The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-03-20
In A PACKING-HOUS
Hog-Killing at the Union Stock
Yards of Chicago.
A steady Procession OF Swinging
Hogs, Dead or Dylng-Machin-
cry Taking the Place or
Human Labor.
TChicapo Journal.l

The ordinary methods Of slaughtering cat
tie and hogs by farmers and small butchers
Is familiar enough to every one who has
even seen or known anything of country or
village life. In New England in the olden
time when farmer had "beef-critter" or
two or three hogs to kill, it was considered
the best part Of days work with two or
three OF the neighbors to help. But in these
modern days Of general and scientific prog
ress the advance in the methods and in the
celebrity Of slaughtering animals for food Is
fully as great as in any other department Of
business 1t would naturally be expected
that In place like the Union stock yards
where the business Of killing and pre-
pairing meat for market has been
reiuced to a science, that the most inn
proved and humane methods as well as the
quickest time of slaughtering would be
found. And such Is the actual fact Let US
enter one of the large packing houses down
there in imagination and see how they do it.
In slaughtering hogs, the animals are
driven up an inclined plane, which Is a COW
cred viaduct, from the yards below to the
top floor of the packing house where they
are wanted. As they come up into a small
pen a man stands in their midst with chain,
having a spring clasp at the end. This Is
sprung upon one of the animals hind legs in
jiffy, a small stationary engine is started,
and before the hog knows it he is swinging in
the air and squealing vigorously. The upper
end of tho chain is attached to pulley which
runs overhead on an iron railway, and car
res the animal along toward the scalding vat.
On the way to the the vat he passes the
sticker, who, with one lunge of a long, sharp
knife, ends his life. Allowed to bleed few
seconds, he is dropped from the chain directly
into the scaling vat whirlei over few
times, and then lifted by hidden machinery
at the bottom of the vat up to a moving belt
on the surface OF long bench, which carries
him toward the scraping machine. The
principle and mechanism Of this machine is
almost identical with that OF a corn-sheller.
Revolving wheels, with flexible scrapers on
their outer edge are so 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 as he
could be if the work had been done slowly
by hand. A few men with knives finish the
parts not completely denuded Of their cover
ing, and at the same time cut of the head,
which is dissected in twinkling.
He is then attached to another pulley
overhead, running on an iron track and
passed along over the bench to another skill
full workman who, with about three strokes
Of a knife, disembowels the animal and
hands over the inward contents to a separate
gang Of workmen for cleansing. A stream
of water from hose pipe plays upon the
animal few seconds and then he is run off
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 little less than
four minutes on an average each day and
week and month. The two men who are the
m ost skilled and who receive the highest
wLges for their important but disagreeable
work, are the sticker and diSemboweler.
Very rarely do either Of these workmsn miss
their aim or stroke But it requires cool
head and steady hand to do that work
quickly and well at the same tims
A steady procession of swinging hogs.
dead or dying, Is kept passing through thu
room, suspended from the elevated railway,
from morn till night, and no blockade Of
freight is allowable. Not Q moment is lost,
not particle Of strength Is wasted. There
is no heavy lifting Of dead carcassts from
the beginning to the end Of the process. Ma
chinery takes the place Of human labor
whenever it is possible and the work Of nim-
BILE fingers and sharp knives rapidly COM
pletes the job. 1t Is a process which infiicts
the least amount Of pain and suffering upon
the animal to be slaughtered, and one which
never fails to impress the beholder with an
enduring sense Of astonishment. In a word,
it is scientific slaughtering under the most
favorable conditions, and with all possible
adjuncts and appliances.