Identifier: illustratedhisto01gran Title: Illustrated history of the Union Stockyards; sketch-book of familiar faces and places at the yards Year: 1901 (1900s) Authors: Grand, W. Joseph Subjects: Union Stock Yard & Transit Company of Chicago Stockyards Publisher: Chicago, T. Knapp Ptg. & Bdg. Company Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: rackson which are wheels with hooks hanging from them.These hooks are substituted for those previously putbehind the joints of the hind legs, leaving the steer con-veniently hanging from the wheels. The hide is nowcompletely removed by two men pulling it and a thirdbeating it and separating it from the flesh with acleaver. When removed the hide is inspected and, iffound intact, is sent to a cellar to be salted and foldedand made ready for sale. At once the hide is removed from the steer the car-cass is halved lengthwise by means of a huge cleaver,theragged edges being then trimmed by several men, who OF THE UNION STOCKYARDS 51 also wasn nna Ciiy the meat very carefully. Number-ing, tagging, weighing and hanging in the cooler nowfollow rapiaiy, the carcass being rolled rapidly alongthe tracks trom man to man until the task is done.From five to eight minutes have elapsed from the timethe steer was knocked on the head until placed in thecooler, during which time he has passed through the Text Appearing After Image: DRESSING BEEF. hands of forty-two men. He is followed in such quicksuccession by other steers that the men have not eventime to crack a joke, resembling automatic machines inthe rapidity and regularity of their movements. Sev-eral thousand cattle are killed and dressed during theten working hours of the day. 52 ILLUSTRATED HISTORY In spite of this rapidity, every part of the process i«attenrled with the utmost cleanliness First, every pre-caution is taken to remove from the arteries all thfiblood, as blood left among the muscular tissues hastensdecomposition. The men who handle the meat mustwash their hands frequently at the hose near by, anda drop of blood on the hands must be removed instant-ly. In fact, no speck of dirt reaches the meat, and the Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.