The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-05

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food products has been built in the stock
yards of Chicago.
lli.-A Model Slaughter House In Con-
trast With Those of Chicago.
In impressive contrast to the conditions
that we saw in the stock yards of Chi
cabo is an establishment that Mr.. Reyn-
olds visited in New York City. 1t well
merits description in those particulars
in which it is vastly superior to similar
concerns in Chicago. The two upper floors
used for cattle pens are paved with we'll
laid bricks and cement with side walls
of brick the top floor being covered to
protect the cattle from the weather, The
killing floor is paved with bluestone, slop-
ing toward well arranged drains, and has
| a large air shaft for special ventilation
and abundant windows. The ceiling and
upper side walls are of hard cement, with
steel crossbeams and eement-faee steel
supports. The lower side walls are COW
cred with white porcelain brick. When the
Strengthening of each day is finished, water
Is turned on and in not more than f1f-
teen minutes the room is so thoroughly
cleansed that all perceptible odors and
traces of the work are removed.
Other rooms, such as those for cooling
and storage, are of similar construction
to the killing floor. White porcelain lined
bricks and curved tiles join floors and
side walls, that no corners may retain
dirt and refuse. Ventilation is everywhere
excellent and light abundant, both these
matters having evidently received careful
| consideration in planning the building
The privies contain separate sections with
self-flushlng bowls, white porcelain-lined
wash basins, shower baths, and mirrors
Towels and toilet paper are provided and
everything is kept clean. The effect of all
these eXcellencies of construction and ar
rangement is evident In promoting the
care of the products and in elevating the
morals of the workers.
The same principles of sanitation and
the same care of the health and cleanli-
ness of the workers would revolutionize
the stock yards Of Chicago, and the at
tainment of such n standard should be the
concern of the national government and
of the city of Chicago
Under existing conditions the burden OF
protecting the cleanliness and wholesome
ness of the products and the health of the
workers and of improving the conditions
under which the work Is performed, must
fall upon the national government
lN.-Treatment Of Meats and Prepared
Food Products.
Uncleanlness in Handling Products.-An
absence of cleanliness was also found
everywhere In the handling of meat being
prepared for the various meat-food pro-
ducts. After killing, carca ses are we'll
washed, and up to the time they reach
the cooling room are handled in fairly
sanitary and clearly manner. The parts
that leave the cooling room for treatment
In bulk are also handled with regard to
cleanliness. but the parts that are sent
from the cooling room to those depart
ments of the packing houses In which
xyar intfu fNrts fNP
pared are handled with no regard what
ever for cleanliness, In some of the
largest establishments sides that are sent
to what Is known as the boning room
are thrown in a heap upon the floor.
The workers climb over these heaps of
meat select the pieces they WISH and fire.
quently throw them down upon the dirty
floor beside their working bench. Even
in cutting the meat upon the bench. the
work is usually held pressed against their
aprons, and these aprons were, as a rule,
indescribably filthy. They were made In
most cases of leather or of rough sack
Ing and bore long accumulated grease
and dirt In only few places were
suitable oicloth aprons worm Moreover,
men were seen to climb from the floor
and stand. with shoes dirty with the
refuse of the floors, on the tables upon
which the meat product was handled and
all this under the very eye of the super
intendent Of the room. showing that this
was the common practice
Meat scraps were elso found being shov-
eled into receptaeles from dirty floors
where they were left to lie until again
shoveled into barrels or into machines
for chopping These floors, il must be
noted, were In most cases damp and soggy,
In dark ill-ventiated rooms, and the
employees In utter ignorance of cleanli-
! ness or danger to health expectorated
at will upon them. In a word. we saw
meat shoveled from filthy wooden floors,
piled on tables rarely washed, pushed
from room to rom in rotten box carts,
in all of which processes 1t was in the
way of gathering dirt, splinters floor
filth and the expectoration OF tubercu-
lous and other diseased workers Where
comment was made to floor superinten-
! dents about these matters, 1t was always
the reply that this meat would afterwards
be cooked and that this sterilization
would prevent any danger from Its use
Even this, 1t may be pointed out In pass,
ing, Is not wholly true. A very consider
able portion of the meat so handled is
sent out as smoked products and in the
form of sausages. which are prepared to
be eaten without being cooked.
A particularly glaring instance of I'M
cleanliness was fOund III ruoU "Here
the best grade of sausage was being pre-
pared for export. II was made from care
fully selected meats, and was being pre-
pared to be eaten uneooked. In this
case the employee carted the chopped-up
, meat across room in borrow, the
} handles of which were filthy with grease
J The meat was then thrown out upon
} tables. and the employe climbed upon
the table, handled the meat with his I'M
washed hands knelt with his dirty apron
and trousers In contact with the meal
he was spreading out, and, after he had
finished his operation, again took hold
of the dirty handles of the wheelbarrow
went back for another load, and repeated
} this process indefinitely. Inquiry devel-
opeu the fact that there was no water
IN this room at ALL and the only method
the man adopted for cleaning his hands
was to rub them against his dirty apron
or on his still filthier trousers
AS an extreme example of the entire
disregard on the part of employees Of any
notion of cleanliness in handling dressed
meat. we saw hog that had just been
killed, cleaned washed, and started on
| It's way to the cooling room fall from
the sliding rail to dirty wooden floor and