The Cecil Whig., 1881-09-03


CITY-THE SCENES AT THE JERSEY CITY
! IARDS-HOw THE CATTLE ARE KILLED
| MEAT REFRIGERATORS FOR THE FOR
! EIGN TRADT--THE EXPORTS FROM NEW
YoRk.
\ reporter recently visited the Jersey
City stock yards in Harsimus Cove, lit
| tie bay between the termini of the Penn
sylvania and Erie railways. They are
built on piles, and extend east and west
for a half a mile, with a width Of about
800 feet. The cattle and other animals
are unloaded into chutes, or small pens,
having an inclined gang way, and from
these they are driven to the pens, which
| are ranged between one central and two
outside avenues. The pens are built of
rough boards, and are fioored with plank.
They are provided with hay rack and
water troughs, the latter being supplied
10y pipes connecting with the city water
supply. Many of the pens contain sheds
to protect the animals from the sun and
stormy weather.
The abattoirs in the rear of the yards
are interesting to persons who do not
mind the sight Of blood. Farmers, who
are accustomed to think the killing of a
bullock a days work, are always aston
ished at the celebrity of the work at the
. abattoirs. The cattle are driven into
pens of iron ratings, extending through
fha Of ha l,,,
butchers have large open space along
side i'll which to work. \ rope is fast
ened around the hind leg of an animal,
and a man at a windlass draws the bull
lock out of the pen and hoists him into
/ the air. A practced hand and a keen
knife soon do their work, and the crea-
ture bleeds copiously into the vessels set
to catch the blood. They die with scarce
ly a struggle. One is struck by the 81
lence with which the work is done.
The cattle come to Jersey City mostly
by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which
brings the cattle shipped by the Balti-
more Il Ohio from Southern points,
Many also come by the Erie road. The
majority arc shipped from Chicago, St.
Louis and Cincinnati, by dealers in those
places, who are either interested with
the sellers in New York or have .heir
stock sold OH commission, the charge for
which is generally $l.50 per head. The
best bullocks for beef come at this time
Of year from Ohio and Kentucky, and in
the winter from Illinois and Missouri.
The breeds are usually natives. or grade
Short horns and Durhams. Illinois, MIS-
souri,, Iowa, and Kansas are the States
where the most corn is fed to buIlOcks.
and the stock from those States. there
fore. makes superior beef 4 great many
beeves are coming from the plains of
Colorado and are very fair stock. About
forty per cent of the arrivals at this time
of the year are Texas and Colorado half
breeds. They are composed in Il great
measure of bone and horn. and usually
bring very low prices. AS the country
is more thickly settled, the Texas cattle
become tanner and easier TO handle, but
they are still the subject of few stray
''cuss words from drover and butch
ers. The Cherokee cattle raised by The
Indians are much like the Texans, only
smaller and neater. Some dealers buy
the Texas cattle and fatten them on corn
in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, and so
make fair beef of them. Others in Gin
cinnati, Chicago, Sterling and Peoria.
Illinois, and Cynthiana. Kentucky. fat
ten many cattle on distillery refuse or
''slops the grain after it has been dis
titled. The feed makes healthy meat of
fair quality. Some say, however, that
the meat of this kind is softer and more
tlabby, and that distillery fed animal
will die i'll very warm weather, when a
corn fed one will be in good condition.
The cattle-growing part of the country
has moved west rapidly in the last few
years, as the new States have been opened
up, until now the most of the stock COM
ing to this market is raised west of the
Mississippi. Kansas, Nebraska, Colo
RADIO, Iowa and Missouri have taken the
business from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,
and many farmers in the latter States
are turning their attention TO raising
sheep and hogs as more profitable. Chi
caco is the great cattle depot of the coun-
try, and handles about 10000 head a
week, while New lork's average was
last year 13,0l3. But Chicago is dis
tributing point, while New York is a
Market. New York eats most of the
live stock she receives. while Chicago
has much more than she can masticate.
and SO sends it away
Live stock usually stops over several
hours in Chicago, and is again unloaded
watered and fed at Pittsburg or some
other point on the way to New York
The trains arrive at Jersey City at all
hours of the night. The arrivals are
nearly hundred and fifty cars daily.
At ay.light the sales begin and last
until about 12 o'clock. The buyers are
NholCStlC SlduSltSltlS Iltl SHlpDcGS.-
When a slaughterer has selected his cat
tie they are driven up to the scales. on
which about forty can be weighed at
once. \ well fatted native steer will
weigh from ! 900 to 1,500 pounds; occa-
sionally they go as high as $500 pounds
A bullock is sold at its dress weight. be-
c,,o - - ,l,os.nl &c =,
NAL would be estimated to dress fifty
three to fifty-tive pounds hundred a
good one tifty-six to fifty-nine, and fancy
ones sixty to siXty-two pounds. Thus
for every hundred pounds of live weight
the price per pound of dressed beef is
charged on the number of pounds the
animal is estimated to dress a hundred.
The hog yards for the New York Cen
tral Railroad are situated ut Fortieth
street and Eleventh avenue, where about
900 hogs are now arriving and being
slaughtered every week. They are, how
ever, shipped mainly from Chicago. which
now far eclipses Cincinnati in its hog
traffic and which handles from 100. 600 Il
week in summer to 80, 900 and GO, 900 a
day in winter. The supply of sheep is
divided about equally between Jersey
City and Sixtieth street. They are large
ly shipped from Ohio, Indiana, and New
York. Lambs now are arriving mainly
from kentucky and Virginia and they
! later will come from NewYork State and