Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-09-02
MEAT FOR ENGLAND
Much of 1t Comes Fresh from Far
OF Australia.
ns e Preserved DurfnE the Long voy-
age in RefriHeratOr Compare
menas-Features OF the
Tramc.

Few people have any idea of the
enormous business that is done in
frozen meat in the United Kingdom.
To take the port of London alone
during the year 1901 nearly 100000
sheep were imported in the frozen
condition. besides nearly 100000 quar-
tiers of beef apd nearly 100000 pack
ages of other produce. such as rab-
bits, joints of mutton and lamb, kid
neys. kangaroo and OK tails and 9TH
er things. At the Victoria docks
alone there is accommodation in the
shape of cold chambers for 100000
sheep and for nearly 100000 in the
cold chambers of the West India
dock and the Smithfield stores be
longing to the London a India Docks
company, and it must be remembered
that London, though the principal
port Of the United Kingdom, is only
one of several, says the London
Globe. An immense trade in frozen
meat is done at Liverpool, Glasgow
and other ports.
In Australia and New Zealand the
sheep and the quarters of beef, the
rabbits, etc, are frozen at stations
as near the cattle and sheep runs as
II is possible TO get them, the frozen
carcasses being carried for 200 To 800
miles to the pert of shipment in rail-
way trucks fitted with proper insula-
ton to prevent the heat from the
outside atmosphere penetrating TO
the meat. Huge liners, capable, some
of them, of slowing as many as lOO,-
600 sheep, bring them to London, Liv-
erpool or elsewhere, the temperature
of the holds in which the meat is
stored on board the liners being
maintained at the same temperatures
as that of the cold stores into which
they are delivered on arrival-viz.,
about Is degrees below freezing
point.
The ships which are engaged In
the traffic are literally packed from
stem to stern with carcasses of
sheep. quarters of beef, crates of
rabbits. joints of mutton and lamb,
etc. 1t comes principally from the
United States and is known as
"chilled meat" II is frozen so hard
that it looks and feels like wood or
stone. One old salt told the writer
that q joint of mutton or lamb was
much better and handler for knock
ing the top of hatchway open than
handspike, IL is so much harder and
so much more convenient. The car
casses are all dressed in Shirts"
consisting principally of coarse calico
and on which the marks of the con-
signee are placed, so that all of the
carcasses consigned to one merchant
may be kept together. They are
hoisted out of the ships hold by a
simple form of chain conveyor fitted
with trays Just the size to hold the
carcass of the animal that is being
dealt with. On the arrival on deck
each carcass or package is tipped
onto a chute, which conveys it to its
store or to the railway truck which
Is waiting it. In the store the frozen
carcasses are stacked in bins, one
above the other, till they are wanted,
when they are delivered to a chute.
which conveys them to a weighing
machine and thence to the cart or
truck in waiting. In the railway
trucks they are stacked in much the
same manner.
All the frozen meat, except that
known as chilled beef, Is frozen quite
hard and is maintained in that state
antil il is required for the market, but
with "chilled beef" a temperature a
little above freezing is required. Froz-
en- beef commands very much lower
price than chilled beef, and consider
able trouble is taken to insure that the
beef shall not be frozen. The steamer
lines which handle chilled beef" are
fitted with special refrigeratipg APP
paratus, by means of which each cham
Der in which the beef is carried Is kept
at exactly the temperature required.
and this is followed out when the beef
Is landed, it being kept in the special
chamber referred to, in which the tenn
perature is always at about 33 degrees.
Great care has also to be taken in
chilling beef and In bringing it back to
its normal temperature. If the chilling
Is done too quickly sort of crust of
chilled meat is formed on the outside
and the meat inside that crust deterio-
rates, rendering the whole quarter bad
on arrival In the cold stores in which
frozen meat is kept there is practically
no smell, but in the chambers In which
chilled beef is stored there is always a
smell which accompanies, made when
hanging. Chilling, in fact, is a some
what similar process to hanging in cold
weather, but il is carried out more
carefully, as the difference between
the value of the meat II properly
chilled and carefully thawed, as
against meat carelessly handled is very
great. The same thing applies to the
preservation of eggs, fruit, vegetables
and other substances. They must not
be frozen.