The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-03-16
WHERE BEEFSTEAks COME FROM.
HOW THEY ARE PREPARED.

The Establishment Where Cattle and
Sheep are Made Ready for the Metro-
politan Butcllers' Stalls-A Sanguinary
Current-Blood and Bones.
Few Of the thousands of men i'll this big
town who are strengthened every day by a
juicy beefsteak ever think how far that steak
has been brought, or through what various
processes it has been put before being placed
smoking OH the plate, savory and tempting
reporter who was ignorant about the evo-
luton of the beefsteak started out for infor-
nation OIL the subject. and lie incidentally
learned something about mutton and veal
Itwas learned at the stock yards at the foot
OF Sixtieth street, close to the Hudson river,
that New York state does not furnish cattle
enough in one year to supply the market Of
this city for one day. The stock yards have
accommodations for s, 600 calves, II, 600 sheep,
and 1900 cattle, but they are called upon
very seldom to take care of such large num-
ber; besides, the arrivals are only temporary
boarders consigned to large meat dealers in
this city. The cattle sometimes remain in
the stock yards but brief hour, and never
more than day. A great many of them
however, have but short distance to go to
the shambles.
At the foot of Fifty ninth street is situated
one of the best equipped slaughter houses in
the United States Four hundred cattle arc
killed there every day and 500 sheep and
calves are there made ready for the butchers
stalls. This immense building is built Of
brick and covers at least two acres of ground.
If there is any virtue in being killed neatly
and quickly, the cattle brought to this
slaughter house have reason to be congratu-
lated. No tough sinewed Texan cattle are
brought here to have their hides taken off.
but fat, juicy critters from Illinois and Indi-
ana, and the knee deep blue grass region
of Kentucky There are but two floors to tho
building. 10 the beams of the upper floor
are fastened thousands of iron hooks, pendant
from which there hung yesterday half acre
of beef, veal and mutton. Great stalls ribbed
with iron bars, are ranged along one side Of
the upper floor, and into these tho cattle are
driven early in the morning. Two men are
required to kill steer. stout rope is
fastened around the animals hind legs, and
his body is lifted in the air by means of Il
windlass, so that his fore shoulders and head
rest OH the floor. simultaneously sharp
blow is struck upon his forehead and his
jugular vein is severed.
A SANCTUARY CURRENT
Those who are anxious to SEQ the crimson
flood spoken Of i'll story books should go to
the shambles at any time during the day be-
tween the hours OF a. m. and 6 p. IN. Each
animal bleeds from one half to two gallons,
and this sanguinary current flows steadily all
day and pouls through an iron shoot in the
asphalt flooring into an iron cradle on wheels,
placed there to receive it. The contents of
these cradles is poured into an iron vat, where
It is boiled to thick, dough like consistency.
From the vat it is placed in bags and pressed
In huge machine, from which it issues in the
shape of big cakes two inches thick. These
cakes are then thrown Into machine, which
dries and grinds them SO that substance as
6ne as coffee is thrown out of the machine.
It is then put in bags and sold for fertilizing
purposes.
Blood prepared in this manner is Of great
value as manure and brings from $40 to $50
q ton. After the bullock is dead he is hoisted
up clear of the floor and his jacket is taken
of. His heart and liver are removed, and
he is cut into two pieces down the back The
loose flesh around the neck is carefully skew
cred up and he is ready for the market In
the meantime the other portions of his body
which are not marketable as food, with the
exception of his hoofs, are tried out and the
fat separated. The residuum is dried and
ground. A fertilizer is made from this re-
which brings $50 ton.
The horns are sold and made into knife
handles and buttons, and the hoofs are sent
to the late Peter Cooper's glue factory. The
skulls, after every particle Of meat has been
are ground into bone dust. The
hides are salted down for week or ten days
and then disposed of to leather manufacturers.
Every night at 6 o'clock the place is treated
TO bath, and when the workmen are through
squirting portion Of the North river around
The floor the establishment is clean and sweet
as kitchen floor in a well regulated house.
New York Evening Sun.