The herald., 1895-10-27
CARCASS OF A DEAD HORSE

In these bicycle days when horse 10
hardly worth the price OF his oats, and he
is a better source OF revenue when dead
than when alive. il may be interesting to
know what becomes of the carcass when
it goes to the rendering works in Paris or
in Portland, Ore. Not long ago the
Portland concern bought one roundup of
Montana horses for So each. The can
ming of horsehesh for European con-
sumption is yet in its infancy, and there
Is but slight possibility that 1t will ever
become a profitable industry. AS mat
ter of fact, the horse carcass is more val
liable for his chemical products than he
ever will be as an article OF food.
Horses that have served useful and
honora BILE careers of twenty or thirty
years are tit only for the chemical pro-
cess. When the retired animal is dragged
in, it is :isru relieved of its hair by
shaving process. The tail and name are
especially valuable, ana from these is
made the haircloth of commerce. The
short hair taken from the hide is used
for stuttiing cushions and horse collars,
and thus the dead are made to minister
to the comforts of the living.
The hide of the horse is quite valuable
and the leather known as cordUvan is
made from the skin over the rump. This
leather is used in the manufacture of
high class hunting and wadng boots,
and it can be made mpervious to water.
The other leather is soft and IS useu
mostly for slippers and heavy driving
gloves. The oots of the animal are re-
moved and after being boiled to extract
the oil from them, the horny substanoe
is shipped to the manufactures of com bs
and what are known as mikado goods.
Next the carcass is placed in a cylinder
and cooked by steam at a pressure of
three atmospheres. This separates the
flesh from the bones. The leg bones are
very hard and white, and are used for
handles of pocket and table cutlery.
The ribs and head are burned to make
bone black after they have been treated
for the glue that is in them. In the cal
ching of these bones the vapors arising
are condensed ana form the chief source
of carbonate OF ammonia, which Consti-
tutes the base of nearly sall ANN onical
salts.
There is an animal oil yielded in the
cooking process which is deadly
poison, and enters into the composition
of many insecticides and vermifuges.
The bones to make glue are dissolved
III muriatic acid, which takes the phos-
phate of lime away. The soft element
retaining the shape of the bone is dis
solved in boiling water, cast into squares
and dried on nets The phosphate of
lime, acted upon by sulphurio acid and
caloined with carbon, produces phosphor-
ouo loi lhtiici intlCues' lno
flesh is distilled to obtain car Donate OF
ammonia. The resulting mass is
pounded up with potash and then mixed
with old nails and iron of every desorip-
ton; the whole rs calcined and yields
little yellow crystals-prussIate Of potash,
with which tissues are dyed a Prussian
blue and iron transformed into STEEL II
also forms cyanide of potassium and
prussic acid, the two most terrible pois-
ons known in chemistry.
In the course Of ii lawsuit IN 81. Louis
several years ago it was put in evidence
that the River Rendering company,
which had the contract for the removal
of dead animals from the city streets,
made clear profit of $24 on each horse
carcass that they handled. New York
World.