The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-21
Stocks Yards Quickly Recover
From The Flood ard Now Handle
Almost the Normal Business
History of Steer From the
Ranch To the Slaughter in the
Packing House.

they cannot resist. They seem cowed. as
if they understand the Impending doom.
The next process * 10 separate them into
lots. The passage is 81 divided that at
ecral spaces sliding doors descend which
divide the iore alley i=to series of COM
p3rtnents. Usually four animals are in
each. section. though sometimes the num-
Der is three
EEECI'TfCNTg WIFLDS
A DEADLY HAMMER.
about foot above the head Il the steers,
ios. hacl. Of the tops Of tine Compartments.
runs plank walk which is used by the ex-
ecutioner. The latter IS usually brawny
negro. vino carries nothing hut a hammer.
thu long handle CT which is of stout oak
and he head OF which l. a heavy cIean-cur
piece CT blunt steel. This man swings his
la MINER and strikes win all his force upon
the bullock'< temple. between the horns.
IN nearly every instance the animal drops
Immediately. Another blow and the second
steer dies. and on. 1t is an incredibly
rapid procedure.
When the four animals are thus
knocked u chain is pulled. and the front
wall OF the conpartment-that opens into
the larger area of the roor-lfts UP. Then
the floor rises and the four quivering car
cases are dumped out. Their legs CULVER.
Their death agonies are very apparent,
flex action OF the muscles The assurance
does not wholly diss!pate the general "un-
easy sensation which assails the unhard-
eEed beholder.
No time - lost \ man rushes among the
bodies. and in succession loops with
chain the hind legs of each bullock. This
done. the bodies are hung up: that is,
they are lifted and allowed to hang sus-
with Q, erhead rollers. and along these roll
ers the Carcasses are passed down through
the hands of several men, whose duties
vary
The first process technically is called
knocking the second Stacking and the
third sticking
animal is bled. Next comes heading
which. translated. means skinning the head:
next is siding. skinning the sides; next
''backing.'' skinning the back; next hide
DROPPING. removing the hide altogether:
next splitting" or dividing The carcass
wash the halves before they are sent to
the chillroom. where they remain. as .
rule. about three days before they are
shipped.
CAN SKIN BULLOCK
IN SIN MINUTES.
The skill is remarkable with which some
of the men execute the processes mentioned.
1t is said that good crew. working swift
ly. can kill a steer. bleed and skin the body
and prepare it for chilling in the short
space of six minutes.
The "siders'' and ''spItters.'' because
their work requires greater nicely. COM
mand ~ day. The pay in the killing"
room, for the 900 employees there. runs from
s.. 90 TO 81. the sum received by the "siders"
The methods in which sheep and hogs ara
killed and prepared vary in a slight degree.
With the hogs almost the entire process Is
done by machinery. Suffice it to say, how
ever. concerning the processes in any case.
they are bloody enough.
Every portion of the carcass serves soma
purpose in a packing-house. From the
hoofs is made what is called meat-foot oil !;
also knife handles and buttons. The bone
below the knee is scraped and used for
knife handles. Other bones and heads 20 for
fertilizer. The hides. of course. are used
for leather. The tails are cleaned and sold.
The finer fat is used for butterine and the
coarser for grease Nothing is waste. Each
OF what once constituted healthy animal
is sold for the one use or another by the
packing-house.
1t is an old remark that nothing is lost
but the "sQueal.'