The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1883-12-22
THE SCIENTIFIC SLAUGHTER
OF Swine and Cattle that is the Pecu-
liarity and Pride of Chicago-.An In.
teresting Description of the Process.

liarity and Pride of Chicago--An In.
teresting Description of the Process.
Special CoTrespoae,ence ofUse Chronicle.
CHICAGO. Dec 1.-THE packing houses
are located near the Stock Yards which
renders the handling to the packers easy.
The largest of these establishments is that
Of Armour & Co. l had extended to me
the opportunity OF going through and wit
Messing the workings Of this gigantic en-
terprise. and ii is one of the most wonder
full sights | have ever seen, and yet il Ia
one | do not care TO see again, in fact |
must say that it is one [ should desire not
TO see again. The capacity for killing OF
this house per day is II 900 hogs and 200
beef cattle. They work in their various
branches 1900 men. | saw one man kill
ten hogs in one minute. His task OF kill
ing, or rather sticking. was $500 per day,
for which he received four dollars. | fig
ured a little. but rather unsatisfactory,
that if his office were held in Raleigh and
should become vacant by death or resigna-
ton, how many men would apply for 1t
within twenty-four hours after the vacan-
cy was known:
The process of killing is very quick
About 100 hogs are driven into long pen
or trough about 80 feet long and 10 feet
wide they are caught up by machinery
and drawn one by one through kind of
door or gate way, and as each hog passes
through this killer plunges a large knife
about a foot and halflong into his throat,
he himself standing in about four inches OF
blood and his arm bare up to the shoulders.
In a moment the hog is thrown by machine
ry towards a large tank of boiling water
even while he is kicking and struggling and
goes out OF sight. In a moment he is thrown
up into kind Of cradle and goes revolv-
ing around at the rate OF about 80 times
per minute In another half minute he is
likewise thrown up by machinery across
o1t hnav, ell I1y,
man who cuts his throat about half
through, and then to another who cuts en-
tirely down his front, and then to another
who with one systematic and practiced
thrust hurls his entire entrails out, and then
to another who turns an eight inch stream
Of water through him, and then on he goes
| to the cooling rooms which are kept at
| required temperature by the use of ice ma
| chimes, and when sufficiently cool is cut
! up and packed.
| The beef cattle are driven into their
| narrow stalls, with their heads fronting a
! door leading into what [ call their great
reception room, in which they are dragged
| after being shot, and then skinned and
| likewise sent to the cooling rooms. They
| are shot very scientifically, being shot by a
crack marksman, the rifle ball entering the
| forehead and coming out under the throat
| and so cuts the throat as to avoid the furth-
| er use of knife. The man never fails.
He executes his work thoroughly and skill
fully. He likewise receives 81 per day for
his labOrs
The lard is boiled down and received
into large tanks, from whence it is drawn
like molasses, into cans upon scales. and
shut off when the desired number ef
| pounds is arrived at, and then sent off and
| Theoretically sealed. The canned beef it
put in the cans, somewhat loosely, then
sealed up and placed in the boiling tanks,
1xl,in1 TO III
GENTLY boiled they are taken out and lit
tie hole punched in the top through which
the heat and gas throw out all the water
taken from the beef and then this little
hole is sealed up, and it is labeled and
ready for market. The sausage cutters are
| numerous and complete and the process
quickly gone through with, but the pro-
cess did not make me think any more
highly Of his excellency the sausage him
self, it rather detracted from his merits.
They say that they buy so closely that all
their profits are in the entrials and offal
alone. Nothing is wasted, everything is
saved.
had the pleasure of meeting Mr.. Carr,
very intelligent and we'll informed gen
| tleman, who lives abont sixty miles from
| Chicago. He is a brother-in-law of Col.
| Heck of your city. [ am extremely in
debted for courtesies extended from Mr..
| Mcleod, General Superintendent, and Mr..
| Sala, Division superintendent, of the Lou
isville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad,
and particularly to Mr.. N. 81. Warren, OF
the large and extensive firm of grain deal
ers, 1O2 Washington street, whose extreme
courtesy and kindness and considerate at
tention shall long remember.
/ have given your readers, in hurried
and disconnected manner some little ac-
count of the doings in the great city OF
Chicago. I hope what have, though i'm
perfectly told, may not be without some
interest. At some future time it may be
more satisfactorily extended, for really the
hundredth part has not been detailed.
should have been pleased to have had
the company of your townsman DR.. Thos
D. Hogg, whose knowledge of statistics
and general information upon the various
kinds of machinery, and labor-saving in
ventions and the like, and their aptitude
to the ordinary needs is equal to that Of
almost any man l know. He foresaw ano
predicted on visit here nearly thirty
years ago Chicago's coming greatness ant
expansion, and the opening and develop
ment Of this great prairie section. w.