Omaha daily bee., 1895-12-08
YEAR At THE STOCK YARDS
Business Done as Shown by secretary's
Annual Review.
STATISTICS or LIVE STOCK RECEIVED
Trains that Have pulled In since
Company Was Organized Would
Make Ono stretching Across
the Continent.

A little book containing the annual review
of the Union Stock Yards company OF South
Omaha was given to the public the past
week. Columns Of figures, with only here
and there a word Of explanation, are not
calculated to create u work of any great liter
crary merit and it is not probable that the
book in question will ever reach the eyes OF
the reviewers, though the facts contained
render It of greater importance to the peo-
pie of Nebraska than 100 current novels.
At the mention of the stock yards there
arises in the mind of the average citizen
thoughts of cowboys and strong smells, but
a careful perusal of Secretary Sharps liter
ary effort may add somewhat TO the general
information on this subject
One of the first features to attract the at
tenton of the investigator is q statement
Of the receipts of the past year. The figures
for 1895, 602, ,222 cattle, 1lSS421 hogs, 20S ,633
sheep and 67S9 horses. will give some idea
Of the Importance OF the business at South
Omaha. To be sure, there was heavy
decrease, as compared with the previous
year. but even after suffering reduction
consequent upon the crop failure, the bus
ness is still large. better idea of the
business could be gained If the figures repre-
s5nted dollars instead Of cattle or hogs.
While it is not an easy matter to figure out
the value of years receipts OF stock prices
and weight can be averaged and by that
means fairly accurate result arrived at.
which shows that stock TO the value of over
$40, 900. 900 IVES shipped to South Omaha
during The past year. This money was re-
turned, less freight and other expenses, to
the stock growers Of the west. The terri
tory from which stock is obtained Is the
same territory that looks to Omaha for mer-
cbandse. and no small proportion of the
10000 900 has found its way back to this
city in exchange for goods Very little grain
or produce of any kind, aside from live
stock, has baen shipped out of this state
during the past year, and the money that
South Omaha sent back into the country has
constituted about all that has been in cir
culation.
But another glance at the book will reveal
the fact that the stock yards were opened
for business in the year 1884 since which
time there haye been received 5,6ll,01 cat--
tie, 1884, ,4S2 hogs, 1,672,S62 sheep and 76,55S
horses, or total Of 4iS, ,529 carloads. A train
numbering almost 100000 cars is something
too large to be easily comprehended. 1t
were sire. .ched out along the line of the
Union Pacific 1t would reach from Omaha to
San Francisco and half way back again. II
stretched across the continent It would reach
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a solid
train Of stock cars over 5000 miles in length.
Broken up into sections, it would give eight
trains reaching from Omaha to the Colorado
state line over the Union Pacific
A good many other interesting facts may
be CLEANED from this little book.
From the table of receipts by roads 1t will
be noted that the b. q NJ, since 1889, has
brought in more cars of stock than any other
line, with the Union Pacific q close second,
while the Elkhorn ranks third. The Bur-
lington' has hauled more stock out of the
yards than any other system. with the Mil
waukee coming next in order.
Another table gives the information that
over $4,000 hogs were driven in during
the year; that is, they We're brought in by
the farmers in wagons AS only from one
to four hogs are brought in at time some
idea Of the number of farm wagons that have
visited the yards the past year may be
gained. .-..i
BY way of relief from the monotony Of
figures. Secretary Sharp inserts sufficient
reading matter to convey the information
that the present capacity of the yards is -
tmaed at 620 cars of cattle, 14OO0 head,
375 cars Of hogs, 25,0OO head, so double-decks
of sheep, $4,000 head, and 90 cars of horses
1000 head. Fully eight acres are now COW
ings requisite for carrying on the business,
while fully twenty acres more are graded
and are being covered rapidly with pens and
sheds. The whole is surrounded by net
work of tracks and switches, which tracks
are owned by the Stock Yards company,
which, with its own locomotives and train
crews, handle all of the stock both coming
in and going out well as all Of the stock
yards and packing house supplies and
nroduct