The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-07-29
DoNALDsoNy1LLE, La. SATURDAY, July 20 1911
MODEL MUNICIPAL ABATTO|R.
Admirable System 81 Inspecting and
Handling Food Animals in Sue
cessfuI Operation at Paris, Texas.

cessfuI Operation at Paris, Texa
/ Following are tie extracts fror
an illustrated article in Ice and RI
frigeration for October, 1910, whic
We're promised in last weeks Chic
to be laid before our readers today
What is said to be the first mum
cipal abattoir and Mduction plant il
the United States was completed AM
started at Paris, Texas, in December
! 1909. Prior to Reconstruction O
this municipal abattoir there were
number of private IS slaughterhouse
in and around the City, most of then
rudely constructed, located on low
damp ground; usually the only water
available was from shallow wells OF
pools. Everything about them was e2
tremely insanitarys The municipal
officers sought to Improve the con
ditions, but the slaHghterhouses be
| ing outside the town were beyond
their immediate jurisdiction. Efforts
were made to induce the several
butchers to combineapr form a stock
company to build and operate a
modern plant undef city inspection
but business rivalris prevented the
contamination of this plan, Finally
under the Leadership OF Mayor E.
H. McQuistion, 9 bond issue to OBJ
tain the necessary funds was au.
thorized by popular vote, and the cit,
officials promptly erected the plant
shown in the accompanying views.
The accepted plans we're those made
by Wannenwetsch eco, Buffalo, N.
Y, who also furnished the outfit
for the rendering plant
The abattoir is located on one of
the principal streets near the cor
porate limits Of the town, with
dwelling houses on all sides of it,
one of them within 400 feet of the
plant. The buildingsare constructed
of wood and corrugated iron with
the exception Of roofs, foundations
and floors, the latter being of con
crete. The reduction, killing and
cooling rooms are all two stories in
height. while the engine room, Of
flee and dressing rooms are one
story.
IF the plant were to be recon
structed, says Mayor NJ QUESTION, we
would build the cold storage and
chill rooms out ofShTiek or cement
and would removadi11Sur reduction
room to a: distance IloRs BIT least fifty
faatafEaln faal place
adjac4asto the build
ing are stock peIss latform scales
and the necessary an-Ways to prop
erly facilitate thg handling Of ami
mails for slaughter. The plant is
large enough to take care of about
fifty head of cattle per day of ten
hours, but in addition to cattle, hogs
and sheep are also slaughtered.
The city does not purchase any
animals or sell any meat; it merely
slaughters, under proper sanitary
conditions, the animals that are Of
fered by the local butchers or others
who wish to avail themselves of the
facilities offered. The use of the
plant is. not made directly
compulsory, but by ordinance it is
provided that all animals must be
slaughtered in some plant which has
all the various sanitary precautions
and equipment maintained at the
municipal nlant. AS a result, all To-
cal s1aughtering is done at the
abattoir.
The killing room is we'll lighted
and perfectly screened. All doors
have vestibules and are double
screened. The floors are concrete,
laid to grade and the en-
tire surface trowels finished. Bell
traps are provided at the low points
and each equipped with a water seal
and all connected with the city sew
ers. Overhead is a. complete system
Of steel tracks and travelling troll
leys SO laid out as to facilitate in
every possible way the handling of
all the animals from the knock down
pen cut to the inspectors rail and
into the chill room.
In the killing room are the scald-
ing vat and the Inspectors tables
upon which the viseera are all laid
for inspection before being removed
to the rendering room. Provision is
also made here for catching and con-
serving the blood, it being an i'm
portant ingredient in the product
Of the reduction plant. The equip
ment of this room also includes
knives, scrapers, sheWers, hand
hoists and such other implements as
are usually found in the ordinary
slaughterhouses
All animals slaughtered receive
final inspection and are stamped and
tagged while upon the inspectors rail
IN the killing room. They are next
moved on overhead trolleys into the
chill room, which is Immediately adj
jacent. Here thsy remain about
twelve hours at temperature Of
40 degrees F., after which
the carcasses are removed into the
room proper, to await
the demand of the meat cutter. The
walls, ceilings and floors of both
the chill and cooler rooms are in
sulated with waterproof Lith board
laid in cement
Above both chill room and cooler
are bunker rooms or coil lofts for
the direct expansion piping which
takes up the heat rising from the
meat hung on the rails in the rooms
nelaw. The drip from these pipes