The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-04-22
Swift Bullock Dressing.

The advertised bullock dressing match
between VIM. Kerry and Edward Hartin
of the St. Louis Beef Canning Com
panv. in East st. Louis, as team
against two men from the same estab
lishment to be produced, did not come
off Yesterday on account of the illness
of one of the challenging team Messrs.
Kerry and Hartin, although disappoint
ed at the non-appearance of the contest
ing team, determined to maintain their
right to tho title of the champions of
the West by an exhibition against time,
their intention being to lower the record
of r. Lafferty and J. r. Ferguson, who,
on April 10, 1877, at Brighton, Mass,
dressed bullock in four minutes and
one and one-half seconds. A number
Of people, principally butchers from
st. Louis and East ST. Louis, were in
waiting in small slaughter house near
the Richardson pork packing establish
ment, at 4 o'clock, the hour announced
for the exhibition. The bullock was to
be dressed in the style usual to packing
establishments. There is vast differ
ence between that and dressing for the
market.
The conditions were that the bullock
was to be killed, his head and feet re-
moved, the carcass pitched, time then to
be called, and after the bullock was
skinned and hung up the task to be
completed. The paunch was to be re-
moved by third party, and the hide
was not to be dropped" or in other
words, left hanging to the neck.
1t will be understood that in man.
moth establishments like the Beef Can
ming Company's, where 800 cattle are
slaughtered in day, the dresser receives
and leaves the cattle under the condi-
tions that obtained in the match.
The bullock was brought in and his
head drawn to the floor by rope about
the horn. passed through ring in the
floor, and was dispatched by blow with
pole-ax. A boy butcher at once began
to remove the feet at the knee joint, and
another severed the head. The carcass
was then split down the belly.
The two butchers, with their pants in
their boots, with steel by side and
knives in hand, stood one on either side,
awaiting the word "Go!' from Dick
Carroll, the judge and time keeper.
They tackled the carcass with a pre-
cison and speed that were bewildering
to follow. The hide of the steer seemed
to come off as easily as would the skin
of banana. The admiration of the
Outstanding butchers gave vent in enthu
siastic cheers. In less time than it
takes to tell it, the bullock was hanging
in air, with it's hide depending from it's
neck alone A few blows with meat
ak divided the carcass in twain, and the
work was done. Mr.. Carrols stop
watch showed that the bullock had been
dressed in two minutes and forty five
seconds.
Several bystanders suggested that at
the Brighton match the hide was
"dropped," and that the dressscrs re
moved the paunch, which these two did
not, another young man attending to
that Tart Of the business. 1t was gen.
orally conceded that at the Brighton
match the head and feet were removed
and the bullock pitched" before the
match was declared on.
If the Brighton match was made
under the same conditions as that of
yesterday, Messrs. Lafiertv and Fergu-
son, Of Brighton, Mass, are requested
to send the horns to Messrs. Kerry 4
Hartin, care of st. Louis Beef Canning
Company. As there are several inter
esting matches to grow out of this exhi
bition of Yesterday, information is de-
sired as to the exact conditions generally
governing these contests.-Globe Demo
crat, March llth.
Cricket on the hearth must have been