TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 81 



it shifted to Chicago in the early sixties. In the early days, 

 packing houses were operated only during the winter months, 

 and no meats were packed in summer until large chill rooms were 

 made possible through successful artificial refrigeration. In 

 1875, Philip D. Armour erected in Chicago the first really large- 

 scale chill room in the world, although small ice boxes had pre- 

 viously been used by others. As early as 1868 a refrigerator 

 car had been invented, but it was not until 1869 that the first 

 through-line railroad was opened up between Chicago and New 

 York so that cars of western meat could be shipped through to 

 eastern markets without unloading. In 1869 the first consign- 

 ment of dressed beef was shipped from Chicago to Boston, but 

 the attempt was not successful. In 1875, G. F. Swift, who had 

 come to Chicago that year, and who founded what is now Swift 

 & Co., fitted up a car and shipped it east successfully. There- 

 upon, this branch of the packing business was entered into rapidly, 

 thus eliminating freight charges on the 40 to 44 per cent, waste 

 of the live animal, the shrink on cattle during the long haul, 

 the expense of feeding and watering en route, and the loss of 

 those which died in transit. It cost $4.00 to $4.40 to ship a 

 steer of 1,250 pounds weight from Chicago to New York, while 

 the freight on the 700 pounds of fresh beef yielded by the ani- 

 mal would amount to only $3.15, not including the expense of 

 icing. From Kansas City to New York the saving amounts to 

 about $2.50 per head. 



The total number of refrigerator cars in the United States 

 is in excess of 100,000. Of this number, about 38,000 are under 

 private as distinguished from railroad ownership. About two- 

 thirds of the privately owned refrigerator cars are controlled 

 by four leading packers, Armour, Swift, Morris, and Cudahy, 

 and nearly one-half are used chiefly in the meat trade. 



Shrinkage of beef cattle in transit. In an investigation 

 made in 1913 by W. F. Ward of the U. S. Bureau of Animal 

 Industry,* cattle in transit less than 24 hours shrank from 2.05 

 to 3.91 per cent. Those in transit from 24 to 36 hours shrank 

 from 3.46 to 6.37 per cent. Those in transit from 36 to 72 hours 

 shrank 3.88 to 5.40 per cent. Those in transit over 72 hours 

 shrank from 3.96 to 7.00 per cent. These figures are based on 

 live weight at origin and "filled" weight at market. 



* U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 25, pp. 73, 74. 



