Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-06-05
How Meats are Prepared.

nolds and Chas. p. NeiIl concerning
meat packing in Chicago, submitted 10
Congress yesterday, BY President Roose-
velt, will be read with interest. The fol-
loving are some of the extracts:
Calves, sheep, and hogs that have died
en- route are thrown out upon the plat.
forms where cars are nnloaded. On
single platform on one occssioR we
counted Is deal hogs, OF the next ten
dead hcgs. The only excuse given for
delay 10 removal was that 50 often heard
The expense
An absence OF cleanliness wss found
everywhere 10 the handling OF meat be
ing prepared for The vsTiOus meat 'tood
products. In some OF the largest estah-
lshments sides that are sent TO what Is
known as the bOning loom are thrown IN
heap upon the floor. The workers
climb over these heaps of meat, select
the pieces they wish, aud frequently
throw them down upon the dirty hoor
beside their working bench. Even in
cutting the neat upon the bench, the
work is usually held pressed against
their aprons, aud these aprons were, Is
a rule, indiscribably filthy. rhey were
made 10 most cases OF leather or OF rough
sacking and bore long accumulated grease
and dirt. In only few places
we're suitable oilcloth aprons worn.
Moreover, men were seen TO climb from
the floor and stand, with shoes dirty
with The refuse of the ioOts. on the
tables upon which the meat Was handled.
They were seen at the lunch hour sit
ting on the tables on the spot on which
the meat product was handled, and ail
this under the very eye OF the snperln-
lendent OF the room, showing that this
was the common practice.
Nothing shows more strikingly the
general Indifference to matters OF clean
| illness and sanitation than do the lava
ories for 9th men and women The
| prevailing type is made by cutting of
section of the workroom by thin wood
en- partition risiGg to within a few feet
of the ceiling. These privies usually
yentilste into the workroom. Many
are located in the inside corners of the
workroOms, aud thus have no outside
opening whatever. They sre furnished
with row Of seats, generally withou!
even eide partitions. These rooms are
sometimes used as cloakrooms by the
lemployees. Lunch rooms constructed
in the same manner, by boarding Oh a
section of the Workroom, often adjoin
the privies, the odors Of which add to
the generally inssnitary state of the
Atmosphere. Abominable as the above
named conditions are, the one that al
fects most directly aud seriously the
cleanliness of the food products is the
frequent absence of any lavalory proVl-
sons. Washing sinks are either not
furnished at all or are small aud dirty.
Neither are towels, sosp, or toilet eon-
veniences. Men and WOmeG return
directly from these places TO plunge
their unwashed hands into The meat to
| be converted into such food products
as ssusages, dried beef, and other COM
pounds. Some of the lavstOries are
situated at a long distance from the
workrooms, and men use the killing
floors or corners of the workrooms
Hente, in some cases the fumes OF the
urine swell the SUN OF nanseating odor:
arising from the dirty blood soaked,
roliing wooden floors, fruitful culture
beds for the disease germs OF men and
animals.
Meat scraps were also found being
shoveled into receptab.es from dirty
floors where they were left to lie unti
again shoveled into barrels or into ma
chimes for chepping. These floors, /
mus. he noted, we're in most case
damp and soggy, in dark, ill'ventilste'
rooms, and the employees in ute
ignorance of clesnliGess or danger Il
health expeclorsted at will upon them
In a word, we saw meat shoyeled fron
filthy wooden floors, piled on table rsrel
washed, pushed from room to room IL
rOtton box carts, IN all of which pro
cesses it was in the way OF gatherin:
dirt, splinlers, floor 6lth, and the ex
, pectoration of tuberculous and 0the
t, diseased workers. A very consider
, abe portion of the meat so hsndle'
\ is sent out as smoked products and j
10 the form Of sausages, which are pre-
e pared to be eaten without being cooked
p A particularly glaring instance of un
~ cleanliness was found in room wher
II the best grade of sausage was being pre-
'e pared for export. 1t was made froI
! carefully selected meats and was bein
n prepared to be eaten uncooked. In tn
d case the employee carted the chopped-u
y meat across a room in barrow, II
: handles Of which we're filthy with gress'
The meat was then thrown out upo
e tables, and the employee climbed upo
y y the table, handled the meat with his III
/ washed hands, knelt with his dirty apro
Is and trousers in contact with the meat
le was spreading ont, and, after he rs
!. finished his operation, again took ho
rs of the dirty handles Of the wheelbsrro
], vent back for another load, and repeats
er You cannot induce lower animal TO e
Ill heartily when not feeling well. A sick dC
Q. staryes himself. and gets we'll. The stOnsc
Nv - o~arro.ka1 muef have resi- The sal