Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-12-01
A Western wonder.
CHICAao's GREAT STOCK YARD.

Chicago has again ustonishcd the world
with first, class novelty mammoth "Stock
Yark.." ahead of anything of the sort ever
Tneeivcd out of that enterprising village.
| The "Union Stock Yard"-half an hour
by rail from the centre of the city-contains
345 acres, and has capacity for 21 900
head of cattle, $4,000 hogs and 22, 900 sheep,
with stalls for $50 horses, in all therefore, for
| 1880 animals and when all the ground
is covered with pens, it will accommodate
900 head of cattle.
The following figures may convey some
| fcnt idea Of the extent of this novel enter.
prise, and the amount of work it involved
most of which was accomplished in the last
six months
There are 35 miles of under drainage; 10
miles of streets and alleys, all paved with
wood; miles of water troughs 10 mics of
feed troughs; $500 gates 1900 open pens,
heavily fenced in with double plank, nailed
to stout and frequent posts; 500 covered
sheds for hogs and sheep; 22,000,000 feet of
lumber were used on these structures, and
500, 900 pounds Of nails II miles of rail.
road track, with fifty switches and frogs, con.
meet every railroad which runs into Chicago
with the stock yard by spcci,l track.
The water is supplied by artcsan wells,
dug one to the depth of 1882 feet, and an.
other to the depth Of 1,190 feet These send
water into the tanks 45 feet high whence it
is distributedsin all the pens and sheds there
being hydrant in each of these. The wa.
ter can be shut off from any or all of the d
visions at pleasure, and to guard against loss
by fire plugs are distributed over the grounds,
and one thousand feet of three inch hose arc
ut hand.
But the strangcst story to me was to find
this stock yard a complete little yard of itself
1t has, of course, large resident population ;
from one hundred aud scvcnty-i five to two
hundred men are constantly employed by the
company, who take charge of the animals as
they arc unloadcd from the cars, which run
into the streets between the pens. 10 ac
>.isiModatc its own servants, numerous Gotta,
gcs have been built; but to Accommodate the
drovcrs, and the buyers aud sellers, a large
pictc in every detail of n hotel is found on
roomy exchange Office, and telegraph lines to
all parts of the country; bank, and of
course, this being in the United States, a
newspaper Chicago San-publishcd
daily, So it asserts, at the Union Stock Yard,
and sheep.
10 complete this inventory, there is town
hall for public meetings, a church well attcn
dcd, Sunday School and an excellent day
school.
The company has in single day received
pcnncd, fed, watcrcd and taken account of
1000 hogs, 5000 cattle aud 1000 sheep,
without the least delay or confusion; and
again, on another day, received 5,Sl3 head of
becvcs. The whole enterprise has cost, so
for, $l,G75.O00-a marvel Of chcapness.
Chicago is great distributing centre for
cattle, hogs and sheep. BY ten different lail
roads they are brought hithcr, to be sent off
again eastward, or killed and cured here In
pork packing, Chicago threatens to leave
Cincinnati far behind and in 1850, 403,-
l02 head Of cattle, ,G6l,S 500 hogs and 49,
072 sheep were brought hither.
1t is surely something good to know that
these immense drovcs Of animals are kindly
treated, comfortably lodged and fed while
they remain in this stock yard; that bust
ness too often conducted with needless brutal.
ity, is here managed quietly and humanely,
and that even the good Mr. Bergh could find
no fault with the arrangements or with the
conduct Of the men who have these creatures
in charge. In the arrangements of the
streets and pens, care has been taken to make
driving an easy task. The cattle have mar.
row lanes to pass through all tho streets arc
double, and the two parts are separated by
high and tolcraby close fences, so that CATTLE
on their way to aud from the cars, are not
worried, but easily and surely directed and
moved.
------
FIRE. About 0 o'clock last night fire
broke ont in the carpenter shop of Mcssrs.
Cline and Gibbs, located on the river near
the crossing of Main street The combusti
bility of tho building, with its contents, was
auch that nothing could be saved and our
cntcrprising fellow citizens, Mcssrs. Cline 4
Gibbs, have thereby suffered loss Of over
six thousand dollars in material and machine.
ry, beside tho loss that necessarily accrucs
from the consequent suspension of work on
their large contracts. Tho machinery of the
establishment was extensive and well adapted
to its purpose, and afforded excellent facilities
for tho rapid and reliable execution of work
for building purposes, and in its destruction
the community generally arc Indirectly suffer.
crs with our unfortunate follow citizens, the
proprietors.
Adjoining tho shop there was saw mill
belonging to Alex. Mcl}oe, Esq, which was
also entirely consumed, inAictng on Mr.. Nc.
Roc n loss Of nhont ono thouannd dollnrs