Working in a Packinghouse ain't easy....

[lurker]

..... in 1872:

So soon as all are shot down in any one pen, a rising door, which divides the pen from the inner portion of the establishment, is hoisted, and a man enters from within the house dragging a long chain with a noose formed at the end thereof. This chain extends back and around certain pulleys: and up to a revolving drum, or windlass, which is driven by steam and governed by means of a lever in the hands of person whose sole duty is to manage the machine, stopping and starting it instantly at the call of the man who handles the chain. This he drops over the bullock's head, around his neck, or horns, as may be convenient, then calls for power, which the man at the lever at once applies, and the bullock drawn out on a narrow floor, inclining toward a gutter, or drain, near to which the head of the bullock is stopped. The chain loosened the drawing out operation is repeated upon the comrade, which is left lying beside him. Then the chain man shifts his chain into the next pully and enters the next pen. So soon as the bullock is stopped upon the narrow inclining floor, a butcher opens the skin on the under side of the neck and cuts both jugular veins, thus letting the hot blood run freely upon the floor, thence into the drain, which conducts it from the building and empties it into the river. Even before the blood is done flowing, and before the bullock is quiet in death, the butchers begin dressing it, one taking off its head, first denuding it of the skin, another peels the hide down the legs to the knees, then adroitly separates the joint, throwing the feet and shins upon the floor, from whence an urchin removes them to the proper room. The bullock is then turned upon its back, being propped by a short pointed brace, and another pair of butchers take it in charge, and whilst the first two are beheading and unlimbing the next bullock, they quickly strip the hide from belly, quarters, and sides of the animal. Then comes one or more men and insert a strong gammon, of four or more feet in length, in the hocks beneath the hamstrings of the hinder legs. In the middle of the gammon stick a flat iron hook is adjusted, which is attached to a strong rope running over a pully aloft, and is wound up on a windlass so rigged and geared, that a muscular man can raise slowly upward the carcass of the bullock, which is fast relieved of its hide and entrails, whilst so moving. So soon as the hide is off and the inwards taken out, the carcass is split in twain, dividing the back bone with a broad-bladed ax, save a small portion of muscle at the back of the neck. The hide is dragged off to a small hole in the floor, through which it is tumbled to the salting cellar below. The paunch and entrails are dragged with hooks of steel to their proper rooms, whilst the lungs are thrown into the drain with the blood and other filthy waste, and passes out of the building. In the mean time the carcass is windlassed to a height which brings it clear off the floor and the gammon level with a series of skids, a distance apart equal to the length of the gammon; the ends of which groove into smooth slots. The hook and rope being relaxed, the carcass rests upon the skids, which run parallel the entire length of the cooling room, at right angles to the dressing floor. Upon the skids the carcasses are permitted to hang in close proximity until they are thoroughly cooled and the fatty parts become hard and firm, which occur as soon as all animal heat is out.

When the reader bears in mind that of the four score or more of men engaged, each one has a certain part only, which he performs, and then passes to the next bullock -- one assisting. some throwing feet, others dragging off heads, others scraping and cleaning the floor, whilst others are doing various duties, -- and that the space over which the work is done is more than one hundred feet in length, and that a score or more of bullocks are being operated upon at the same time, he may rightly conclude that the scene of cattle dressing is one of entirely to great activity, life, and space, for one illustration to do ample justice.

When the carcasses are properly cooled, the work of cutting up may begin. This requires a large number of men to do the work expeditiously. However, of late years, the saw, propelled by steam, is largely substituted for the cleaver and knife. A full complement of saws to do all the different styles of cuts, comprises five, each of which is operated in a separate frame, and driven by a belt which receives its motion, or power, from a shaft and pulley overhead, which is driven by steam power. These saw frames stand in position describing a flat-iron, the first one being next to the hanging carcasses, at the opposite end of the large cooling-room from which the cattle are dressed; the other saw frames stand two and two, just opposite to each other, and behind the first frame; still farther back the remaining pair of saw frames are stationed; trimming tables are near, and also suspended platform scales for weighing of each barrel or tierce of beef, care being taken to have as near the same pieces and the exact weight in each package as possible. Near by the barrels are brought, and a given amount of salt provided to each. Meats for certain brands and markets are cut in uniform shape and size, and from certain portions of the carcass. Quite a large number of men are required to operate all the saws, to bring the carcasses, handle the meat on the frames, trim on the tables, weigh up and pack in barrels, bring up salt, empty barrels and take away full ones. The quarters of beef are brought one at a time, and thrown upon the first saw frame where two men adjust the quarter and pass it up to the saw, which divides flesh and bone in a jiffy, and the pieces pass on to the next saw, and over trimming tables, and then to the scales, thence to the barrel.

When the reader remembers that the capacity of the house from which the illustrations are taken is one thousand bullocks per day, making four thousand quarters to be handled and cut within ten hours, he will not hesitate to believe that the corps of laborers is large, and that each man moves quick and steady; no dilly-dallying, no playing, no foolishness, but work quick, fast, and constant is the order of the establishment. The fat or tallow is trimmed off and rendered in large tanks, which are heated by steam; the hides are usually salted, packed in large heaps or piles, then, after draining for a few days and taking salt, they are rolled up in a snug bundle, tied with a strong cord and are ready to go forward in bulk to the tannery. The entrails are emptied of their contents, washed, heaved into a tank, and steamed out into grease used for mechanical purposes. The hoofs and horns go to the glue and comb-makers. The stomachs, or manifold, is carefully saved, cleansed, and prepared for tripe. Thus nothing is lost, almost everything is utilized pertaining to the bullock.

[Bigun]

Good one Critter, I enjoyed the read! Its been a number of years ago now but I had seen a carcass splitting done the "old timey way" on a couple of carcasses in the old Val-Ag plant in Garden where instead of using an axe to split the carcasses the old guy putting on the show (and could still swing the darn thing quick and accurately!) was using what is basically a giant long handle splitting cleaver on steriods! Being a two handed job its wood handle was about 2' long and its blade being approx. 10" in height and about 16" long by about 1/2" thick at the back side of the blade. I dont recall exactly how many swings he took (the brisket had already been split using an old hand bone saw) but it wasnt more than 5 or 6 chops and the carcass was split, and pretty much straight down the center of the spine so the old guy was good but it sure looked like work to me! Im pretty impressed that if its for real in the story they managed to slaughter 1,000 head per day which seems pretty amazing with what they had to work with compaired to today! At National - which some of you know used to be broke down pretty much daily - when we finally got things straightened out and the place up and running like it should, we began setting production records for the place and I saw quite a few "0" downtime 3,900 head days (390/hr in a 10hr day when they ran them) which is a LOT of Angus! I can only imagine the beef quality that they had back in the 1870's being mostly wild range cattle of longhorn decent! Lurker, do you happen to know when the Herefords then Angus (no im not including the damn bony McDonalds Holsteins! ) were brought over and raised for slaughter?

[lurker]

A Scotsman got the first Angus bulls to Victoria (near Hays) to cross with the Longhorns that grazed the buffalo-less rangeland.

Here's a great read on the Texas Longhorns (the quote came from this book)
http://www.kancoll.org/books/mccoy