Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-02-02
CHICAGO DRESSED BEEF.
A GIN PsE INTO THE LARGE RE.
FRlGERATOR IN This ClTY-A
WONDERFUL INVENTION.

being sold in this city in larg" quantl-
Ties, but few perhaps are aware Of thu
magnitude of the sale of thai article
here or are fmiliar with the mod,
of conducting the trade. In order u
give the readers Of the REPUBLICAN aI
idea of the trade in Wilmington, IL re
porter paid visit to the refrigerator
located on TatLall street between Sec.
ond and Third, yesterday afterooon, ,and
learned many interesting points Oh the
subject
In the first place the refrigerator is
constructed In first-class manner and
built entirely of fine yellow pine
lumber. 1t WAS manufactured by A.
j. Chase Of Boston and Jersey City and
Is known as the "cold blast refrig-
orator. 1t is said to be The finest one
of the kind in the United States, with
one exception, that being a similar one
in Florida. The projectors OF this en-.
terprise in this city were Messrs. James
Sawdon, Jr.. and Joseph fl. Could,
who expended considerable money II
the erection Of the necessary appliances
for carrying on the business success
fully. They style themselves the "Wil-
mington City Chicago Dressed Beef
Company" This article of food direct
from the Chicago market is being
rapidly introduced into all the large
cities in the United States. At first it
meets with considerable opposition but
finally comes off victorious and takes
the lead, leaving those who deal in
home cattle far in the rear. When this
beef was first introduced in this mar
ket it took two weeks to sell car load,
bnt now they purchase and dispose OF
TWO car loads per week, besides pork,
mutton and other cut meats.
The firm employs tift en- men and
three large beef wagons are kept COLI
slant y busy in handling the various
meats, while the business increases
every week and several huge sides OF
this article of food was sold while the
reporter was looking around. We were
shown through the refrigerator, by Ones
of the proprietors, and found it very
simple, but, at the same time peri. city |
arranged scientifically, while the cold
air sent a chill through the veins of ihe |
newspaper man and when he beheld |
the immense quantity of ice, in a cham
Der directly over the refIigeralor or, he
imagined that an iceberg had suddenly Y |
loOmed up before him. The beef is
taken from a refrigerator Car, hauled
from the railroad to the above men
toned establishment where IL is trans
terred into the cold air chamber of the |
refrigerator by means of large hooks at
tached TO running trucks which glide |
over tracks and switches to any part of
the chamber where they remain until |
sold.
These tracks are perfectly arranged,
and work nicely. One Of Fairbank 5 |
standard scales is attached to the |
tracks, where the beef can be weighed |
without any trouble, and no lifting is
required. When the beef sides are
hung up after being run into the re-
refrigerator, they are 80 arranged as not
to touch each other or the building, and
when the doors are closed the cham Der
becomes air-tight, and withouta particle
of ventilation. Overhead is tie ice
chamber, where two hundred tons of ice
were recently stored by the Kenneh
Ice and Coal Company, which is calcu-
lated to last through the summer sea-
son. The air in this chamber Is, of
course, lowered to the meat chamber by
means of an Oblong hole cut through the
floor near the large quantity of ice. The
warm and foul air below is driven out
of the chamber through another cpen-
ing in the floor, opposite the point
where it enters. The air thus sent out
is compelled to follow a circular course
over the ice again, thus making cur
rent OF cool air around the beef con-
tinually.
If'a person doubts the workings of
this invention all they have to do to be
convinced of its freezing powers
is to stand in the chamber for a few
minutes, when they will be glad to es-
cape to a warmer place. This cool air
keeps the temperature as low as from ,
2S to 80 degrees. which is tha secret of
keeping Chicago reef pure and sweet
for market. Yesterday with the door
OF the refrigerator open, the teInpera-
ture WAS Al degrees. In order to lower r
the temperature eight galvanized air I
tight tauks are arranged along one
side of the chamber, that work similar
to an ice cream freezer, which enables
them to lower the temperature as de-
sired. In ref, renee to the rise and fall
of this beef it is regulated by the mar
ket rates for cattle on the ho0f. They
can furnish beef for less than the
butchers can who DO their own killing,
because they can bring more than r
iouble the amoGnt OF beef for the same
amount of freight II
Sixteen to eighteen head of live cattle
j . car, while thirty.si1 to forty head
'i dressed cattle are carried, which
makes an easy arithmetcal problem to
olive. Not only is the meat cheaper,
,ut it is better. Beef killed to-day aud
old the following day is not as goosl v
IS that put into refrigerator land
IL the animal heat,extracted, nor is it as
lealtby. Beef when hung up in I
laughter house is subjected to the at d.
aOsphere and consequently absorbs ID
more or less of the impurities around u
he slanghter-pen. On the other hand, s,, ~,
he Chicago heef is taken from the
.iiug-roOm and as 800 4 as dressed is be
nng up in refrigerator, where it re- pr
Mains tor twenty four hours, allowing pr
{ to become thoroughly cooled and CIV W
ng all the animal heat time to escape
t is then placed in refrigerator cars, pc
onstructed for the purpose on purely I'd
cientifc principles and shipped to the ~ y
astern markets. The shipping Of the =.
eef is considered the bugbear of the to-
Whole business. co
While all will admit the cooling pro. pc
ess as being right, they claim that it ~
annot be shipped SO far without spoil 81
ng, and cannot be made to believe that bi,
refrigerator on wheels, and In motion %
!, Just ~ good as stationary one. Then ~ ~
gain others say that the beef Is sur ~ ~
harged with chemicals to preserve it, WI
nd such other unlikely stories rs their s
can conjure up, while NJ
lany of the butchers, for some un- 10
nown reason, are prejudiced against me- me-
:. Why this is so could not be ascer- cts
aimed, for several butchers have stated W
nat they can purchase this meat, sell ::
cheaper and realize more from it than A
nose who buy their own cattle. of,
In conversation further with one of }r