The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-03-28
How the Killer Of BeeVeS Neatly
Does His Work.
BLOW is A LIGHT ONE
Scenes at the Slaughter House of
the Metropolitan Meat Co.-New
Method-Hogs and Sheep.

Between 600 and 700 beeves are
slaughtered here each month for the
local consumption and for such out
side trade as happens. One man kills
all of these cattle. The calves that
sell as veal carcaSseS fall at his hands
also. The man is native who has
been at the particular business for
fourteen years. He has become so
adept at infiicting the death blow that
his work may be said to be perfect.
For the business he requires clear,
unfailing eye and steady nerve. All
this killing is done at the slaughtering
establishment of the Metropolitan
Meat Company in Iwilei, where Louis
Touissant is in charge and where DR..
w. T. Monsarrat, as representative OF
the Board of Health, looks after the
sanitation, etc. To DR.. Monsarrat, an
his profession falls the task Of general
inspection of the meat food supply all
through the processes of receiving,
slaughtering and preparing fer mar
ket. An Advertiser reporter in visit
to the slaughter houses on Saturday
afternoon had the advantage of the
courtesies Of Dr. Monsarrat as guide,
philosopher and friend
The most interesting thing at this
big slaughtering establishment is the
killing of the beeves. The animals
are brought to the death pen in lots
of half a dozen to a dozen. This COM
partment is about II by 80 feet. 1t is
heavily barred on all sides, has solid
floor and upper works of heavy planks
for the killer. This native is armed
with a pike. 1t is quite long and not
light. At the stabbing end is heavy
steel point with a razor sharp blade
perhaps an inch and half in width.
The man selects the beast to go and
getting directly above it carefully
poiSeS his spear. He makes sighting
movement or two and then lands. The
blow is not a forceful or vicious one.
1t seems scarcely enough to break the
skin. The point struck is Immediate
ly behind the horns and in the center.
The spinal chord is severed. The
bullock or cow does not stagger 1t
cannot be said to fall There is not
a second of waVering, not step or
jump, scarcely a start. The beast sim
ply collapses. It goes down in heap.
Disablement to the extent of destruc
tion of all consciousness or sensation
or feeling or liability to pain is gone
in the twinkling of an eye. This
method of killing is called "pithing"
and has the endorsemnt of humane
societies. veterinaries and slaughter
ing experts all over the world. 1t was
adopted here but few years ago. The
natives showed to the visitor the old
apparatus for hauling the beeves down
to a ring and then using a sledge
on the head. With that system the
beast appeared to realize that it was
being dragged to it's death and the bel
lowings and sometimes shriekings
were pitiful Now there is no noise
from the animals. The whole killing
is for them speedy, sudden and quite
without hurt. Calves are still struck
in the head, but they can be so easily
and quickly handled that there is lit
tie or no cruelty in the plan of ending
them. In killing sheep the throats
are cut and hogs are stabbed with a
| long knife. This cool killer of Sat
urday handed over to the dressers six
| bullocks in but a little more than
| five minutes. The work of this skill
! full Hawaiian is not over when his
spear is landed with such effect. Aft
| er he has the lot on the floor, almost
motionless, he descends quickly to
their midst, picking up On the way a
beauty Of big knife With this weap-
ON he opens the jugular of one after
another of the PROSTATE animals. One
or two of them may be moving little.
When the jugular is tapped the rush
of blood to the great outlet is reg
ular flood The rich, heavy, warm
fluid runs into a conduit that empties
into tanks placed for storage by the
| fertilizer works people. After using the
pretty blade the killer rests or directs
| the movements Of the crew of Chinese
| that removes the hides, gets rid of
| the offal or waste and halves and
| hangs up the carcasses. Wagons are
waiting to take the meat to the cold
storage.
DR.. Monsarrat has looked over the
animals in the pens and has watched
the killing. AS the Chinese dressers