The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1957-02-21
Poultry Processing Plant Expects
To Begin Operations This Week
Some Thirty Persons To Be
Employed As Sorting
Force

this Saturday, when the Sterling
Processing company will open its
new plant here.
Ebert Barron, plant manager.
said the operation would begin in
rather modest way, with some
twenty women and about twelve
men on hand to turn out the first
products. The number of employees
is to be increased gradually.
Scores of workmen were busy
this week in an effort to put the
finishing touches to the inside of
the building Gas was scheduled
to be turned into the building to.
day, and the start of operations
was contingent upon there being
no leaks in the gas line, or other
minor ailments.
For the first several weeks it is
anticipated that some 1000 chick
ems will be processed each day.
This number is to be increased
gradually until the production will
surpass 5000 an hour or some 30.
600 per day.
A representative of The Repub.
lican was taken on a tour of the
plant on Tuesday by Mr.. Barron
when the entire process was ex-
planned. Some $50 feet of convcyor
track. in two sections, wind across
the building and back which will
take chicken through all the
necessary operations, until twenty
minutes later it will be ready to be
packed in ice for shipment to Pitts
burgh or other markets.
Chickens first will be hung by
the feet. They will be stuck in the
neck by the killer" and their
heads cut off. They then will pass
through the scalder followed by
several picking machines designed
to remove the feathers. Then out
will come the entrails, also the
gizzard, liver and heart. Feathers
will be "swooshed" along a gutter
where they are finally gathered,
dried and sent to a fertilizer con.
Germ to be chopped up into feed
since feathers are considered high
in protein content.
The gizzard, liver and heart are
packaged separately and one of
each inserted into the chicken Just
prior to the icing process. At a GER
tain place the chickens are then
hung by the neck and the picking
of feathers completed.
The tracks are designed to take
either chickens or turkeys. Chick
ems will go through the process
nine inches apart while turkeys
will be Is inches apart.
Workmcn are still engaged in
completing two ice making ma
chimes and finishing three rcfriger-
alton rooms. One of these is a quick
freeze unit which will be kept at
temperature of so below zero.
This unit in surrounded by eight
inches of cork between twelve
inches of concrete
Ready to be installed also were
a number of chill tanks where the
chickens are placed Immediately
after being processed and prior to
being packed in ice for shipment
The quick freeze unit will be used
mostly for turkeys, Mr.. Barron said
Also on the first floor of the
building are office rooms, toilets,
and rooms for the federal inSpec-
tors, who will be on hand at all
times during the processing.
The building, structure of con-
crete, brick and steel. is 100 by 200
feet and is being completed at a
cost of some 100000 1t is located
Just west of Oakland. on the south
side of the B. and O. tracks. and
across thc tracks from the Stand
ard Oil storage area, on the Swal-
low Falls road.
Chickens arc expected to be
brought here in large measure
from ArthurdalC and MorgantoWn
areas, but the company was hope
full that farmers in this area would
also begin furnishing broilcrS. The
plant will be equipped to process
from five TO six million chickens a
year and may employ as many as
80 to 100 persons when operations
arc in full swing.
President of the company is j. w.
Ruby and the poultry plant is with
in the framework of Sterling En-
tcrpriseS of Morgantown, Reeds
vile, IIaydcnvillc, Mass, and Tyler,
Texas Robert Bauc, of Oakland,
is manager of all poultry plant
operations.
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