The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-06-08

ONt ny lhe facts. One of the large
pants erected within recent Years has
most OF the defects of the older build
lhSS. 1t Is true that three large model
oul'olhgs have been erected. but one
rs an Office building while the other
TWO contain only cooling. storage and
sales rooms. No model building for the
preparation of food products has been
ouIlt in the StockyardS of Chicago.
lila Model Slaughter House In Con-
trast With Those of Chicago.
! In impressive contrast to the condi-
IONS mat we saw in the stockyards Of
ohlcil%o is an establishment that Mr..
Reynolds visited in New York city.
1t well merits a description in those
particulars in which it is vastly SUI
perlor to similar concerns in Chicago.
Inc two upper floors used for cattle
pens are paved with well laid bricks
and cement, with side walls of brick.
the top floor being covered to protect
the cattle from the weather. The kill
ing floor is paved with bluestone. slop-
ing toward we'll arranged drains. and
mas Il large air shaft for special ven
tllation and abundant windows. The
ceiling and upper side walls are of
hard cement. with steel cross beams
ana cement faced steel supports. The
lower side walls are covered with white
porcelain brick. When the Slaughter
ing of each day is finished water is
turned on. and in not more than fif-
teen minutes the room is so thoroughly
aleansed that all perceptible odors and
traces of the work are removed.
Other rooms. such as those for cool
ing and storage. are of similar con
struction to the killing floor. White
porcelain lined bricks and curved tiles
join floors and side walls that no cor
nerS may retain dirt and refuse. Ven
tilation Is everywhere excellent and
light abundant, both these matters
having evidently received careful con
sideration in planning the building.
The privieS contain separate sections
with self flushing bowls. white porce-
lain lined wash basins, shower baths
and mirrors. Towels and toilet paper
are provided, and everything is kept
clean. The effect of all these excel
lcncieS Of construction and arrange
ment is evident in promoting care of
the products and in elcvatng the NOR
ais of the workers.
The same principles of sanitation and
the same care of the health and clean
illness Of the workers would revolution
ize the stocllyardS of Chicago, and the
attainment Of such a standard should
be the concern of the national govern
ment and Of the city Of Chicago.
Under existing conditions the burden
Of protecting the cleanliness and
wholeSOnleness of the products and the
health of the workers and of imprOv-
ing the conditions under which the
work is performed must fall upon the
national government
IV.-Trentment of Meats and Pre-
pared Fcod Products.
UncleanlineSS III handling Products
An absence of cleanliness was also
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 fairly sanitary and clean
ly 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 departments of
the packing houses in which various
forms of meat products are prepared
are handled with no regard whatever
for cleanliness. In some of the largest
establishments sides that are sent to
what is known as the boning room are
thrown i'll Il 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 or of rough sacking and bore
long accumulated grease and dirt. In
only few places were suitable oilcloth
aprons worn 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 was handled. They 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 eye of the superintendent of the
room, showing that this was the com
mon practice.
Meat scraps were also found being
shoveled into receptacles from dirty
floors. where they were left to lie until
again shoveled into barrels or into ma.
chimes for chopping. These floors, it
must be noted, were in most cases
lamp and SO ygy in dark, i'll ventilated
rooms, and the employees in utter ig-
norance of cleanliness 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
room in rotten box carts, in all of
which processes it was in the way of
gathering dirt, splinters, floor filth and
the eXpectoration of tuberculous and
other diseased workers. Where com
ment was made to floor superintend-
ents about these matters it was always
the reply that this meat would after