Mower County transcript., 1899-08-23
AUSTIN PACKING HOUSE.
The Immense Business of
Geo. A. HORNED & Co.
in this City.
Extensive Improvements Now Going
in Which Will Greatly In
crease the Capacity of
the Plant.
Published by Austin Board of Trade.

Published by Austin Board of Trade
Not the oldest but certainly the
largest enterprise in or near Austin is
the packing house Of Geo. A. HORNED
s. Co. in the northeast part of this
city.
Hardly one person in hundred in
the city, in fact no one who has not
inspected the plant, has any idea of
the mum Der, size and capacity OF the
buildings. Some Of the rooms being
underground, where it is cooler, one
can get only faint idea from the
outside Of the number and size of the
Strengthening rooms, the drying and
packing rooms, and the refrlgera tors.
Mr.. Geo. A. HORNED arrived in Aus
tin in 1883 and formed a co-partner-
ship with Mr.. a. P. Friedrich, and
from the start some packing was done,
and smoked hams handled in a small
way. In 1892 the co-partnership was
dissolved and Mr.. Horned purchased
the old creamery plant northeast CT
the city. The creamery building was
24x60 feet and a one-story building.
In 1893 lean.to which was 2Ox4O feet
was added. In 1894 brick building
32xl00 feet was put up, and small
buildings we're added afterward. In
1896 large modern refrigerator was
built: this was orick building 4Ox6O
feet and 90 feet high, with capacity
Of 100 tons of ice. But this year
more extensive Improvements are
being made than ever. Nothing are
put up but substantial brick build
ings with stone foundations, and
those under construction at present
are one 4ox70 feet, two and three
stories high, an engine room 26x33
feet and fertilizer room l8x24 feet;
also brick smokestack 80 feet high.
When these buildings are completed,
which will be about Septemb Der 18th,
the old frame buildings, which have
cost considerable money, will be torn
away, and in their place and attached
to the south side of the large refrige-
rator will be still larger one erected.
This will be 6Ox7O feet, with three
stories Of refrigerator space, and
capacity of 1000 tonsofice and an iced
air chambe % feet high the entire
size OF the building. Another build
ing 5Ox90 feet, two stories high, will
also be built, in which will be the
office and shipping room in the first
story and cold storage rooms above
containing 1900 feet of track capable
OF holding nearly 1900 hogs. In addi-
tion to these, but not attached to
them, there are some frame outbuild-
ings: an ice-house, sheds and yards,
ETC., and Mr.. HORNED is now putting
up a large barn with stalls for eight
horses.
A big 100 h.p. boiler was received
last week, and from eight to ten
thousand dollars worth Of machinery
will be put in.
A spur of track is run to the plant
from the G. G. w Ry., which saves all
heavy hauling. When the present
Improvements are completed the capa-
city will be about $40 hogs day, and
this will be the largest, most modern
packing house for the size of the city
Of any west Of Chicago.
Thus far during the year 1899 the
business has been more than double
that Of the corresponding months of
1898. Good stock and cleanliness Ito
which Mr.. HORNED gives especial at
tention) have created a large demand
for the product over that of the large
companies. Two carloads week are
sent to the Twin Cities, where better
prices can be secured than in the
smaller places, showing that the Aus
tin product sells best because it is the
best, where it comes in direct compe-
tition with the product of the large
companies.
At present about Is men are en-
plOyed 10 carry on the business, but
when the present Improvements are
completed, and through the winter,
nearly 100 men will be required and
will be given permanent employment.
The hogs will be driven from the
yards adjoining to the top story of
the slaughtering building, and from
there the pork will find its way to the
lower stories and to the basement by
gravitation rather than by the use OF
heavy machinery, as after being
dressed it is run into the cooling and
drying rooms, from there to the re.
frigerators. and then down to the
packing and shipping rooms. Every
thing is built with . view of making
as little friction as possible in the