Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-02-04
Pork Killing By Wholesale.
How IT IS DONE IN A LARGE CHICAGO PACK
ING HOUSE

l
CHICAGO, December, 1880
An account of recent visit to one of the
leading pork packing houses of Chicago
may be of interest, and if what 1 may say
doesn't increase the sale of bacon l hope l
sLall not be blamed. If any body of men
were ever schooled to work as one vast
machine, the hewers OF pork and drawers
of blood in one of these institutions GER
tainly have completed their education in
their particular branch. This single
house that l visited has facilities for
dispatching 10000 hogs Il day There
are three sets of men and machines that
first divest the pretty pig of his
plumage. and allowing 5000 killed
in a day of 10 hours work, 900
must pass through each mans hands
each hour, and the fiend who
draws their life-blood makes about eight
thrusts minute This is the way he
does it =
Overhead is n sort of elevated railroad
running throughout the entire building.
On this track runs n wheel to which is
attached the tackle holding the carcass
The pigs are connected with this tackle,
elevated in an inverted position, set in
motion along the railroad Just as thickly
as they can get them together, and once
started they keep themselves moving by
their own wild gestures. AS they roll
along, one closely following another,
their murderer, quickly, and by deft,
peculiar motion of the arm, gives them
the countersign, moving not from his
place. nor stopping them in their reckless
course. No sad wall or piercing shrek
checks him in his bloody work. He
stands immovable, often thrusting his
hand behind him for a keener blade or
to rinse the gore from his reeking steel,
but pausing not,-50O victims an hour,
and this day in and day out But how
many a poor missionary would revel in
one-fifth the daily revenue Of this butch
er. This slight disgression. to give the
poor creature time to recover from a Sc
we're hemorrhage, and meanwhile you
must remember that he has been rolling
slowly along on his wheel, when sudden
ly his hemorrhage is effectually checked by
immersion in boiling water. Men slowly
poke him along to the farther end of the
great tank, where he issues on to what
would be an immense nutmeg crater,
were it not used to remove the silky fur
from pigs sleek hide. 1t is curious
machine ; We will say set of rough-sid-
ed cylinders set at an angle. As the pig
keeps slipping down tho inclined plane
he is carried back and at the same time
the hair taken of, and the cylinders hav-
ing besides circular motion gives every
part ofthe animal a thorough shampooing
A labor saving machine certainly, and yet
SO simple in its working that it is really
matter of absorbing interest to watch
the quiet manner in which it disrobes
this harmless creature and supplies mil
lions of contributions toward that beauti-
ful toilet necessity found in every we'll
regulated household. Show me the man
that can dispense with it , Is there such
an one? If he believes in transmigration
let him be changed into the form Of q hog
without delay
This tooth brush machine leaves our
departed friend deposited on table and
surrounded by eager individuals who
seem about to enjoy wake. But, no.
He Is again mercilessly attacked by their
cold blades. His head drops off and
when You look up to see what has become
OF 1t, you catch sight Of some freshly
made head-cheese across the room, from
which the youngsters are sliceing off o
sly bit, now and then, in the way Of free
lunch. Looking back where we left our
friend We find another in his stead, while
he has increased in breadth by a full
length incision, and what he has lost in
weight is already far removed from its
accustomed abiding place within the in
ner shrine, and the interior decorations
are observable across the way, i'll the
able hands of the committee who have
that branch of the association in their
nj t.1 Nn~k
of Mr.. Pig somebody is anxious to pay
for the privilege Of eating
Meanwhile the particular gentleman in
whose company we are travelling has again
been Srappled by the tackle on the eleva-
ted road and is showed around curves and
erial switches, till he fetches up short
against his next OF kin. The force of the
blow dlsconnects him from the railway
and he drops astride OF stationary bar and
his empty car rolls OH without him.
Here he is destined to remain some time
after having his spinal column severed
its entire length. We now have our
| porker before us Ill form that looks
quite meaty and by and he will be salted
down, smoked or picked When he is
\ quite competent TO take hand ut any
pork deal" whatever, whether it be n
corner" or not. 1t is, indeed, pretty
sight looking through one of the large
ham rooms, where table after table stands
loaded with thousands of hams symmet-
rically piled, and as you stop at the end
Of one Of the long avenues and look back
through the pyramids of hams, even n
member OF the Springfield art association
would SMILE at the perfect perspective
that would meet his educated eve.
"l.at LA.. Ill H., -
various processes and hands it goes
through before it is marketable, as we'll
as long statements combining tiresome
figures about the money made and lost
in handling pork, | will not weary YOU
| with