Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-05
The Chicago stock Yards.

fCor. New York POST
The "Union Stock Yards" as this vast estab-
lishment is called, is an example of the thor
oughness with which these western men do what
comes in their way. 1t lies half an hour by rail
from the center of the city, contains 345 acres
of land, and has a capacity for 1000 head of
cattle, $4,000 hogs, and $4,000 sheep, with stalls
for $50 horses--in all for 11S,850 animals. When
all the ground is covered with pens it will ac
commodate 210 900 head of cattle.
There are now 100 acres of pens for cattle, all
foored with three-inch plank, besides great
area in which the cattle stand on the ground. |
do not know what effect the following figures
will have upon your mind, but they will give
you, at least, some notion of the work which
has been done here, and most of which was ac-
complshed in six months. There are
35 miles of underdrainage not very thorough,
| should think, for the ground is very fiat;
10 miles of streets and alleys, all paved with
wood
8 miles Of water troughs;
10 miles of feed troughs;
2800 gates;
1900 open pens, heavily fenced in With double
plank, nailed to stout and frequent posts;
500 covered sheds for hogs and sheep;
% million feet of lumber were used on these
structures, and 100000 pounds of nails;
II miles of railroad track, with 60 switches
and frogs, connect every railroad which runs
into Chicago with the stock yard by a special
track.
The water is supplied by artesan wells, dug,
one to the depth OF 1882 feet, and another to the
depth of 1880 feet These send water into tanks
As feet high whence it is distributed in all the
pens and sheds, there being hydrant in each of
these. The water can be shut off from any or
all the divisions at pleasure, and, to guard
against loss by fire, fourteen fire-plugS are dis
tributed over the grounds, and one thousand
feet of thrce-inch hose are at hand.
But the strangest story to me was 10 find this
stock yard complete little world Of itself. 1t
has, Of course, large resident population; from
l75 10 200 men are constantly employed by the
company, who take charge of the animals as
they are unoaded from the cars, which run into
the streets between the peas. To accommodate
its own servants, numerous cottages have been
built; but, to accommodate the drovers, and the
buyers and sellers, large hotel, substantially
built of brick, and complete in every detail of
hotel, is found on the ground. Nor is this all
there is a roomy exchange, for the transaction
of business, with a post office, and telegraph
lines to all parts of the country; a bank, and,
of course, this being in the United States,
newspaper, the Chicago Sun, published daily, so
it asserts, at the union stock yards" and the
organ of the dealers in cattle, hogs and sheep.
To complete this inventory, there is a town
hall for public meetings, a church well attend
cd, Sunday school, and an excellent day
school.
The company, as | said above receives and
cares for all the animals sent. 1t has thus re-
ceived, penned, fed, watered, and taken account
of Al 600 hogs, 5000 cattle, and 1000 sheep in
single day, and without the least hitch or delay;
and last Thursday it received 5,S13 head of
beeves and cows, the largest number Of cattle
ever brought in in single day. Hay barns and
corn bins are scattered all over the grounds.
was surprised to hear that the manure col
lected here was for some time drug upon the
hands of the company; of late they begin TO
find some demand for it, but yet large part of
it is drawn out and corded up on the open
prairie.
The whole enterprise has cost so far, 81 $751;
900. If Englshmen had controlled it, it would
have cost five times as much. If New York had
built it, it woGld have been before this, | sup
pose, in the hands of the ring. Being here it is,
| am told, in every way economically and well
conducted; and certainly it is model for the
completeness and simplicity of every detail and
for the manner in which, by its hotel, bank, eX-
change or salesroom, post-otfice and telegraph,
loss of time is prevented and security en-
sured.
Extensive slaughter-houses, which do not be-
long to the comp any, however, are placed near
the yards The animals looked comfortable
and happy, and with plenty of good hay and
abundance of sweet water, they well might be.
Hitler come cattle dealers and buyers from all
paris Of the eastern states, and for their con-
yenience the large hotel was erected. For the
comfort and health of the cattle a Chicago man
has coDtrived a "paace cattle car" which |
have not seen, but in which, it is asserted, ami
mails shall be allowed TO make the long journey
from here to the seaboard not only without suf-
fering, but with ease and in good health.
A New Yorker misses, in the stock yard, the
accustomed faces of Dennis and Patrick. The
droYerS, the buyers, the sellers and the servants
of the company, seem to be mostly Americans.
Here and there were German or Irish faces, but
very few Irishmen. l do not know if the uneX-
pected quiet of the place is due to the absence
of st. Patrick but it is certainly as noiseless as
though the whole administration was in the
hands of Quakers; and the lad who was deputed
to show me the place refused, politely, but firm
ly, like an independent American boy, the trihe
urged upon him for his trouble. An American
boy expects to go to Congress, or to be a gen.
eral or railroad president or something, and is
above "gratuities"