The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1867-02-07
Hog Killing-How it is Done in an
Abattoir.

upon the farm, havo little idea how the
thing is done in slaughter houses. Il
they have been through the large slaugh
tering establishments at Cincinnati oil
Chicago, they have got asgood insight in
to the bussiess but to see the whole in
perfection, with all the modern improve
ments, let person go to Communipaw
New-Jersey, opposite the southern point
OF the city, and witness the transforma-
tion of live hogs into pork as if by mag
ic, at that place. We will not assert,
with some, that it is done up so scienti6-
cally that "the operation is rather agree
able than otherwise" aud each animal,
whether hog, bullock or sheep, 'awaits
with impatience his turn to be taken off,"
but if the extent of squeal expresses the
amount of suffering, it is here of short
duration, for long before the farmers hog
has uttered those short cultural notes in
dicating that he was on the point of cav
ing in, having led his assailants in several
furious charges about the yard, our hog
would have been treated to warn bath,
and scraped down in the most approved
style by his humane and scientific mani
puators Not only is the killing done
up in the most expeditions manner, but it
is claimed that the greatest econmy is u.s.
ed-that from pigs snout to the end of
his tail, all is saved "except the squeal,"
and that is only allowed 10 escape through
fear that sit would require two cent
stamp upon it if retained"
The building in which the killing is
done is 3S0x100 feet, with three prGjec-
tions or wings, each 100x60 feet, and in
these wings the hogs are yarded and butch
cred, and the final operations of dress
ing are performed just as they reach the
main room. Most of the space is used
for hanging up the hogs after kill
ing the slides holding 1000 of them ;
and by the time they are all full, the first
are ready to be stacked up, or passed
through the chute into the wagons below.
A separate building contains the thou
sands of hogs to be drawn from as want
ed. They are driven in squads of about
200 up some back steps into pen. From
this they are hoisted up by a hind leg,
the sticking being done while suspended,
so that the blood shall run out quickly.
After bleeding to death they are dropped
into tank of hot water, regulated to the
right temperature by steam pipes and a
cold water tap. When sufficiently scald-
ed, they are foated upon set Of iron fla
gers, or rack, in one end of the tank, and
lever or brake tips them upon the raised
bench, where quick hands and scrap
ing Implements soon remove the bristles.
From this they are slipped upon sus-
pended hook, the upper end of which is
connected with wheel running upon a
nearly circular track overhead, and when
everythinge is complete, sort of lever,
suspended from another track running
nearly the length of the building, lifts
the hog from the hook and transfers him
into any desired slide or frame, where
push shoves him to lis place at the furth-
er cad.
We will now go minutely through the
operation of killing, as the Dutchman did
when asked who killed in that establish
ment al kills myself there" was the re-
ply. We will here remark that it takes
quite gang of men to run such ma
chine expeditously, and only those killed
can turn out two we'll l-dressed hogs per
minute from each of the stands or bench
es, as we have repeatedly seen them
do This, in fact, is the average, and with
gangs at each of the benches, 720 hogs
can be run off per hour. They are not
all in use at present.
1t takes 80 men and boys to make up
full working gang at each bench or form,
ELL
to keep the pens supplied with hogs ;
three to slip rope around a hind leg and
hoist them up by means of pulley wheel /;
one to stick them tive to work them over
with sticks and hooks, in the water two
to tip them out when scalded ten to pull
haul and scrape them five upon each
side of the bench, armed with fingers,
scrapers-somewha like the bottom of
an old-fashioncd round iron candlestick
knives, and the end of cold water
pipe to wash them off with. The hog is
set upon moment by the first pair, then
rolled over to the second, and so passed
down the inclined form, and by the time
he reaches the lower end is ready for the
gambrel by which he is strung-up. One
man inserts the gambrel, and attaches him
to clamp or hook upon the track, where
be is seized by the man with long KNIFE,
one stroke of which downward, and an
other upward, makes the opening Tor the
removal of the offal. Two or three more
slight cuts inside, and the "inwards' are
thrown upon bench for the four clean
ers and riddlers to take charge of, the
liver and heart going in another direction
One man now plays the hose upon the
carcass to wash off the blood, another
gives the finishing scrape with knife
while two men are kept at work transfer
ring them from the suspended track to the
slides or frames, and pushing them back
in their plces, all facing in one direction.
A full set will have about 20 hogs un
der way at once, between those suspended
for sticking and the washed Oft animal
The whole thing moves like eloek-work