The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-03
TEN LIVES A MINUTE.
How Hogs Are Killed at the
New Packing House.
A wELL-EouiPPED INSTITUTION.
Seattle the Headquarters of New In
dustry Which Il Rapidly Develop
ing Into Prominence.

Seattle VIII in a few days have in opera
tion q meat packing establishment that
VIII help 70 extend the fame of her pro-
ducts all over the world This cannot,
however, be scored as a new industry, as
Il Is btIt the extension of one established
here some time ago. But this extension IS
in itself a notable one. because OF the
scale on which IL places the business 70 be
carried on there. And for another more
potent reason: il is but the beginning OF
the growth Of the meat packing industry
at this port, and what il may develop into,'
now that its success is assured, is pleas
ant thing to speculate on.
The start of the Plant.
Near Grant street bridge. on the tide
fats, the Frye-Bruhn Company started a
slaughter and packing house some time
ago. and from time to time added 10 IL
until they had accommodations for
slaughtering 100 hogs day. This is an i'm
mense number for say 300 days of the year.
but even this amount of accommodation
was found inadequate to the growth of
the business. The result is the new house
now ready 10 be opened.
The size Of the new building Is % feet by
222 feet. a good sized building, but IL is
no mere barn, as many industrial estab-
lishments are II is, in the first place,
Thoroughly substantial. resting on over
1880 carefully chosen piles. The ttmbers
tn il are twelve inches by eighteen inches
and they run the whole breadth of the
building in one solid length The uprights
that support these are also all Of one
piece. Some Of the walls, too. are foot
thick. and in addition there is some pre-
tention to architectural proportions and
good appearance in the front elevation of
the structure. The broad caves of the
roof have the line of an unstrung bow, and
this flowing line has its counterpoise in the
square Ines Of 4 half-story with peaked
roof rising from the main roof and in thu
large arched windows below. There are
other devices that cleverly break the heavy
squat expression such 4 huge building
would otherwise have, but its principal
features are, OF course. those which trend
toward practical utility.
\ Complete Building.
II has been constructed by the senior
partner, Mr.. Frye, and he has spent two
years in visiting the large slaughter houses
Of the East, and in perfecting his plans
The result seems TO be- to one not an eX-
pert in such things. that not a single la
bor-saving device that could he utilized
and not a single discovery of science for
the utilization of every scrap Of raw ma.
terial or for the better preservation of
meats has been neglected
II is worth while pointing out at the
start, for the benefit of those who may he
for those who feel timid that any such
establishment should be raised near their
property or residence. that IL In the heart
of the city it would be no nuisance. except
such as is caused by congregation of live
animals, and if by the side Of a stream the
waters would not be polluted All the
offal and blood passes through a patent
machine and becomes dry fertilizer.
Ten Deaths Minute.
The capacity OF the establishment with
the new building added is calculated to
comfortably deal death TO 50 cattle 200
sheep and 400 hogs per day. Over ten
executions minute.
The unsuspccting hog goes with some of
MS fellows into pen at the west end Of
the building on the second story In an
unsupported moment hook at the end of
chain catches one Of his hind legs
swings him through a narrow door that
automatically closes after him lifts him
TWO or three feet above the floor 10 a
handy height for the butcher to tickle his
throat with knife. and in a little while,
the machine gently swings him into a hot
bath. where he is beyond suspicion There
is an automatic arrangement in this steam
ing cauldron that lifts out the dead pig
and puts II on a rounded table TO be
scraped AZ the lower end the gambril
stretches its legs and this IS attached to
A pulley running along an iron rail Here
he Is opened up and dressed and pushed on
10 make room for the next. These over
head rails have switches In them so that
the dressed hogs can be sent In any d!rec-
ton. Six hundred can hang in this one
room TO cool off They remain here twenty
four hours and then pass on the same
KIND or a railway stu. into the cooler. a
room 30 feet by % feet. with an ice plant
overhead. The ice machine is not yet in
place. It viii be a 35-ton machine. and in
addition 10 chilling the rooms will manu-
facture ten tons of ice day.
ON The north side Of the structure the
heoNes and sheep are slaughtered. the sr-
rangements being similar except for the
absence of the sCalding tank. In the cen
ter OF the chilling rooms are trans hv
which The c8rcaseS are let down to the
immense cellars for storing and paCk.nc
There are 201 sweet pickle watts. each ca
p7hle ~ holding 80 hams. on the ouno-
site side are four smokehouses. ffty-two
feet high, the meat To hang fifteen feet
above the wood FIRE Ash j. used as the
hest scented wood for the smoking
The walls Of All The rooms that have 10
he kept m an even temperature are com
posei - six parts. with dead air spaces
between each. and even the tempcratllre
IS 50 arranged as 10 regulate itself when
once fixed
seattle Instead OF Tacoma.
outside the building are immense covered
sheds whore the animals Await'ur death
can be wcu and humanelv treated. IN
many other features there is not spaca
- refer 10. Tire establishment denotes a
completeness not often n be found In
similar establishments. Aaout seventy
mon viii he employed. all the killing b.
ing done here in future instead Of in Ia
COMA
Nj Frye saws that the firm expects n
slaughter every dav about $40 hogs. 10
sheep ana aftv cattle