when the writer saw him,
but when timed, we found to our astonish-
ment that he was disposing of from four to
five per minute. --.5 .Ha si5g
As soon as disemboweled the animal rolls
along to the washer, who turns half inch
hose upon him and he is washed in twink
ing. After this he is split, and then allowed
to roll his way to the dry house, where he
hangs until cool. A good packing house will
kill upon an average, including all stoppages,
two hogs minute or about twelve hundred
per diem. Some houses, however, go as high as
two thousand, but this is above the average.
just how long it is, from the time ahog is
knocked down until he is all dressed and hung
up to dry, we could not tell, but Judge it is
about minute and half Of course they
are not given much time to die.
The men employed range something like
this. A crotrd of dirty boys to drive up the
hogs-one to knock down-one to stick-twen.
ty to scald and scrape-one to "gut"-one to
wash-one to split, and two to arrange in the
dry-house. I.ete.. III #..i ...,
After they get dry and cool two men take
them down and lay them on bench, at each
side of which stand the cleaners.
The cleavers both strike at the same time
the one cutting of the head, and the other di
viding the carcass just above the hips. W.
saw many hogs cut up, but did not see the
cleaver fail to sever the body at one stroke
Three or four strokes cut the animal int
suitable pieces for packing, and these severa
pieces are thrown by attendants into hoppers
according TO quality, and run down in fiues tt
large bins on the floor beneath.
just how many hogs two cleavers will cut
up in minnie, We dare not say, fearing thai
the sober people of Maine will not credit it.
Descending to the room below we find nu
merous bins, and the pieces of meat com.