The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-11-18
INSTANTANEOUS KILLING.
DYNAMITE USED FOR sLAUGHTERING CATTLE
THE FRENCH METHOD AND TIE PoLE-AxE.
London Times.

London Times.
Experiments were yesterday, October 18th
trate the use of dynamite as a means O
slhughterinE cattle humanely. Mr.. Thoma
JohnsA1, of Dudley, killed three bullocks il
shis wsy. To show the safety with which
the explosive (Noble's dynaismite) can bt
employed, small quantities we're frat burnt
without any explosion.
The charge with which the cattle were after
ward killed consisted of sbout an ounce of a
pinkish pasty substance, into which had been
plunged detonator on o fuse. The bullocks
bought that morning in the market, were led
into Mr.. Thomas Cross's slang hter- house. and
tied up to posts there In the ordinary way.
Although Other animals had recently been
despatched with the poleaxe close by, the
bullocks selected betrayed no consciousness of
their approaching fate. There was no trenor
or sweat upon them.
The operator, fondling them, passed
acrcss the forehead fllet of string re.
cured round the horns, and so arranged
that midway bet ween horns and eyes, and
thus in the centre of the forehead, the charge
of dynamite was placed, which formed the
central and only ornament Of the fllet. Then
the fuse was fired, and In two cases the bull
look was killed at once by the explosion of tie
ounce of dynamite. hole was made in the
skull by the force of the explosion, but the
conclusion was entirely local. and people
standing close by felt nothing. They heard
loud report. The animals were immed lately
pithed by passing a cane down their spinal
marrows to remove oil sensibility, aud in q
quarter of an hour their caTcasses, stripped of
the hide, and divided into two, were har gtug
up as sides of beef, ready TO be- transported to
the Metropolitan Dead Meat Market.
The brain was found to be- entirely broken
up. With tho first bullock tried the expert
ment was less successful. The charge had
been placed too low. The animal was felied
but struggled on the ground. man was
however ready with the pole axe He smote
once, aud no more, aud the poor beast was out
of its agony. Afterwards bullock was killed
with one blow of the pofe.axe, and another by
the French method, the vertebra being severed
with a knife at the back of the neck. In each
case the cane was use Immediately afterward
All three modes of slaughter, properly csr-
ried into fleet, seemed little cruel as il con-
sistent with tho Necessity of iutilctirg death
but the pole-a2e aud knife, both used with
consummAte skill yesterday, require consider
able practice TO be employ, d with dexterity.
In couutry slouE Ehter-h"us,s where tho men
have less experience. u ck-br0wed bull is
sometimes struck again aud again before he
dies. Tue dynamite may be applied at
ought to b. able 10 oouEt on keeping
it there. An objection to it's use is
in the report which II makes. TIE
second bullock was obviously frightened by
tho noise of the explosion of the iirst charge
The three animals were killed in nine minutes
st the expense of about 81. In the Black
County, where dynamite is common AS a
blasting material for mines, it ls said to be
already in practical in the slaughter
house.