Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-25
ALONG THE URUGUAY.
The Land OF Jerk ed Beef-Opportuni-
ties for Yankee Enterprise.
BALTIMORE S

sit is to be regretted that Yankee
enterprise has never taken root along
the banks of the Uruguay river" said
Capt. Ephraim Orcutt, of the schoon.
er Mary j. Cook. while sitting In his
cabin Friday night. Il know of nc
country SO bountiful and better adapt
ed to agriculture than I saw along
that river, from Colons, at its mouth.
to Paysandu, 200 miles above The
captain had just arrived from, Paw.
s&ndu with load of bone ash. In
the course of his conversation many
facts were CLEANED about the country
drained by the Uruguay river. Pay
sandu is in Uruguay, 800 miles from
the ocean, or 200 miles from the juno
ton of the Uruguay with the La
Plata. The population is cosmopoli-
tan, and numbers only 4 600. Ital-
iahs predominant. Foreigners are at
the head of the largest business firms,
and are treated with great cordiality
by the natives. The city has wide
streets laid out at right angles, and
the houses are substantially built of
stone, some four stories high. Two
story houses, hewever, are more gen
eral. Horse cars are in use. There
are two Catholic churches and one
Episcopalian in the city. Although
the priests have some say in the gov
eminent of the city, they are very
tolerant of their Episcopalian neigh.
bors and do nothing to retard their
activities. The principal business of
tho adjacant territory is the raising
of cattle, from which Paysandu
derives its Importance by the expor-
tation of hides, tallow, bones, bone.
ash, and ierked beef.
"Jerked beef" said Capt. circuit.
sis a great item In the exports Of
Paysandu. From Freybentos, where
large establishments are located for
the manufacture of the extracts of
meat. up to PaysaDdu there can be
seen a succession of salederos or
abattoirs, where the cattle are killed
In the spring of the year AID the pro-
cess of 'jerked beef performed. It is
called 'jerked' because it is pulled or
stripped by hand from the bones of
the animal as soon as slaughtered
The meat is then sailed in piles in
large buildings. When cured it is
taken out and hung on horjz ontal
bars of wood in the air. where it goes
through the process OF drying by
natural atmosphere. AS soon as the
dew begins to fall the meat is staked
on the ground and covered with tar
paulins. The same process is repeated
until the meat reaches a state of
jerked perfection. which requires
several moRths. The principal mar
ket found is Brazil and the West
Indies. Cuba is a great customer.
The importance of this industry can
be calculated from the business OF
one saledero, which slaughtered 200,
600 cattle last year, valued at upward
of 81, 000,0 600.
''Then, from the cattle thus killed
there yet remains the hides, tallow,
bones, and bone-ash, all of which add
much wealth to the explorations OF
the port of Paysandu. The sailed
hides loaded into vessels are dunnaged
with dry bones to prevent contact
with the wood which rots them. The
bones are utilized for fertilizing pur-
poses. They are burned in piles.
Where [ loaded the Cook there were
10, 600 tons of bone-ash in one pile
alone. The most of it is shipped to
the states and some goes to Europe.
1t enters into fertilizers very exteu-
sively."