The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-01-21
agricultural.
Method of Killing Hogs.

A correspondent Of the Detroit Free
Press, writing from Cincinnati under date
OF Dec. IA, says;
"Although ! have visited the princip al
slaughter-houses Of this city, and spent
much time in Witnessing the n'odus operandi
Of hog killing, | cannot give you more than
a general outline of the programme. We
will take the mammoth slaughter-house of
Richard Beresiord & Co., Deer Greek road,
for instance, as here ''porker" passes
through more hands, and is "done for"
more scientifically than at any other estab-
llsl'ment. Let US suppose the case of an
individual hog:
Arriving by rail in the city, after long
Journey from the interior, he is met at the
depot by an agent, who, with the assistance
Of numerous boys drives him to the slaugh-
ter yard. Here he is driven into a pen,
and when his turn comes, is scared, whipped
and kicked up a long ascending platform.
Here he halts for a few moments, but has
not time to form acquaintance with his
brother porkers before he is hurried into "a
narrower room. Here lie becomes fright
ened, for Oh all sides he sees blood stream
ing, and hears the death gurgles of his
comrades. But he has no time for thought
(if hog can think, for he feels pair of
clasps around one OF his hind legs, he hears
a man yell cliff and up he goes in the air,
suspended by crane. He gets swing
and turns about once or twice, until he
comes opposite tall, fierce looking man,
known as the '.sticker," his clothes per
feet clot of gore and his arms bare to the
elbows. Catching The hog by the left fore
leg, he places long, keen knife at the
throat and out comes the dark current Of
blood. That man takes the matter very
coolly, for every ten seconds, for eight
hours aud half a day, he performs the
same operation. Another swing and our
porker makes circle of fifteen feet, and
stops before burly negro AT this point
he is called dead With a surge and a lift
his leg is oosened from the clasps aud down
an inclined plane he goes, into a vat sixty
feet long and eight wide. The water here
is kept at the right temperature by means
Of steam pipes running through it. He is
pushed along from one "scalder" to another
until at the end of the first four minutes he
arrives at the hands of the ''shavers," who
hand him up on a table in eight seconds
and all his bristles and haiI worth shaving
are off and deposited in barrel, and he is
slung along to the "scrapers. A few
passes and one side is scraped perfectly
clean, and, with an overturn, he goes into
the hands of the next to have the other side
cleaned. Then he passes down to the
''gutter" who, with twist, elevates him by
the hind legs and before | can write it his
entrails are flung on table, and our porker
swings Oh to the next operator, who, with
the pipe Of a rubber hose, washes him out
side and IN. Then he receives another
swing and tetches up in the changing room,"
where he remains few hours to COOL
At this establishment the common rate of
slaughter is thirteen hundred per day.
From the time hog first reaches the estab-
lishment until he IS barreled up for market,
he passes through torty-eight different
hands. have merely described the kill
ing, cutting and hanging up; were l to fol-
low the head, feet and entrails, which all
take different directions from the table of
the gutter this would prove wearisome
article indeed. Escorted by W. W. Beres-
ford, the young and geutlemanly clerk of
this establishment, ! consumed about one
hour IN making the round Of the house,
tarrylng but a moment before each object
OF interest. OF course all the animals
slaughtered here are not the property of the
proprietors, and consequently are not
packed. Every house keeps an agent at
the various depots, and when train of
hogs arrives he searches ont their owner,
and offers him from fifty to seventy-iive
cents per head for the privilege Of slaugh
tering them-the house to retain nothing
but the fat on the intestines and the hair
and bristles, and to deliver the carcass at
any ofthe city packing houses. expressed
some surprise at this statement, but was
told that it was looked upon as profitable
"lay" and excited considerable competition
between the various houses.
AT the ''Cincinnati Slaughter House" the
animals are Knocked on the head with a
hammer Hanging them up and cutting
theiT Threats IS but recent invention, and
At is claimed that it adds to the wilderness
and purity Of the meat.