The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-06
PORK BUSINESS OF ROCK ISLAND.

AS is cheerfully conceded by our cotempo
raries, our city is a great ways ahead of any
other within a circle of a hundred miles, in
the line of pork packing and shipping. To
gather any exact figures in regard to past
operations, is rather out of the question.
Our principal packers are Shaw
& Bro, and kellerstrass L Vogele
Every one of the seven butcher
houses of our city has been engaged in
packing more or less, for many years. In
addition, a number of live stock dealers are
constantly carrying on operations in this line
during the entire year, shipping great many
hogs to Chicago both live and dressed. Ofthe
amoant of business done by these latter per
sons, we have been unable to gather any re-
liable figures, but the business is known TO
reach very extensive proportions. Shaw Il
Bro. last winter, purchased over seven thou
sand head of live and dressed hogs, about
two thousand head of which were shipped to
Chicago, and the balance packed at their
house in this city. They will ship none to
Chicago, this winter, however, Kellerstrass
Il Vogele packed about eight hundred head
last winter, which found market in Chicago
and st Louis. The butcher houses of our
city, in addition to their ordinary business,
packed over two thousand head last winter.
These few facts show that our butchers and
packers handled nearly ten thousand head of
hogs, last winter, and it is fair to suppose
that our drovers shipped at least one and q
half times as many, which calculation will
give us about twenty five thousand head
of hogs packed here.and shipped to Chicago,
last winter.
The largest of our packing houses, is that
of Shaw Il Brother, located on River street,
west of Buffalo. They commenced busi.
ness in this line at Moline, in the winter
of 1857, and carried on operations for about
three years, when they removed to this city.
In the summer of 1861, they erected their
packing house, which is commodious, neat
ly arranged brick, fifty by one hundred and
fifty feet in size, and containing two floors,
beside deep and well fitted basement
where hams are cured, and sides and
shoulders sailed down. For the curing of
hams, some twenty capacious tubs, are now
in steady USE Shaw 4 Brother have pro-
cess of sweet picking hams, peculiarly
their own, which enables them to turn out
one of the most popular articles in the mar
ket, highly valued by good housewives, ant
Thoroughly appreciated by epicures. To keel
up their reputation, their hams for the home
market are all selected, those of q more in
ferior quality being laid out for shipment
While being shown through this basement
day or two ago, we We're not a little supris
ed at the immense stacks of sides ant
shoulders, ranging from one end of the es
tablishment to the other, illustrating, mos
eonclusively, what voracious monster mar
is. These remain here, sometimes fo
many months, until the state of the marke
or the home demand warrant their being
taken out. In the meantime they are kept il
perfect state of preservation by liberal appli
cations of salt, and by being occasionly turn
ed over throughout. In this department, 9
number of men were busily engaged adding
to the mammoth piles, while we were present
receiving their supplies from the floor above
by means of a trap door. In one corner O.
the basement is an apparatus for cooling
lard, capable OF containing large quantities
of this staple. The hot lard is conducted
from cauldron on the floor above by means
of pipes. On the first fooris the cutting room
The slaughter house is located outside tbe
city limits, in the slough south of warnock
Il Ralston's soap factory, consequently onlv
dressed hogs are handled in the packing