The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-04-06
Letter from Chicago.
THE STOCK YARDS.

Mr.. Henry w. McKelvy writes us the fol-
lowing interesting letter from Chicago:
This is truly great. wide-awake and 60
ahead city! There Is hustle and business on
every hand and everything seems full of
life. Trade is in full blast wholesale deal
ers are crowded with work and every one
who wishes can find work. The daily pa
pers are full OF advertisements for mechan-
les, clerks, statesmen, solicitors &C., &c.
The lakes are one vast mass of ice boats
are not running at present the river is full
OF them of all sizes from the insignificant
tug to the double decker. went down to
the Stock Yards yesterday-it was sight
l shall never forget; for miles and miles
both from north to south and east and west
is one long row of square pens in which
are confined beast, such as the COW, steer,
hog and sheep. Every thing is on the go
there You see the rough and uncouth herd
er, the cowboy, the farmer, the frontiers
man, the visitor, the man-about-town, the
gentleman and the middle man or buyer
mixing in one vast crowd buying and SELL
ing-the one trying to jew the other-each
doing his share toward keeping up gener-
al hub-bub went through the house
where the hogs are butchered. First they
are driven in in herds Of several hundred
into one large room and then through a
small opening by about ten at time, into
small pen where stands man ready to
throw chain around their hind leg he at
taches one end of the chain to hook fast
ened to pulley which is attached to a
small wheel and the hog is very uncere-
moniously jerked-by machinery Of course
into the air and run over into the pen,
with its head down and hind feet fast up in
the air, where 1t meets its death by having
its throat cut, and goes running right along
to the hot water vet where ii Is dropped into
the vat before it is done squealing; it comes
up only to be grabbed by system of hooks
and pulled out and thrown upon long Ia
Bile, upon either side Of which is line of
men, one line at the head, the other at the
tail OF the hog ready to begin scraplng
Each man has his particular duty, the hog
ceing passed very rapidly along the table
to the other end where more machinery
grabs it up and carries it--head down to
the man who cuts 1t open, then to the one
who takes out the intestines, then to the
one who cuts off the head here one man
cuts the meat from the head and another
pitches the intestines and head, or what is
left Of ii, into the grinders. Meanwhile
the body is carried by system of pulleys
and hooks through large room into anoth
er large room where there are several more
men in waiting to cut II in half and hang it
up to drain. One could spend week in
the Stock Yards to very good advantage II
he wished to learn how the meat is prepar-
ed so it can be shipped to the East and sold
Tor less than our home butchers can afford
to kill and make ready for market. did
not see them kill the beeves; will go down
again sometime and will then write YOU d
, description OF that performance. 1t takes
about three minutes to kin and dress pig.
OF course 1t would take much longer II II
were not for the clock like working ma,
chinery.