The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-08-20
PARIS SLAUGHYER HOUSES.
A Novelty In Butchering Pigs.

A Novelty IN Butcner1nH flHss
A Paris correspondent, writing about
that city's slaug ghter houses, says OF
them: They are located in La Villette,
one of the outer wards of the city, just
at the edge of the fortiications, where
their odor cannot be offensive to the in
habitants of the city proper. They
cover an immense space, larger than any
thirty blocks in St. Louis, and were
constructed under government author
| ity, at the citY's expense, and are con-
stantly Under the supervision Of branch
of the municipal government. There is
police station, telegraph office, bar
racks for the troops, and a small force OF
soldiers always on duty within the
grounds, which are surrounded by a
high stone wall, and divided into regu-
lar rectangles by four avenues inter-
sected by eight rues. The buildings are
all of heavy stone, fire-proof and very
well built. The Jews have a separate
building where they do their slaughter
ing, according to their religious mode,
by cutting the head of the animal entire
ly off with a single stroke Of the knife.
and not by stroke on the head with a
mallet, as the other slaug ghterers here
do. There are series of coalrs running
through each building, covered with a
glass ceiling, and in these cours the
slaughtering is done and the animals are
dressed on wooden frames placed at
regular intervals on each side of the
cou,. A peculiar feature Of the opera
ton, which I have not noticed else
where, is that of blowing up the car
cass as soon as the head and legs are cut
off. The body being placed on the
dressing frame, an incision is made in
the breast near the neck and the nozzle
of bellows inserted. A man then
works the bellows for about fifteen
minutes. until the whole carcass is swol-
len out like small balloon. The reasons
given for this are that it makes the meat
look better, more plump, than it other
wise would, and that it enables the one
who skins the carcass to get the hide of
quicker and easier, without injuring it.
All animals, bullocks, calves, sheep, ETC.,
slaughtered here, are blown up m this
manner. The greatest cleanliness posi-
BILE in such business is observed, and
the disagreeable scents are reduced to
the minimum.
A novelty in pig butchery is to be seen
here on the avenue OF the pig styes, IN
the houses where they slaughter the
grunters. The pigs are taken into a
large round house, something like To-
comotive round-house in America, hav-
ing a cupola in the roof to let off the
smoke, the floor being divided into tri-
angular dens. A dozen or so Of pigs are
driven into each den at a time. A man
strikes each one in the head with NAL
let. They fall down quietly and are laid
in q row. Then the butcher comes along
and cuts each ones throat, and a girl
holds basin at the pigs throat to catch
the blood, which is all carefully poured
into large can and stirred by the girl
to keep It from curdling. This blood
is used in making the large black sau-
sages, 80 much sold in Paris. Another
girl goes along the row and works the
pigs front legs to keep the blood toW-
ing, and twists the hind legs to diSoint
them. A man then carries each porker
to the side of the room and arranges
them in a methodical row, heads all in
line, and covers them with straw, which
is set on fire, and burns off all the bris-
ties rather more quickly, but in the same
way rs cooks scorch the pin feathers off
a fowl in America. The longest bristles
have been previously pulled out by hand
by one of the butchers and preserved for
brush making. After good scorching
the pigs are carried into the dressing;
room, hung up on hooks and scraped all
over by means of sort OF drawing knife,
handled by a skillful operator, who
scrapes pig in about one minute. Then
the bodies are washed and the entrails
taken out and cleaned. They utilize
every part, even some of those which
Americans customarily throw away. A
ludicrous sight, as you walk down the
avenues, are the long rows of bullock's
legs with the hoofs still on them, stand
ing up against the walls of the slaughter
houses, toes out, awaiting purchasers.