Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-04
REPORT OF THE INVESTIGATION
The President.

The President:
As directed by you, we investigated
the conditions in the principal estab-
lishments in Chicago engaged in the
slaughter Of cattle, sheep and hogs
and in the preparation of dressed meat
and meat-food products. Two and a
half weeks we're spent in the investi-
cation in Chicago and during this time
we went through the principal pack
inghouses in the stoclSyards district,
together with few Of the smaller
ones.
Before entering the buildings we
noted the condition of the Yards
themselves as shown in the pavement,
pens, viaducts and platforms. The
pavement is mostly Of brick, the
bricks laid with deep grooves between
them, which invetably FIJI with ma.
nure and refuse. Such pavement can
not be properly cleaned and is Shiny
and malodorous when wet, yielding
clouds of ill-smelling dust when dry.
The pens are generally uncovered ex-
cept those for sheep; these latter are
paved and covered. The viaducts and
platforms are of wood. Calves, sheep
and hogs that have died on route are
thrown out upon the platforms where
cars are unloaded. On a single plat
form on one occasion we counted Is
dead hogs, on the next 10 dead hogs.
The only excuse given for delay in re-
mov0l was that so often heard-the
expense.
The buildings have been constructed
with little regard TO either light or
ventilation. The workrooms, as a rule.
are very poorly lighted. A few rooms
at the top Of the buildings are we'll
lighted because they can not escape
the light, but most of the rooms are
so dark as TO make artificial light
necessary at all times. These dark
and dingy rooms are naturally not kept
suitably clean,
Systematic ventilation Of the work
rooms is not found in any of the estab
lishments we visited. In a few in
stances electric fans mitigate the
sitting air, but usually the workers
toll without relief in a humid atmos-
phere heavy with the odors of rotten
wood, decayed meats, sinking oiial,
and entrails.
The evils particularly mentioned
are;
Work tables and receptacles made Of
wood, which are foul with accumu-
lated grease.
Toilet rooms attached TO workrooms
without lavatory conveniences and
separated from the workrooms only by
thin wooden partitions.
An absence of cleanliness found
everywhere in the handling Of meat
being prepared for the various meat
food products. After killing, car
casses are we'll washed, and up TO the
time they reach the cooling room are
handled in a fairly sanitary aud
cleanly manner. The parts that leave
the coolingroom for treatment in bulk
are also handled with regard to
cleanliness, but the parts that are sent
from the coolingroom to those de-
partments Of the packinghouses in
which various ferns of meat products
are prepared are handled with no re-
gard whatever 20 cleanliness. In
some of the largest establishments
sides that are sent to what is known
as the boningroom 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 rule, indescribably filthy. They
were made in most cases of leather oI
Of rough sacking and bore long ac-
oumulated grease and dirt. In only