Year: 1879

AT Chicago Istopped two days to see the
city, and visited some of its principal
places of interest. Being advised to visit
the stock yards, and interested somewhat
In stock, took the street cars and struck
out in that direction. A ride of thirty
minutes brought me to the vicinity of the
yards, situated some five miles from the
city. The grounds are spacious, covering
hundreds of acres. The yards are laid
out in good order, with streets and ALLEYS.
Numbers of them have covers for the pro-
lection of the animals. The place seems
to have all the buildings requisite for COM
fort and convenience. Near the entrance
to the grounds is a fine large hotel. In
the immediate vicinity of the yards is a
pavilion which is headquarters for all bus
mess transactions.


In the rear of the yards, once in the
background, at intervals apart, are the
many slaughter houses. Having seen the
grounds, yards and the animals in the
yards, desired to see their style of con-
verting cattle and swine into beef and
pork By permission passed through
two of those buildings. The first was for
the slaughter of cattle. In this house
they employ one hundred men and dress
five hundred beeves per day. was told
that their usual number, except during the
hot months, was seven hundred and fifty
per day. l also learned that in the killing
and dressing of the animals, every part is
put to some practical use, not excepting
the blood.


Here is the naolaS operandi: The cattle
are driven up an inclined plane into long
covered bridges or fumes, extending from
the stock yards to the rear and length of
the slaughter room, and in height CORE
spending with the second floor of the
house. Between this bridge and the build
ing, and Immediately connected with it,
are stalls in number corresponding with
the size of the house and men employed.
In this there were twenty. Into each of
these stalls an animal is driven from the
herd in the rear. Over the stalls are
walks for the sportsman. When the work
begins he starts at one end thrusting the
spear into the head of the animal imme
diately back of the horns, sewers the
spinal nerve. Thus he passes through
from stall to stall in time only to 60 back
and continue to repeat the same opera
ton.


In front of these stalls and adjacent to
the dressing room are side doors. As the
animals are felled by the spearsman, the
slide doors are raised, a rope is thrown
over the animals horns, and it is at once
brought forward to the knifemen, the
blood drawn, partly dressed, raised upon
tree, and passed forward, where the
work is continued and completed. Thus
the rounds are made with twenty gangs of
men. That the work is done with dis
patch you can readily see when we consid-
er that even five hundred to seven hundred
and fifty pass through their hands in ten
hours.


The meat of these animals when dressed
is slid back on trees into large storerooms
and left to cool.


The entire amount of beef dressed in
this house is for one firm in Chicago, and
is for canning purposes leave the beef
slaughter house, and visit that of swine.


At distance away l see long 1ume
extending from the yards up and parallel
with the third floor of the house. By the
sense not only of hearing but of smell
l am made fully aware that swine arc
near. I pass in and up into the factory.
l inquire the number killed per day, and
am told it is two thousand six hundred
not doing much now shall add a thousand
when weather is cooler. AS | stood not
far from the scene of action, and saw the
hogs rolling along, it reminded me of the
rolls dropping from the carding machine.
Here there are but one set of men and
each animal passes through each man s
hands. The hogs are continually passing
from the bleeder into the bleeding pen,
and on the opposite side are being slid in
to the scalding vat, on each side of which
are stationed men who stand in their posi-.
ton and just keep the animals rolling as
they pass along, and when they have
reached the end of the vat they are caught
into a lively machine that rolls, twists
rubs and scrapes them, and they roll along
nearly divested of bristles. They continue
to be passed along while the work o
scraping and shaving is completed. In
the meantime they are beheaded and gam
brels adjusted. They are then hung upor
the tree and passed along to receive the
dsembowelment-th fnale-and be plac
cd in the store room, hundreds of fee
away. You can Judge of the rapiditJ
, with which they are passed along when
you realize that two thousand six hundred
; passed given point in ten hours. Having
, satisfied my curiosity and l presume ex
, hausted your patience in the description
l will leave this subject.


visited many other places of interes
in connection with the cily-the waite
works with its powerful engine and tower
l ing reservoir and observatory combined
g Lincoln park has its attractions; the driv,


on its lake shore; the many small pond


and lakes its gardens and rare specimen


of animals and birds. The city is large


and full IF l;fo apI bucipaco