The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-12-13
WALKS AND TALKS.
List, Davenport 4 Parks
Pork House, Fulton.

changed from hog to pork, he takes his
place al the feast Of the rich as we'll as
at the scanty board Of the poor, he lin
gers on the delicate lips Of the beauty
as roast ham" and passes rom sight
down the cspacious NAV Of the pioneer
as "hog and hominy." And yet, though
pork, in some of its forms, may be
found on the tables of all kinds, classes
and conditions Of men, but few have
ever witnessed the process by which
the animal ceases to be hog and be-
comes pork, and still less do they think
of the enormous amount Of money in
vested in the business Of slaughtering
and packing. Well informed packers
in all parts Of the west look forward to
a hog crop larger by nearly one'third
than iu any previous year on record
In 1870 the crop Tin round numbers)
Was 100000 hogs; in 1871, which
was an unusually heavy year, it was
4,750,OOO hogs, while in 1872, if the
estimates Of all the heaviest packers
are to be taken az correct, it will be no
less than 100000 hogs. Estimating
that each hog will sell for $lO-which
is a very safe estimate-the reader can
arrive at an understanding of the
amount invested in hogs in this coun-
try. When to this ia added the cost OF
slaughtering, packing, and rendering
lard, and the value Of the buildings,
machinery and grounds necessary for
the business, it will be seen that pork
packing is one OF the heaviest invest
ments OF the country.
Wheeling is rapidly taking her place
az one OF the important packing points
in the country, and no firm has none
to increase this Importance and bring to
notice the excellence OF the meats packed
here than the firm Of List, Davenport
& Parks. Their sailed and smoked meats
have a reputation in the markets OF the
East not excelled by any other house
in the country, and their "Chester
brand Of sugar cured hams are becom-
ing as we'll known and as much en-
ouired after as the famed Phipps hams
Of other days.
We paid visit to the slaughter and
packing houses Of this firm in Fulton
yesterday, and must confess that we
had formed no just idea OF the capacity
of either, or OF the new and improved
machinery for the saving Of labor and
increasing the rapidity of the work
We found about two acres of ground
most advantsgeously located on the
bank of Wheeling creek, and on which
we're built the necessary buildings for
killing, dressing, cutting and curing the
meat Let US begin at the commence
ment
Yonder is lot full Of hogs. A pass
age way leads from the yard to the
slaughter pen. Halt a dozen or more
hogs are driven into this passage and
they 20 from there to the slaughter pen
where they are knocked down. AL
most at the same moment the fatal
knife reaches the heart. AZ soon as
they have bled sufficiently a hook is
placed in their jaws and they are thrown
into q no! water tank. As soon as the
hair and bristles start readily the hog is
thrown by a very ingenious but simple
arrangement on to a scraping tables,
and the bristles are taken off and put
away in one place and the hair in an
other. The hog being scraped clean is
thrown into rinsing tank, where the
body is thoroughly washed and the
gambrels run through the lege. By
means Of lever it is now lifted out and
placed on hooks for dressing. In an
incredible short space Of time the en-
trails are removed and the body placed
away to cool. The fact is the work is
done go rapidly that the hog is hanging
up ready to he cut up and sailed before
he has entirely got done squeezing The
slaughter house is verv large, roomy and
convenient. 1t has capacity for slaught'
ering 400 hogs daily. The number
averages about $50 a day
during the packing season. We row
pass into the cutting room, so BY %
feet. Here the hogs are separated into
hams, shoulders. clean sides, &c +,
with rapidity almost mar
marvellous. Mr.. John Bsyha, who has
charge of the establishment, is one OF
the swiftest men with q knife we ever
saw. 1t seems as if be mentally drew
lines all over the carcass and followed
the lines thus drawn with mathemst-
ical accuracy. In briefer time than it
takes to tell it, the hog is in pieces and
away to the sailing rooms. After re
naming here a sufficient time, the
meats TO be smoked 60 into the smoke
houses. Of these there are Jour, with
a capacity Of $4,000 pounds each. They
are four stories high, and to look up at
the meat hanging there it looks as il
there were enough to supply all crea-
49,. TIL lan,. 80 h. ,..,. o,,oJ M