Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-25
ALONG THE URUGUAY.
The Land of Jerked Reef-OppOrtu-
mites fer Yankee Enterprise
Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore Sun.
cit is to be regretted that Yankee
enterprise has never taken root along
the banks of the Uruguay river, y
said Capt. Ephraim Orcutt, of the
schooner Mary J. Cook, while sitting
in his CABIN Friday night. Il know
of no country so bourtif and better
adapted to agriculture, than / saw
along that river, from Colona, at its
mouth, to PaysappU, 200 miles
above" The captain had just ar
rived from Paysandu with load of
bone-ash. In the course of his con-
versation many facts were CLEANED
about tae country drained by the
Uruguay river. Paysandu is in Uru-
quay, 800 miles from the ocean, or
200 miles from the junction of the
Uruguay with the La Platte. The
population is cosmopolitan, and num-
bers only 5000. Italians predonin
ate. Foreigners are at the head of
the largest business firms, and are
treated with great cordiality by the
natives. Tho city has wide streets,
laid out at right angles, and the
houses are substantially built of stone
some four stories high. Two story
houses, however, are more general.
Horse cars are in use. There are two
Catholic churches, and one Episcopa-
liam in the city. Although the priests
have some say IN the government of
the city, they are very tolerant of
their Episcopalian neighbors and do
nothing to retard their activities The
principal business of the adjacent
territory is the raising Of cattle, from
which Paysandu derives It's impor-
lance by its expectation of hides tall
low, bones, bone-ash, and jerked
beef.
"Jerked beef" said Capt. circuit,
"is a great item in the exports of
Paysandu. From Frey bentos, where
large establishments are located for
the manufacture of the extracts of
meat. up to Paysaudu there can he
seen q succession of salederos or abat-
toirs, where the cattle are killed 10
the spring Of the year and 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 Ia
large buildings. When cured it is
taken out and hung on horizontal
bars of wood in the air, where 1t goes
through the process of drying by
natural atmosphere. As soon as the
dew begins to fall the meat is stacked
On the ground and covered with tar
paulins. The same process is repeated
until the meat reaches stage Of jerk
ed perfection, which requires several
months The principal market found
is Brazil and the Yves Indies. Cuba
is a good customer. The importance
of this industry can be calculated from
the business of one saledero, which
slaughtered zoe. 600 cattle last year,
valued at upwards Of 81, 100000.
Then, from the cattle thus killed
there yet remain the hides, talIow.
bones, and bone-ash, all of which add
much wealth to the expectations of
the port of Paysandu. The sailed
hides loaded into vessels are dunnag-
ed 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 I loaded the Cook there were
10000 tons OF bone-ash in one pile
alone. The most of it is shipped to
the states and some goes to Europe
It enters into fertilizers very extern
sively."