Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-04-25
IN A SLAUGHTER HOUSE.
aow BEEF IS PREPARED FOR MAR
KET IN NEW YORK.
The Jewish Methods of killing Cattle
-EVeryth about n Slaughtered
AnimaI IIiIi.e In NariONs MaYA.


New York, Brooklyn and Jersey City
consume in round numbers 5000 beeves
every week, beside great numbers of
calves, sheep and hogs. The supply
comes mostly from Illinois and Kentucky,
Chicago being the distributing point in
the cattle trade of the West Few State
cattle are slaughtered here, says the New
York Tribune. These beeves will average
in price from $75 to 500 per head, fine
Christmas animals ranging from 500 to
$3.50. They will weigh from 800 TO l.
500 pounds gross, and will generally net
from sixty-four to sixty-eight per cent.
Of their live weight.
A bullock is useful from the tips of his
horns to the end of his tail No part
of him is wasted, but all is put to some
use and given a commercial value. Most
of the slaughtering is done along the East
river, between Forty-third and Forty
seventh streets, and it is interesting to
observe the progress of an animal from the
time it reaches the slaughter house until
it is ready for the cook. In the locality
named the weeks killing amounts to g.
900 head, beside about 10, 900 calves and
sheep. The slaughtering is done by the
Jewish method-all the slaughterers are
| Jews, who follow the business for life,
and who perform their duties under a
special license from the synagogue. No
Jew can kill without license. The cd
Mosaic law is carried out to the letter,
its principles being the avoidance of tor
ture and the freeing the carcass of all
blood. The method is as follows The
animal is driven into small pen or en-
closure, into which opens door from
the gallows or windlass. A rope from
the gallowsis dexterously fastened about
the left hind leg, above the hook joint,
and passed in front of the right leg. A
turn of the windlass tightens the rope
and draws the animal backward into the
open door, gradually raising its hind
feet from the ground, until in its strug
giles to get its right foot over the rope,
and unable longer to resist the sideways
pressure, it falls over on its left side, its
hind parts suspended in the air, and only
its head and shoulders remaining on the
floor. The butcher then comes with
murderous blade of the finest steel, two
inches wide and two feet long, square
pointed, and as sharp and keen as a
razor. He grasps the now passive ami
NAL by the nose, and by sudden move
ment turns the head over till the tips of
both horns rest on the floor The po-
sition is such that the throat is stretched
and the animal cannot turn back its
head. With single stroke of the
knife the head is nearly severed from
the body. Another turn is given
to the windlass and the dying animal
hangs there till life is extinct and every
drop of blood is drained from the body.
It is skinned in the usual way, and once
more the Jewish slaughterer assumes con-
troll. 1t is his duty to "open" the car
cass and test its quality. When an aper-
ture is made, he inserts his hand and arm
to feel if the lungs, liver and heart are in
their proper places and in good condi-
ton. The lungs may be grown to the
ribs, the liver may be swollen with gall
the heart may be diseased, but he can tell
instantly their condition. If all is right
inside he pronounces the animal
"Cosher" and places leaden seal upon
it; if otherwise, he calls it ''Trafer, " and
it goes into the sale as second or third
class. No strict Jew will buy beef that
has not the leaden seal on it, and he
never eats the forequarters lest some
blood may remain there. Gentiles are
not so particular.
When the intestines are removed the
fat, lower joints and head are cut off and
the carcass is sawed in half, down the
backbone. and hung in the salesroom.
These halves are then carefully trimmed,
, the coating of fat, called the 'rail, "
&c nfra oh In 10
and held by wooden pins driven
into the flesh. The thin tissue of flesh
over the ribs, outside, is carved with
fancy figures, leaves, flowers, or latticed,
and the natural contraction, caused by
cooling, curls up the cut edges. The part
of the beef goes to the retail dealers.
/ The head is skinned and boned, the
tongue is cut out and sold, and all the
flesh that can be got off is used for sau.
sage. The bony part goes into the man
ufacture of fertilizers, and is turned into
l ground bone. The horns are converted
= into combs, umbrella-tips, horn jewery
Q whistles and toys. The "slug," or inner
surface of the horn, is used for making
used for making glue and neats-foot oil
/ Every one knows what becomes of the
. hide. The best of the hair, which comes
a off in the tanning process, is carefully
a washed and dried and baled, and is SOLD
- for the manufacture of shoddy blankets
+ The )orer quality of hair is worked into
: mortar for brick-masons and plasterers
s The "switch" or long tuft of hair at the
6 end of the tail is used for making hail
> mattresses. The heart and liver art
q eaten by those who are fond of them
Q The fat goes into oleomargarine or into
e oil, the manufacture of which has grown
0 TO a wonderful extent.
II Every drop of the blood is saved and
y converted into fertilizers with the mites
. tines and offal. Large factories are bull
0 for the purpose, and at Forty fourth
r. street and East river, is one establishment
which uses the blood and refuse from
Q 5000 beeves every week. The offal il
e used fresh every day. 1t is not allowed
. to lie over long enough tt
+, become tainted; tD>j the usua
1t fearful odors of the slaughte
y house are avoided The blood i
W caught in barrels and hauled into thi
e factory, where it is poured into larg
d tank on the ground floor, from which i
l. is pumped into immense vertical boiler
er situated on the second floor, their lowe
II ends reaching down through the foo
$, into the "drying" room. When filled
- these boilers are Theoretically sealed ant
% subjected to straining process under
at pressure of eighty pounds to the square
re inch. 1t requires but few minutes t.
g Cook blood, there being so much albu