, 1885-01-06
IN A PACKING-HOUSE.
Hog~Kining at the Union stock
Yards of Chicago.
A steady Procession OF swinging
Hogs, Dead or DyIng-maehfn-
cry Taking fhc Place OF
Human Labor.


fChicago Journnl1
The ordinary methods OF slaughtering cat
tie and hogs by farmers ana small butchers
Is familiar enough TO every ono who has
even seen or known anything OF country or
village life. In New England IN the olden
time when a farmer had a "besf-critter" or
twp or three hogs to XIII, Il was considered
tho best part Of a days work with two or
three OF the nsiehbors TO help. But in those
modern days of general and scientific prog
ress the advance in the methods and in tho
celebrity of Strengthening animals for food Is
fully as great as In any other department Of
business It would naturally be expected
that In a place like the Union stock yards
where the business Of killing and pro
pairing meat for market has been
reduced TO a science, that the most i'm
proved and humane methods as well as the
quickest time Of Strengthening would be
found. And such is the actual fact Lot US
enter ono OF the large packing houses down
there In Imagination and see how they 10 It.
In Strengthening hogs, the animals arc
driven up an Inclined plane, which Is q COW
cred viaduct, from tho yards below to the
top floor Of tho packing house who're they
are wanted. As they como up into a small
pen a man stands In their midst with a chain,
having a spring clasp at the end This Is
sprung upon one of the animals hind logs In
a jlffy, a small stationary engine Is started,
and before the hog knows 1t he Is swinging In
the air and squealing vigorously. The upper
end Of the chain is attached to- pulley which
runs overhead on an iron railway, and car
ries the animal along toward the scalding vat
On tho way to the tho vat no passes the
stickor, who. with one lunge of a long. sharp
knife, ends his life. Allowed to bleed a few
seconds, he Is dropped from the chain directly
mn fha nrn1dfpO vnf uhfrIaT Awnr a foNw
times, ard then lifted by hidden machinery
at the bottom Of the vat up to a moving belt
On the surface Of a lorg bench, which carries
him toward the ~scraping machine. The
principle and mechanism OF this machine Is
almost Identical with That OF 4 corn-sheiler.
Revolving wheels, with flexible scrapers on
their outer edge, are 80 placed and punched
as to hit the surface OF the hog on all sides at
the same time. The animal enters the
machine snout first, passes rapidly along, and
emerges as cleanly scraped Of bristles az hb
could be II the work had been lone slowly
by hand. A few men with knives finish the
parts not completely denuded OF their cover
ing, and at the same time cut Oft the head,
which Is dissected in a twinkling.
He is then attached to another pulley
overhead, running on an iron track and
passed along over the bench 10 another skill
full workman who, with about three strokes
OF a knife, ~disembowels the animal and
hrnds over the inward contents to a separate
gang OF workmsn for cleansing. A stream
OF water from a hose pipe plays upon the
animal a few seconds md then be Is run of
on the Elevated railroad toward the cooling
room. At this point the work OF killing and
dressing is done. and the time Of the
whole process is n little less b
-four minutes on an average zach day and
week and month. The two mon who are the
most skilled and who receive the highest
wages for thor important but disagreeabls
work, are the stlokor and disambowelor.
Very rarely do either of these workmen miss
their aim or stroke. But It requires a cool
head and n steady hand TO do that work
quickly and well Mt the same time.
A steady procession Of swinging hogs,
dead or dying, is kept passing through the
room, suspended from tho elevated railway,
from morn till night, and no blockade OF
freight is allowable. Not a moment Is lost,
not a particle Of strength Is wasted. There
is no heavy lifting OF dead carcassgs from
the beginning to the end Of the process Ma
chinery takes the place of human labor
whenever 1t Is possible and the work Of MIN
BILE fingers and sharp knives rapidly com
pletes the job. 1t Ia a process which infictz
tho least amount Of pain and suffering upon
the animal to be slaughtered, and one which
never fails TO impress tho beholder with an
enduring sense of astonishment In a word,
IL is scientific Strengthening under the most
favorable conditions, and with all possible
adjuncts and appliances