The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-10-09

narrow passage-way. opening into which
are "enty-four stalls. These are alternated
With platforms. upon which the executioner
stands while two Ass stants force the ami
mails into the stalls. using long poles for
that purpose.
The man whose rather unpleasant duty IT
Is 10 dispatch the beeves uses "A heavy
sledge. with which he strikes them smart
blow In the forehead. crushing the skull.
The stunned animal Is then grappled with a
chain. raised by means Of a pulley. and
swung forward upon tho noor. where his
throat is cut.
Having been partly skinned upon the floor
the carcass is raised on a gambrel and tho
work completed. The viscern are placed
In hand-cars and drawn away 10 another
room, where the tallow Is removed, and
such portions as are valuable for food or
cislngs are separated and prepared for the
next process.
After being thoroughly dressed the car
easses are cut In half and passed along on
the overhead rollers. They are thorou ghly
washed and then propelled onward to the
huge coollng-room. where they are hung in
long avenues until the animal heat is en-
tirely removed.
From tho cooling room the sides OF beef
are distributed. some TO the city markets,
some TO DO cut up for canning aud dried
beer, while large portion are shipped in
reirlgel ator cars. This last process is an
interesting one. ana Is done in n remarka-
ply snort time. From the cooling rooms
the sides are pushed out into long room
adJac mt 10 he tracks where the cars are
standing. Before n small wooden Office
they are stopped upon small detached
PORTION Oh the metal track which carries the
rollers. This connects with scale aud in
'ew seconds the weight has been taken
an numbered tab placed upon the side.
With marvellous deXterlty man then cuts
the side into quarters. 'aving only "A small
portion TO hold them together until they
reach tho I'M w bea
Is completed. and they are carried into the
refrigerator cars and hung uD for shipment
In the same establishments an inferior
class OF cattle. largely from Texas, are
Killed for canning. purposes. These are
sometimes shot with n rifle instead OF be-
ing Knocked down with "A sledge.
Hogs are dispatched much more rapidly
and with less ceremony than cattle. Two
men stand in "a crowded pen and attach
ropes 20 the hind legs Of the porkers. an
other pulls cord and the squeezing ami
mai Is drawn upward and carried forward
by small travelling wheel above. The
sticker, who is but a few feet away. kills
them with one thrust OF a very keen bladed
knife. which sewers the jugular vein and
produces speedy death. AS many as ten
are thus dispatched in the space or
minute.
AS soon as life has departed the car
casseS are lowered into a tank of boiling
water. BY the time they have been pushed
through 10 tue further end they are suf-
nclently scalded and are removed and
placed upon an endless chain. which car
ries them forward through an ingenious
machine consisting OF number OF re-
volying metal wheels. Thes are set at dif-
ferent angles. above. below. and at the
sides, and by rubbing thin plates OF steel
against the carcasses remove the greater
portion of the bristles.
Emerging from this machine. the hog
passes through the hands OF four men, who
in deXterous manner remove the remain
ing bristles. The head is then almost sew
cred and the carcass hoisted upon gam
brel and moved along by overhead puleys.
The act OF disemboweling occupies but a
few seconds; the head is removed, the car
cass thoroughly washed and sent forward
to the cooling-rOom. where il is allowed TO
remain for twenty-four hours before it is
cut up.
The men who do this use enormous cleav-
ers and exhibit a strength and deXterity
which is marvellous. Three blows suffice TO
sever the ham. the shoulder and TO cut the
side in two. The hams and shoulders are
then trimmed. while the sides go 10 an
other table, where the ribs and lean portions
are removed and the remainder cut up for
salt pork OF bacon.
Forty-flve hundred hogs are thus slaugh-
tered in day. which number can be dou-
bled when desired by using a duplicate set
Of mach merry and appliances.
From 200 10 1000 sheep are daily killed
at ArmOurS ;. The throatS OF the animals
are cut and they are allowed TO bleed 20
death. One man removes a skin unas-
sisted and i'm "A very short space OF time.
Comparatively little ice is used at the
packing houses the temperature being re-
duced by means of machinery made for that
purpose aud operated by powerful engines.
Whatever may be said about grinding
monopolies." the stock yards and packing
houses have done great things Tor Chicago.
and the whole country for that matter. The
farmer may not get an adequate price for
his stock. and the packers may be response
BILE for it. as the Senatorial Committee is
trying 10 establish; but the consumer.
whose name Is legion. certainly gets better
meats and at a lower price than would be
possible ii they did not exist.
DWIGHT BALDWIN.