The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-17

their ears like slow music from behind
a screen. Once the eye rested upon
this skillful method Of eXtinguishing
life, 1t became fascinated and many
fingered after seeing one animal dis
posed of as If to see how the next one
would take it-and then the next, and
the next, until without noting the
flight of time they had seen a dozen
of the tender things turn their heels
towards heaven and their shouts to
the earth for the last time in this life.
The entire journey Of the animals
after death through the scalding vat,
the scraper, and from the hands Of
sliced in half, they were shifted to
the cooling room, was watched with
much interest. Thence the party was
conducted through the other branches
until they saw the remnants of what
were a few days ago living animals,
grunting in quiet satisfaction over
their own comfort, chopped into sau-
sage meat and packed away in castings
and pudding skins for the future graf
ification of the appetites Of hungry
mortals.
After an inspection Of the new en-
CINE works for the extinguishment Of
fire. introduced by Swift & Co. at a
cost of $4,000, Gen. Flower conducted
his guests to the river bank for the
purpose of giving them view of the
work in progress on the leVeeS and
that connected with the enlargement
of the stock yards to twice their pres
ent area, an Improvement which has
been in progress for several months
and which will be completed within the
next six weeks.
A visit was next paid to the sheep
shearing plant of Edgar & Co. This
was one Of the most interesting fea-
lures of the inspection. The work is
carried on by steam machinery, the
clipping instrument itself being con-
trolled by the operator In each indi-
vidual instance. There are $4,000 sheep
in progress of shearing, work having
been begun about Feb. 26. There are
ten instruments in operation. Some
of the operators being so expert as to
be able to shear from fourteen to six
teen an hour. The price paid is cents
per head, and the clip weighs from
six to ten. pounds, according to the
size of the animal.
A circuit of the yards was next made,
Gen. Flower leading his visitors along
the lanes between the pens where the
cattle, sheep and hogs were housed.
Returning to the exchange building, a
luncheon was supplied, after which the
party assembled in Gen. Flowers office
and INDUCED in speech and merry
making until time for the train to start
at 6:0S O'Clock. w. P. Murray made
few remarks; so did President Noyes,
Col. Kiefer and others.
Gen. Fowler gave a short history of
the stock yards and their growth from
small beginnings to their present pro-
portions, demonstrating that st. Paul
is destined to become the leading live
stock center Of the Northwest. The
permanent establishment at South ST.
Paul of the Swift & company enter
prise Is an assurance of the Importance
of this location, being in direct line
with the great cattle and sheep ranches
of North and South Dakota and Mon
tana. 1t has already began to stimu-
late the farmers of Minnesota in the
direction Of enlargement of the live
stock industry and diversified farming
The Union stock yards people feel,
as they believe justly, proud over the
results of their $2,5G0 900 investment, es-
pecially in view of the endorsement of
their undertaking by so substantial a
concern as Swift & Co., which now
operates six plants, namely. in Chicago
Kansas City, South Omaha, East ST.
Louis, st. Joseph and South st. Paul
At this place they at present en-
ploy upwards of 600 persons. The dis
tributive sales of the company from it's
several plants last year amounted to
$121 500, 900. Its purchases of live. stock
consisted of cattle, 1,421 1881; sheep, g.
458,2S7; hogs, 3,256,551, while it's ship
ments of products reached the total of
1885 carloads.