The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-05

b. lsf eeiy iftr VI meat farF tuI mrtf
suneHyer ~ rvefv auff ehirh gefr M
nestly ~ rt4Hf ifHdeTiHteiy g%irahgssi tni
Ios Nv ths,r SvrN theg ihey hsd hseu
fffhel ahd fefufnai ~ aefrta
Vndef tHH " miha n afnittfr b. Uvru
irNeaa ihu fHfrff a'fa fIffh Oipi fhHV 4fH .N
ailHu1aia Nv many i%NsiHrraa. fri fhai 49, ~
lmftllnb fhstr hti leHn lsrh n f%'fe'bH1pm
lhrfc 10 fiaN, = laHH N lsvH'rIv ffriitha
s'ieh go yrHiebess ~ ih-fs tse ~ nv ~
aHnliHFy drsign .
'VSs HHRI,Tys r. IL sta,sI that many u
lhe uha4hisafy TENHitirns afr iuH Nv The f1rf
lhai 'hesH tuiitlhgs tte on Thf htve le'n
huilt ~ pirrefHeei. aUI fbH M tho hHWFf
hHiilhaa teiNs %erertei ffrHi iiHir Us tltre
The deferts " the eufllef stftrlufar af4
heihe rsnedteI Thta contention 10 hni
hnfha 1ut w Tho facts nhr ~ the laffa
rlsnts eeertrd sjthln recent vetfa has frua'
" The hefec's ~ tho rliet buitlinfl W "
true tlta' thfee lHfes mu,lei huihiinra hfv"
hsrn rferte,l, hut nhe ia an onier htiNltnE,
while Tho other twp contain 1Hlr. .'1ling
dpf6gr aud aaiea fu0ns NJ tuvtcl llills
ING Ter The preparation ~ fuud rtUl1ria
has t~rn built Nv Tho stock ynrls " thtrtHn
~ Nuurt sitraHtrnuors ~ ,oy
tHast wtfH tnusf ~ ,nitSuo
In impressive contrast ~ tho comir ions
that W aaw In tho atooh vHuia NJ chicago
ls 80 establishment that Nr Reynolds
NN"INHN' w WV NNNN WV " WV wv
= description In thpsn tnrtirllpts ~ vhich
u IL vastly superior ~ similar concerns
In ChlcaR6 Tho two utt~r hoots used
Tor cattle pena are pav"l With we'll lnld
htichs and cement. With -ide walls " hriCk,
the top noor hcing covered io Protect the
cattle from tho weather The killing four
is naved with h~ltestonc. slipping toward
well srranged drains. and has a large air
shaft Tor special ventilation and abundant
windows. The ceiling and upper side walls
- lAAl $500 IA -
and cement faced steel supports The
lower side walls are covered with white
porcelain brick When the Strengthening
81 each day Ia finished water IL turned on.
and In not more than fifteen minutes the
room L. no thoroughly c~lPansed that all
terceptible odors and traces of tho work
are removed.
Other rooms, such ~ 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 herr
excellent and light abundant, both these
matters ha wing evidently received careful
consideration in planning the building
Sanitary convenisnces h're obt lined the
approval Of the invsstiR Itors tn, re-
port continues:
THE same principles Of sanitation and
the same care Of the health and cleanliness
OF the workers would revolutionlze the
stock yards OF Chicago, and the attain
ment OF such n standard should he the con-
Germ OF the national Government and of
the city Of Chicago.
-JnGer 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.
Iv.-rREArMENT OF MEATS AND PREPARED
FOOD PRODUCTS.
"'Unclednhness in handling PRODUCTS An
absence OF cleanliness was also found every
where in the handling Of meat being pre-
pared for the various meat food products.
After killing, oarcasses are well washed
and up to the time they reach the cooling
room are handled in a fairly sanitary and
clearly manner. The parts that leave
the cooling room for treatment in bulk
are also handled with regard to cleanli-
ness, but the parts that are sent from the
cooling room to those departments Of the
packing houses in which various forms OF
meat products are prepared are handled with
no regard whatever to 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 frequently 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, indescribablv filthy.
Thew were made in most cases Of leather
or Of rough sacking and bore long acc,mu
lated grease and dirt. In only a few places
were suitable oilcloth aprons worn. More
over. 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 was handled Thew were seen at
the lunch hour sitting on the tables on the
spot on which the meat product was handled.
and all this under the very eve of tire SUPER
irten1ent Of the room, showing that this
was the common practice.
Meat scraps were also found being
shovelled into receptacles from dirty floors,
where thew wera left to lie until again
shovelled into barrels or into machines for
chopping. These floors. il must he noted,
were in most cases damp and soggy, In
dark. i'll ventilated rooms, and the en-
plovees, in utter ignorance of cleanliness
or danger to health, expectorated at will
upon them. In a word, we saw meat
shovelled from filthy wooden floors, piled
on tables rarely washed, pushed from
room to room in rotten box carts, in all of
which processes it was in the way of gather
dirt, splinters. floor filth, and the ex-
pectoration Of tuherculous and other dis
eased workers. Where comment was made
to floor superintendents about these matters
it was ALWAYS the reply that this meat would
afterward be cooked and that this sterili7a-
' on WOllu I'bNtilt any tdilBtT lTOTn lS
use. Even this, it NAV be pointed out in
PASSING. is not wholly true. A verv CON
siderable portion Of the meat 50 handled
i sent out as smoked products and in the
form OF sarsapes which are prepared to
be eaton without being COOLED.
A particularly glazing instance of I'M
cleanliness was found in a room where
the best grade Of sausage was being pre-
pared for EXPORT. 1t was made from care
fully selected meats and was being pre-
pared to be eaten uncooked. In this case
the employee carted the chopped up meat
across a room ina barrow the handles of
which were filthy with grease. The meat
was then thrown out upon tables and the
employee climbed upon the table. handled
the meat with his unwashed hands, knelt
with his dirty apron and trousers in con-
tact with the meat he was spreading out,
and after he had finished his operation
a gain took hold of the dirty handles OF the
wheelbarrow. went back for another load
and repeated this process indefinitely.
INQUIRY developed 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 flthier 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 a hog that had lust been
AlAaaaJ uraehol o-l ,tos..l - "a.