The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-11
FROZEN SElEIE[Pe
q Visit to the Biggest Frozep Meat Factory Of
tbe World at BueDos Ayres.

BARRACKS. at the south end Of the city.
near the wharves. so that the frozen
meat can be taken almost directly from
II TO the steamer.
The Sansinena factory was one OF the
first to be established. and ii is said that
already more than $4.ooo.ooo gold has been
spent upon IL. II covers many acres, hay-
ing vast cattle yards and sheep pens. Its
slaughter house has, / judge. more than
an acre of floor space. II is of but one
story, having stone floors and a CORFU
gated iron roof. The MOOR when l en-
tered ii was covered with flowing blood.
A thousand sheep were in the killing pens
and hundreds had been skinned and
cleaned. and hung UP TO cool before being
put in the freezing ROOM
I stopped moment and watched the
killing. 1t is SO quickly done that in four
minutes and a half by my watch I saw
a sheep pass from active blea;ing life to
the condition OF a carcass. skinned and
cleaned. 1t was ready for the meat shop
had it not been that ii must be first
frozen and then sent over 700 miles OF
water to reach il. If sheep can under
stand and feel for their fellows. the kill
Ing Is rather cruel. Scores OF them look
on awaiting their turn while their broth
ers and sisters are butchered. In each
pen there were at least fifty sheep. Along
the front of ii on a bench about as high
as your knee lay rows of dying sheep.
each with two great round holes in its
white throat. out of which the red blood
ran down into the stream of water which
flowed through little canal below. Some
OF the sheep were kicking others groaned
feebly. but / could see that their deaths
came almost instantly. The killing is done
with a long sharp douuie-hladed knife.
Two men catch a sheep in the pen and
throw 1t upon Its back on the bench. The
butcher outside then seizes 1t by the chin.
bends it's head back and with one thrust
drives the steel through Its throat. cutting
the 1ugular vein. He then goes on to the
next sheep. which is already lying there
ready for him, killing sheep after sheep
at the rate OF one and more per minute.
As soon as the sheep has been killed. It
Is seized and carefully skinned. The en-
trails are thrown into one place to be
cleaned and shipped to Germany for sau-
sage skins. The kidneys and their fat are
laid in another. for the kidney fat Is used
for making a sort of oieomargarine. which
Is hers largely sold for cooking, and the
kidneys go to the markets Of Buenos
Ayres. The feet and heads are cut OF and
the tongues and hearts arc saved. The
carcass which is left is as neatly cleaned
DIS any you Will see Oh our D6Sl meat
markets at home. It Is dressed after the
so important that the factory has a skilled
London market man here to superintend
this feature OF the work.
The freezing Is done in great chambers,
each of which Will hold 6Q.00o carcasses at
one time. The chambers have walls of
wood and sawdust foot thick. The CELL
ing OF each is covered with coils of pipe,
in which flow ammonia and brine 90 ar
ranged chemically that they Ill the room
with afr which Is 80 degrees below zero.
1t takes three great engines to keep the
pipes filled, and these work on both day
and night. The coils, when j saw them,
were covered with frost an inch thick. and
the chamber was intensely cold. In IL,
hanging down from hooks with their head
less necks toward the floor were some
thing like thousand freezing carcasses
of mutton. They were almost ready for
shipment, and when the chief engineer
who acted as my guide took one down to
show ii to me found that IL would stand
alone, and that its flesh was as hard as
stone. Within forty eight hours after be-
ing put in the freezing room the car
cases are perfectly hard. After they are
frozen they are sewed up in fine white
muslin cloths and laid away In cold stor-
age to await the next steamer. The aver
age carcass weighs, when shipped. from
thirty to seventy pounds. according as 1t Is
a sheep or a las.ib. The sheep cost about
s. apiece. as only the finest are used for
this purpose. Sheep, as they run In the
flock, can be bought, am told for from
Sd 10 Is cents apiece. The freight to Lon
don costs from to 2 cents a pound, and
the mutton there sells for 10 cents and
upward per pound. AS much OF the work
as possible is done by machinery, but the
wages paid are much less than at home.
The average for slaughterers, SINNERS and
general workmen is less than ti.l0 a day,
and foremen receive less than 81 per day
/ wonder how our Chicago butchers would
like such wages?
Everything connected with the refuse,
with the exception OF the blood Is sold.
The hoofs are used for making glycerine
the shin bones for knife handles, buttons
and combs. and some OF the entrails form
"catgut" for fiddle strings. The sheep
skins are dried and sold in bales. and the
tongues and hearts are frozen for export
In this same factory partriiges and pleas
ants. chickens. turkeys, cnicks fish and
armadllos are frozen for shipment to
Europe.
Leaving the frozen meat factory, drove
10 the mSffAIo 1eDtFdi fTuIOB. IniS
is the great central market OF Buenos
Ayres. where wool. hides and grain are
sold In wholesale lots. IT IL the largest
produce market of the world under one
roof. II covers many acres and millions
OF pounds or wool are handled in II every
year. II is a brick building of three sto-
Ties lying near the docks on the Rica-
chnelo river, in that part OF Buenos Ayres
called BARRACKS. BARRACKS means ware
houses, and BARRACKS is the part OF Buenos
Ayres where the great export business OF
the Argentine Is done. The wool and
hides are taken from the marker house
TO the warehouses and there prepared for
shipment. AT shearing time wool comes
In In train and ship loads. There are
scarcely enough cars to haul the crop, and
the vas. market noJxe Is SO full that you
can hardly get through It. Its three floors
are packed with stacks OF dirty. greasy
wool. Carts and wagons loaded with wool
otstruct all other traffic, boats OF Wool are