Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-08-15

History ~ tho Isise, vfcIssitudcs and Final
success Of the Dressed beef Trade.
Chicago lnter-occar

a representative OF the JHfcF-OccuH
met ID. NJ. Higgs, president OF the
Texas Continental Transportation
company, at the Grand Pacific yester-
day, when the following conversation
occurred upon The subject of dressed
beef:
is your line of transportation hand
ling dressed beef?n
Eyes, sir.v
"To what extent"
eve are transporting for the Texas
Continental Transportation Meat
company, which at present ships two
car loads daily to New Orleans. From
May II to August /, we have trans
ported for that company two and q
half million pounds. The Texas Con-
tinental Meat company, of which A.
Il. Higgs, my brother, Is president, Is
an organization formed by Texas cat
tie men for the purpose of Strengthening
cattle right down in that country
This company should be distinguished
from the Texas Continental Transpor-
tation company, which operates per-
ishable fast freight line formed to OPP
crate over the Huntington system Of
railroads, and handle all the dressed
beef product of the meat company
TIE RUNNlNGsTIME
"How long time is taken on the
road between New Orleans ana Vic
toria, fexas?"
II orty-eight hours is the regular
running time. Meat generally stands
on the Track one or two days before ii
is removed into the cooling house, and
sometimes it Is iu' The cooling house
week before it is sold as the market
there il little bit iiuctuating. Some
times Mr.. Pagan, general agent of the
meat company sells three or four car
loads and other days but one. So we
keep him supplied all the time with
tour or five carloads of beef to enable
him to meet the demand"
lis there any difficulty in keeping
dressed beef in that warm climate?"
mot the slightest. OF course it
takes moe ice down in that country
to run the cars than it does III the
North, but so far MS the condition of
the product is concerned ! never saw
finer dressed beef, and i have been
familiar with the transportation from
the beginning
How long has this system of trans
porting dressed beef by refrigerator
cars obtained?o
IN early twenty years. The first
was by Hammond Of Chicago, founder
of the town of Hammond, southeast of
this city, who shipped his meats from
Detroit and Chicago to Boston. a
little aftcrward dressed beef compa-
NY WIS started in Denison, Texas.
That was sbort-lived, for the reason
that they didn't go at it right. didn't
build the right kind of slaughter
house, nor the Proper cooling rooms,
didn't have the proper facilities for
handling, and put hot beef in refriger
ating cars, and didn't carry it as it
ought TO be caSried.
THE SECOND VENTURE.
The next dressed beef was shipped |
from Colorado by j. w. Iliti, of Den
yer, back, say in 1879, Powers & |
Gudgeon, of The same state, killed |
cattle, hung them right up on the !
prairie, sending them in box cars and I
to parties on Jackson |
street, their business being at its height
in 1875. In the winter Of 1876 they
lost great deal of beef for want Of
refrigerator cars, and the following
year they shipped in the Anderson
line of cars. The business grew fast
and was becoming lucrative when the
live stock ring of Chicago and the
railroads put rates on dressed beef so
high and on live stock so low that
they just rated it right out of the mar
Set, and the Kansas City and Colorado |
iressed beef trade fell off and ceased.
The next year "A house was started at
Eel Marc 10y Lacey q Coleman, two
cattle men. They shipped to Chicago,
to Jackson street, and John Nouf-
singer of Kansas City. shipped to
Chicago and philadelphia. There
We're also several othe, cattle shippers
in Colorado, but Of all Noufsinser was
the heaviest. The trade grew very
fast. Then Slavin aid O'Beirne took
II up at Kansas City, and shipped
TO Philadelphia. The railroads ai last
rated them out.
OTHER ATTEMPTS.
Earlier than this John Swift com
meheed business via the Grand Trunk.
through his contract with this road
re was able to hold his own, and drive
Ut The live stock from New England.
no Introduce dressed beef. In 1870
liiler, @'mour * Osgood, of Chicago.
3inmenced shipping dressed beef to
hiiauelphin via the Lake Shore &
ehigh Valley road, but were forced |
at by the arbitrary railroad rates after
le trade bad been fully introduced.
What is the history of Swift's con .
'act?'
AT tn time the Grand Trunk cama ,
Ihicago the evener's ring used Ia
YEN up cattle from this city, Us the !
hrse was. They portioned out so
luoh TO the trunk lines, and threw n {
andinl to the Grand Trunk. The \
'rand Trunk demanded a larger nor
ION out Of Chicago. The eyeneris {
lhg refused to give them this. Mr. c
VIII came along, went to the Grand Il
funk, and told them that if thew /
'onid give him time contract ne n
i'e eeihg sixty per cent higher than /
n live stock. he would furnish 80 y
luch dressed beef for the New Ep~ i
ma trade. The Grand Trunk did
MAN OF SUCCESS. c
WAS 1t for u term OF years?p {
Yes, five years believe. Mr.. Swift o
work, and my brother and T.
being connected with the Anderson u
ne, carried his first beef TO Boston G
g nfterward made contract with Il
G Zimmerman refrigerator cars, and p
SO used his own ears in his business. e
hich were used right along because W
Ia ~ .... Il