Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-07-17
IN THE PACKING HOUSE.
LAST HOURS OF A HOGS LIFE IN
 EAST CAMBRIDGE.

Daily in One of tho Suburbs of Boston. |
 BlootlsI,cti ina the Hot Vvater-The Shaw |
 ing Machine.
 pig may go into the pork packing house in East Cambridge pig, but when he goes out he is numerously referred to as hams, pork sides, pigs feet, hogs heads, sparo ribs, picklcd tongues and shoulders, lard, bristles, fertilizer, hair and hogs grease and lard oil.
 Recently in company with one of the em- ploycs of the concern, the writer spent several hours ill examining the various buildings. A long, low structure at tho extreme northeast corner of tho enclosure, about which high fence extends to protect it from tho world outside, is tho hog house where new arrivals are kept before the slaughter. 4 car load of sleek looking porkers, that might be called the aristocracy of tho swine population of the west, were just beginning to settle down for a few hours oE solid comfort when small boy and q man came hurriedly along, and shouting to them, the entilo drove were in 6 minute upon their feet. They saw means of exit that had purposly been left open, and through it they passed, unconscious of the terrible fate awaiting them on the other side of the long, narrow bridge into which they were entering. And what long, dark bridge it is! You have seen covered railroad bridges up in the country that are like it. Through occasional cracks i'll the walls tho | sunlight streamed in, and there in babel of sounds could be seen n limo of hogs packed closer than sleighs on the Milldam ill Janu- l ary. They were crowding pushing each other towards the little opening 50 far ahead ! which marked the end of tho bridge, and pretty soon they had all passed through it. not into the sunlight which seemed to be | awaiting them, but into Q triangular pen where the rumble of machinery came to their | ears, and occasionally the dying wall of one 1 of their kind whose wind had been cut by the lord high executioner.
 The porkers were closer together than sar- dimes in box, and restless as eels. They l tried to walk on top of each other, rubbed | against the trousers of the men among them,
 and then some would try to climb the wooden
 wall md escape. As it was no less than six
 feet high, they could do little more than stand on their hind legs. This was an excel ! lent opportunity for the swine herd. He had l been for several minutes watching n wire l ropo that hung from pulley some twenty
 feet above the pen. Then it lowered ! toward him, and we knew the end was inn | minent.
 If I were to describe the scene after the l newspaper style of an execution, would l say:
 10:03 o'clock-Pig Sty, the largest and most
 intellectual appearing victim, is now being
 seized by the hind legs Tho left is clasped
 by band of steel which fastens like hand
 cuff
 10:03A-He is suddenly drawn high in the
 air, and is swinging to and fro like the pen-
 dulum of a grandfathers clock. A pro
 longed squeal in the key of high reverber-
 ateS through the death chamber. The rope
 begins suddenly to pull him along towards
 the exeCutioncr.
 | 1904 oclock-The executioner has just let fly mouthful of tobacco juice. Tho victim | for second hangs silent before him. The l awfulncss of tho situation is evidently numb ing his mind, for sound escapes him. l Courage such as his ill the last moment of 1 life seems more than human. The exccu- 1 tioner raises his knife. He holds it as Edwin
 Booth does his napier in a stage duel. A
 second it's trusty blade glitters in the electric light, and then it is buried ill the victims
 apoplectic neck. He twists liko q screw
 driver, and then the killer pulls forth his | weapon, while tho life blood starts in q crim-
 son stream like muddy Cochituate through a
 half open faucet In an instant convulsions
 seize the dying porker. Ills flesh twists and
 the muscles become distorted. The agonies
 are intense, and then tho roaction of death
 begins, the cords relax and on towards the
 bathing tub he goes, dead ns doornail.
 
 is shot down into a hot water bath. Ye who have thought hfe's end was coming in the swelter1ng confines of q Turkish bath tako
 heart always. Don't kick about hot water until you havo tho bubbling, scething |, caldron in killing room. Tho hog Is always supposed to Do dead when this stage
 is reached, but it sometimes happens that he is not, and i'll tho few brief moments bo1ore ! final darkness blinds his mind how thoughts 4 of past wrongs and misdceds must come from ] their graves to hound him. The tub in } which he is dropped Is q long onc, and after $ l being rolled over several times until the | ] bristlcs arc ready to drop out of their own accord he is pulled up on . board, and in a 3 | twinkling two men have removed his bristles 3 and he goes on his way rejoicing. Hooked 8 l lko q fish under the chin, the rope to which | he is suspended carries him through shower ? bath, and then the shaving machine is Q reached. can say truthfuly that would ] rather take my chances in going through 5 that machine than to repeat tho experience : 1 of being shaved by some barbers know who $ claim to bo first class workmen.
 ! But you want to know something about d this machine. Suppose, then, you see the '- 1 head of 0 barrel removed, and in its place r imagine there are arranged upon springs 6 1 dozen or more knife blades, so that when nc n pressure is brought upon them from the under
 side they remain so close together that yot @ could not drop kitten down between them @ Then imagine that pigs nose comes int< s sight. It gently slides up, pushing back thu e scrapers, which in turn do their duty ans h leave his snout hairless and white as n baby
 face. On he comes, and further back th' 1T | blades are pushed. His neck comes through l. then his body, and finally, when hs has beer IS all scraped, as be is by one passage through
 the knives resume their original position, Q streamof water dashes over them, and tn y hair is washed down through passage int D. a repository below.
 y On goes the porker until he reaches 8 tabl l where four men are employed, two on eacl ic side, in removing such hairs as have escape a the automatic barber behind. Before yo D. can say Jack Robinson he has resumed hi h. journey and is landed on bench, where hi
 internals are removed and several shove
 baths given. Then, when all is over and h
 islooking as pure and clean as pork can looi ze he is given the only roller coaster ride pi