The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-23

mort from a special committee ap- pointed by this Board to inspect the market houses and slaughtering pens of the butchers of Selma.
 '"To the Board of Health:
 We, the undersigned, having been appointed a committee to investigate certain matters pertaining to the pub lie health of the city of Selma, respect fully submit the following report as to the condition of the slaughter pens and market houses:
 Before going into details, we have no hesitaney in saying that the condf- ton prevailing at all of the slaughter houses could scarcely be worse and we beg to assure that our report is not overdrawn but represents the actual conditions of things, as we are pre- pared to testify from actual observa- ton.
 we submit: First-There IS no pro- vision made for drainage at any of the slaughter pens. In the stock yards is foul pool of stagnant water, covered with scum of greenish yellow filth. Second--At only one of these places is any provision made for sheltering an- finals from the weather and they are compelled to stand all day long in the hot broiling sun, in some instances for several days. before being slaughtered, and in one place there was absolutely no provision for watering them.
 The floors of the killing rooms are made of common twelve inch boards, put together in such a manner as to leave wide crevices for the accumuIa- ton of filth. In the center of the room Is a wooden trough for the pur- pose of carrying off blood and refuse This trough, without exception, is con- structed in such a manner as to make it impossible to keep 1t clean. Tn one instance, the flooring projected over the top of this trough for two inches or more, making it impossible to properly cleanse it.
 Again. these troughs are so built as to contain crevices and grooves which were filled with the aocumu- lated filth of days. The animal is killed on this floor. the slxinning and dressing Is done in every case where we witnessed the work by negroes without the supervision of any white person at all The animal lays on this floor while the hide is being removed by the negroes. filthliy dressed. with the precipitation dripping from their faces on to the carcass. The animal Is not hoisted from the floor until the hide is removed from every portion of the body except its back. The only washing this floor receives Is by pour ing a little cold water on 1t and sweep ing 1t up with an old filthy broom.
 "In some of these places the hides are cured in the slaughtering room: In others, in the vats underneath the floor. Tn either case the odor is ex- tremely offensive. At one place 1t was admitted by one of the helpers that meat sometimes was kept overnight in this room before being sent to the market. At another place, the floor on which the meat Is prepared for market was covered with the droppings of fowls.
 "No provision l. made at any of the places for the disposal of offaI, horns. hoofs, and bones, but they are thrown just outside of the slaughter house door to be eaten by the buzzards or dragged about by dogs. At one place we saw outside the door of the slaughter room the body of a calf apparently at about the seventh month of eestation When asked as to what 1t meant, we were in- formed that the day before a COW was slaughtered that was with calf When asked as to what was done with tho cow they reluctantly informed us that IL was sent to market. We asked them II that sort of thing happened often, ana ana were told that 1t occurred not iu- frequently.
 The next place visited two carcass es were being dressed as we reached the place On opening the abdomen of ohe or the cows six months foetus was removed. The COW was sent to market as any other animal would be. your yy consideration the following re- The men employed here considered this not unusual occurrance.
 At one establishment we saw the remains of an entire carcass of a. cow In the stock yards. We were informed that this COW had died somewhere and was brought there for the nurnose of removing the hide. This hide from a diseased COW was cured in the room, where meat was being slauehtered daily and the carcass was allowed to lie on the ground and decay within fifty feet of the same room.
 At another place a tub of water containing lime and giving off a hor- rible odor was noticed in the slaughter room. This we were told was used for washing tripe It had not been emp- tied since the day before and we i'm ferred that the same water was be- ing kept for use again. At most of these hpiaces, hogs are kept and the manner in which they are fattened Is interesting. They eat the blood. en- trails, offal and other refuse that comes