The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-08-13
Western Horses Now Being
Slaughtered for Food.
new ENTERPRISE IN PORTLAND,
Tho Horses Killed With slodgo
Hammer, Skinned aud Canned aud
Every Part of tho Animal Is Utilized
aud sOId-DoscrIptiOn of the Abat.
tolr Buildings,

one can not BIO sure OF tho moat
no buys, Canned cornod boel mas
qusrading as tho genuine article may
really be the product Of western horses
which have been slaughtered because 1t
is cheaper to usO them for food than for
work.
The slaughtering Of horses for food IL
new enterprise in Portland, Ore, a
preliminary account of which war pub
liahed aoma weeks ago in tina Sunday
World, That ,hOre is great interest in
this question is apparent from tho fac!
that tho projectors Of the euterprise
have been overwhelmed with inquiries
regarding methods Of killing, canning
aud uie OF tho various products. II thia
frat attempt to soil horse meat succeeds
capital will doubtless engage in the
same business, aud tho animals now
roaming tho prairies, haIt'starvod and
Senl-wlld, will be slaughtered to make
food for man.
Tho first slaughter Of horses occurred
Tuesday, July %. II was to have oc'
Cured the day before, but the horses
had not arrived in time, The delay wa
caused BY the trouble experienced in
getting tho horses to swimthe CoIumbta
river to Umatilla, where they were to
take the train for Portland, en- route to
Linton, where an abaLIor has been
built.
They were rough.and.tumhle lot, OF
all ages aud sizas, Cayusei and half
breeds alike, handy with their toe!h,
kicking or biting each other on tho
slightest proYocation while waiting for
the foreman Of tho slauGhter.room 10,
barber like, cry Next" then DO driven
up the inclined plano to closed pom,
whore n butcher and u slodge'hamIner
we're waiting to send thom to tho elysian
horGo plains. perhaps to DO ridden by
tho shades OF departed Indians in tho
happy hunting grounds, where no sleet
covers the grass IN winter to starve tho
poor range pony
The a6attoir buildings are fitted up
with every convenience. The stand IN
an old orchard on the banks Of the Col
umbia. In field OF growing oats arc the
corrals, from which tho inclined road
ways leads to the Elaughter.room in the
upper story. On the ground floor arc
large wooden tanks Tor stoaming the fat
out OF tho meat, u number OF smaller
tanks OF galvanized iron, two large YER
ticie digestors Ut retors, n press for
pressing tho oil out Of the meat, kiln,
heated by steam, for drying the bones
bOne-charcker, resembling a rock
crusher; q disinicgrator or machine Tor
grinding the refuse into fertilizer; Il
boiler and an engine. All OF the by.
products will be utilized, so that the
profit Is not only In the flesh.
Near the abnttoir were several horses
which, Us one OF the butchers said,
broke their TOOL necks Jumping down
an onbankmsnt trying to get away"
Before the slaughter could commence
the carcasses OF these animals had to be
got out of the way. This waI quickly
done. The legs were cut oil ut tho knees,
the name and tail wcre removed, slit
was made the whole length OF the skin,
and the heads were skinned and also a
part OF the neck.
Then a rope was made fast to this
loose skin, 80 that IL could not slip; a
chain was put around the neck aud ta'.
tened 10 the trunk oil tree, aud II
steady-going pair OF old horso' were
hitched 10 the Tope. In ten seconds the
skin was of; iow cuts aud slashos aad
the carcasses were in the steam tank DO.
ing converted into fertilizers.
Tho horse is u pachydermatous AMI.
NAL, like the hog. whose hide grows
close to the tiesh, so that it cannot be
removed in the same manner as the
hides Of oxen and sheep.
The method OF killing tho horse was
about tho same as that Of killinga steer.
The horses we're trnttod up tue iuClinGd
road way from the corralA and Oach was
inclosod in pen. Then the execution.
er hit them on the forehead with
sIedgo.hammor and they f1%i scnaOibss.
The doors OF tho pen were opened, or
rather lifted, the carcassUJ drawn out
on tho floor. dressed and hung up.
Trenches in the floor and chutes carried
the 0nal out OF sight, and in a little
while number OF catcasses were sui-
pended by tho gambrols from the iron
tracks above. The pile Of hoots in one
corner and a pilO OF horso tails In 40.
other were all that remained 10 show
that anything uausuaI had taken place.
Immediately after being stunned by
tho blow from tho hammer another man
comes along with big knife which lie
stAshos across the throats OF tho untOr.
tunate beasts. II may be said In favor
Of this mode Of execution that It must
DO quito painless. The blow from the
hammer at once deprivoI the animal Of
consciousness. Tho subsequent CASH
with the knife deprivoI II OF life.
Tho flesh. after 1t has been guNrtsrod
and hung for awhile acquires biuish
tinge, which IL not agreeable to ono who
has been accustomed to cat real bosi
Il looks very tough aBd sLHewy, aud on
tho whole extremely uninviting. 1t 10
asserted by Homo who havo tasted Of
horse flesh TINT II 10 quite ms agreeable
as bOOf, and in fact that tho difference
can hardly DO detected. In BGrlin and
some other cities on tho continent 1t ia
said that horse meat Is moro iOndcr and
moro toothsomo than much Of tho bcOl
sold thorc, and thRt In many Of tho
reStautanta IL IL turrOptitiOusly scrvOl
az hGai. In tho roaat tho peculiar tavdt
Of tho horse llOsh CAn always 10 do.
tsclod, but Ia haahO4 aud SiNwS tho do.
Coption hna WORKED very vol.
Evory part Of tho animals carGast Is
nut TO some uso. Tho nOat Ia eaton,
tho hide sold for various purposes aud
tho hoois aud bones for manufacturing
Glue aud tho blood for manufacturing
nlbnmGn.
Tho chiut condition observed whom a
horse Ia submitted lUr slaughter Is TINT
he ahnll Ia In vnOd bodily health. The