American Cattle Marlcets and the Breased Beef Trade. 143 
getting the higher amounts. Armour, Buyers, ^2,000 to ;^7,000; 
expert butcberw, ^4 to I'TiO per day ; lielpers, $'<'> ; labourers, $1-75. 
Total cost labour our liouses, >'2,500,000. $7QOfiOO per year for 
labour on beef. Hammond, AVages from ^1 to $\ per day. 
7. Number of cattle sold to the principal cities in the East? 
Answers: Sivift, During lSS8,N(nv York City, 117,908; Philadelphia, 
60,178; Baltimore, I7,()(!r); AVaahington, 10,195; Boston, 54,540. 
Armour, Philadelphia, l(i,0O(); Boston, 30,000; New York and 
Brooklyn, 2(5,000. Hmmnoml, 24.S,46;J. 
8. Average percentage of dressed beef obtained in proportion to the live 
weight ? 
Answers : Sioift, About 57 per cent. Armour, Ahowt 57 per cent. 
Hammond, bb\ per cent. 
9. Largest number of cattle killed in a day ? 
Answers : Swift, 4,528. Armour, Dressed beef, 1,710 ; canners, 2,300. 
Total, 4,010. Hammond, 1,449. 
10. Average number of cattle killed per day ? 
Answers: 5'?ct/)', In 1888, 2,612. ^'mo?<r. About 1,600. Hammond, 
About 900. 
11. Average cost of cattle ? 
Answers: Stvift, In 1888, dressed beef only. Armour, $4.25, 
dressed beef only. Hammond, ^■i.Vd per 100 lbs. 
12. Average weight of cattle ? 
Answers: Sivift, In" 1888, 1,140 lbs., dressed beef only. Armour, 
1,144 lbs. dressed beef. Hammond, l,20Glbs. 
13. Length of time cattle are in the coolers ? 
Answers : Sivift, The rule is 48 hours. Armour, 24 hours. Ham- 
mond, 48 to 60 hours. 
14. Cost of cars? 
Answers: Swift, About ^S'l ,400,000. Armour, $850. Price of cars is 
governed by variations of market for material and labour ; some- 
times they cost ;^1,000. Hammond, About ^850. 
15. Number of cars employed ? 
Answers: Sioift, About 1,000. Armour, 1,100. Hammond, 800. 
The figures given by Messrs. Swift & Co. refer to all the cattle killed 
not only in Chicago, but also in their Kansas City and Omaha houses. The 
figures given by Armour & Co. only refer to this firm's Chicago house. They 
have a large establishment at Kansas City, and have just opened a house at 
Omaha. Messrs. Hammond & Co.'s statistics refer to Chicago and Omaha. 
This concern operates in both places. Morris & Co. made no returns, except 
to say that they slaughtered 392,000 cattle during the past year. 
The cattle on reaching the slaughter-house are driven into 
large pens adjacent to it ; thence they are driven along narrow 
passage ways, and are put into separate compartments by them- 
selves. These compartments are just large enough to hold one 
bullock. Over them is a wooden foot-path, along which a man 
can walk ; the animals are either shot down or felled from this 
point (see illustration, Fig. 1, on page 145). Between the com- 
partments and the slaughter-house is a lifting door which slides 
up mechanically. A chain is passed round the horns of the 
animal, and it is dragged into the main slaughter-house ; after 
which, the animal is properly bled. The remainder of the work 
