Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1877-07-19
A NEW AND IMPORTANT IN
DUSTRY.
The Manufacture Of Compressed Meats
Great Increase in the Business During
the Past Two Years.

| AAO AAAeSAAuAe~OouAO VI O0COu 4AOOOC0
Great Increase in the Business During
the Past Two Years.
From the New York Tribune.]
One of the problems of the day is the pres
ervation of meat. Large cities are far from
the sources of supply. In South America,
Australia, and Texas are thousands of cattle,
but their commercial value exists only in their
horns, hides, and tallow, while their flesh is
lost through ignorance of the way to pre-
serve it. Scientific men have long wrestled
with the problem of transporting meat for
long distances in good condition. Professor
Liebig invented all Extract of Beef" which
was followed by numerous limitations. A
| company in Texas cans and preserves the
principal elements of beef under an American
| patent. Their sales have been quite large.
| But the chief objection to this as we'll as
| Liebig's Extract of Beef and it's limitations
| is that it can only be used in liquid form. 1t
| is only recently that the preservation of solid
! meats has been possible. A New York COM
| pany has for this purpose unique process.
The beef, or rather meat, is first dried by a
patent blowing and steam evaporatlng pro-
cess, after the removal of all bone and fatty
or grist1y substances. It is then packed in
| extremely thin slices and will preserve its
good qualities for an unlimited period in any
climate. In fact nothing remains in the
meats that can decay. A quarter of pound
of i is equal to pound of solid meat.
The manufacture of compressed cooked
meats is a new industry in this country. 1t
began two years ago and has now assumed
almost gigantic proportions. England has
received cooked meats from Australia for 20
years, but the process there differs greatly
from the American method. The American
meats, however, bring better prices in Eng
land to-day and bid fair to outstrip all foreign
articles. About 750, 900 cans per month are
produced by two American houses and from
5000 to 4, 600 cattle per week are slaughtered
in Chicago for this purpose. For the canning
of corn beef and beef tongues only the best
materials are selected, tough and stringy
parts being discarged. The Western States
naturally lead the way in this industry, as
they are nearer the main sources of supply
and the fertile grazing lands of the North
west The live animals are brought to Chi
cago, and after inspection are slaughtered in
the abattoirs of the company. The carcasses
are cut into the required weight, and the bone,
sinew, and gristle eliminated. After another
inspection the meats are ready for the curing
process. The best portions of the meats are
exposed to the action of steam in immense
wooden vats. Metal vats would be very un-
desirable, on account of the liability to min
eral poisoning. The beef is then packed in
strong tin cans of various sizes, containing
two. four, six, and fourteen pounds each.
They are hermetically sealed, and the con-
tents will keep pure and fresh in any climate
for many years. They have none of that
musty flavor which was formerly inseparable
from canned meats, and retain their flavor a
long time after being removed from their
metallic envelopes The Australian method
of canning differs from the American in this,
that the former cooks the meat whole in cans,
while the latter cooks it in small pieces in
wooden vats, as already described. The
Australian cans often present a peculiar ap-
pearance after the cooking process, as the
sides are sometimes contracted, and look as
it they had been sub jected to pressure. The
extent of the American industry is also shown
in the number of employees, salaries, etc., of
Chicago firm. In one establishment 1000
men and $50 girls are employed, and the pay
roll is $50, 600 month. The floor of the |
packing-house covers four acres The refrig- |
orator will accommodate 8, ,33O, 900 pounds |
Five boilers, with capacity of $4,000 |
pounds, are used for rendering tallOw from |
marrow and five for furnishing steam for |
cooking and the elevators.
Cooked meats have been known in Amer
lea for 20 years, but it has been the Austral-
ian method that has been in vogue Owing
to its inferiority the sales of those meats have
been poor. The demand for compressed
cooked meats, on the contrary, has been so
great that there is prospective business with
governments in supplying them with this
article. 1t is hoped that something may be
in the way of supplying the
European belligerents. Large invoices are
now sent to London, Liverpool, Glasgow,
Belfast, etc. Germany and France do not
buy them as readily yet as Great Britain, but
the promise is good for a large trade eventu-
ally IN those countries The London Grocer
stated recently that during one week 1870
cases of packed meat, each equal in weight
to one sheep, were received at Liverpool from
America Each case contained 10 cans, max
ing total of 135, 24O cans. This, however,
is not an average estimate, as one house in this
country has frequently sent out 10000 cases
per week.
The Romance of q Rich Young Man.
[From the Maysville (Cal) Appeal
There is young man carrying hod at
Rohr's new building on First street who has
, romantic history. He is about twenty-five
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