Smyrna times., 1881-12-07
For the Smyrna Times
How Meat is Prepared out West.

HO" MeaI Is prepared out West.
The following items have been given to
US by John H. Hoffecker, who extended
his western trip into Kansas: The lands
between Kansas City and Topeka, the
capitol, are for the most part level and
very rich prairie, we'll adapted to the
growing of wheat, corn, oats and vegeta-
0ies, but more attention is paid to raising
cattle, sheep and hogs, large train loads of
which as well as large droves on foot are
daily forwarded to the Live Stock Ex-
change in Kansas City. This institution
consists of very large building where
the buyers have their rooms or offices
and the yards attached are ample to ac-
commodate more than 100000 head of
stock at one time. Here the seller and
buyer are brought face to face and the
question arose in our mind where does if
all go, but upon being shown through the
pork and beef packing establishment of
Planklnton & Armours (which is ONLY one
OF some half dozen our query was OK
planned: this firm has nearly acres in
their stock yards and their factory. a brick
building four stories high, has nearly ;
acres of working space on its floors. Mr.
Allcutt, the Superintendent, informed us
that they slaughter daily 6.O0O hogs. 5000
sheep and 1000 cattle. The hogs in COM
panies Of so are driven up through an
elevator from the stock yard to the third
story OF the building into a large room
where two men each equipped with wire
rope about two feet long, having ring at
one end and spring catch at the other,
the spring being pressed firmly against
grasps the hind leg Of the hog. Over
head is an iron railway with pullv-loops
and hooks suspended so that the catcher
holding the ring in his left hand can very
easily with his right hand attach to ONE
of the hooks; instantly the steam hoist is
applied and the hog finds himself dang
ling in the air head downward: as the
railway to which he is now SUSPENDED is
on down grade gentle push will send
him to the scalding tank about 80 feet
distant: on his way hlther he is met bv
the executiOner who stabs and sends him
on for dead. The scalding tank is sup
Piled with succession of rollers so that
the hog does not stop in the boiling bath,
but by the rollers is driven head foremost
through machine that strips all the hair
off; passing on he meets man who at
one stroke takes off his head, he is then
caught up and in double quick time the
intestines are removed, then Jets of cold
water are turned upon him until all traces
of blood disappear, he is then lowered
into the refrigerator when all the animal
heat is extracted, then to the dissecting
room where it takes shape rs hams, should
ers, sides, lard and sausage.
The beef cattle in companies of 20 are
driven up separate aud distinct from the
hogs though on the same floor and in
much the same way. Each animal is
forced into a stall so narrow that he can
not turn round; above them is the gun
ners platform enclosed with light railing,
here the gunner with breech loading
rifle in his hands and not more than or
6 feet from the animals head; one ball is
generally sufficient to fell the stoutest
bullock upon his knees; Immediately the
dagger is plunged to his heart, the loop
placed upon his heels and made fast to
the capstain, he is drawn upon the plat
form and very speedily relieved of his
hide and eptrails; after thorough wash
ing off Is sent below to pass through the
cooling process, and after being cut into
pieces of a convenient size for handling is
placed in the large steam kettles and
cooked thoroughly done, the meat is then
separated from the bones, having been
properly seasoned in the cooking, it is
packed in tin cans and hermetically sealed
and stamped, the wrappers or labels are
then put on and as soon as dry cased in
packages of suitable dimensions and low
cred to the ground floor. To sum it all
up in very few words: The machinery
of the latest invention is all driven by
steam power they use thirty tons of ice
daily in the refrigeTators for cooling the
meats; their employers number 1000
men their live stock enters through ele-
vators to the 3rd story of the factory on
the west side and is loaded into cars as
canned meats, sausage, lard, pork, ect., on
the east side of tho same building and
from thence shipped to Chicago, St. Louis,
and other markets. There are many
other large industries here, as the manu-
fhcture of Glucose Sirup, Linseed Oil, &C.,
&c, and last though not least we were
struck with the number and extent of the
manufacture of bricks, and one popularity
of this business is that the high bluffs
upon which the city is being built may be
cut down to the depth of 10 feet and
worked into the finest bricks and still
,eaye building sites at an elevation above
the city grade; in q word it is live place
% years old and has q population of over
10000 souls.
A sad commentary en the ease with
which murdeFers escape the gallows in