SOFT CARCASSES

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 61, 13 March 1934, Page 9

SOFT CARCASSES

"CHILLED" ROUTINE-

THE PRICE OF SUCCESS

INFINITE PAINS

Anyone who has seen stiff-as-a-board carcasses sliding down chutes at the ship's side and tumbling here and there before finding a' place in the frozen-meat chamber, en route to a country whose people seem to be tiring of frozen beef, will have seen something that is not likely to be repeated in the history of the chilled-beef trade. ; People who handle chilled beef in transit will have to remember always that they are handling human food, not a frozen iron ration, but a contaminable substance that must be treated with care and in accord with hygienic standards scientifically laid down. "Feel this," said the chief engineer of the Mooltan, as she was being loaded at a berth at Pyrmont, Sydney, on March 3. He indicated a suspended carcass. On touching it, it was found to be cold, but quite soft. The engineer explained that in'the chilling -process, meat is never allowed to reach the state of rigid hardness customary with frozen meat. . LOADED SEVENTY HOTJRS AFTER. KILLING. Writes, the -"Sydney Morning Herald" of Alareh s:—"Care in handling and stowing has been the principal factor in the successful transportation of chilled-beef cargoes from Australia to the oversea markets. From its inception, • the carriage of chilled beef has been given increasing attention, and a shipment which was loaded on to the Jlooltan at the weekend demonstrated the scientific nature of the methods which are now being employed. "The shipment consisted of approsi^ mately 200 quarters, and these were loaded -direct from the trucks on the wharf into a specially-prepared hold in the ship. The meat came from beasts that were killed at the Aberdeen works of F. J. Walker, Ltd., about 72 hours before the loading commenced. As" soon as possible after killing, the carcasses were placed in special cooling chambers, and later they were divided into quarters, with specially sterilised instruments. Then when the quarters had been cooled to the requisite temperature—about 32 degrees Fahrenheit —they were enclosed in double wrappings. The first wrapping is a specially prepared cloth termed ' stockingette,' and over this a hessian cover is sown. In this condition the quarters were loaded into two refrigerated railway trucks in the early jours of the mornirfg. The trucks arrived alongside the Mooltan at No. 20 wharf, Pyrmont.in the early afternoon. Loading commenced immediately. Sterilised hooks were inserted ■in the quarters of meat, and by these they were hung, four at a time, on to right-angled supports. Thus each carcass hung independently on the sling, as it was being hoisted on board. Great care was taken to see that no bruising resulted during any of the operations, while in order to maintain an even temperature inside the refrigerated trucks the door was closed after each quarter-had been taken OUt. •" - - ' - : ■ ■ . . WORKERS' POLAR OUTFIT. "The scene deep down in the hold of ,the ship ivas amazing one. | A succession of winding stairways ana intricate passageways led to the chamber prepared to receive the chilled beef. A cold and clammy atmosphere permeated insidiously the; whole space. Damp air settled on the liings, 'causing*onlookers to cough slightly. The men engaged in loading were clothed in garments usually seen only in the polai regions. Great woollen caps, with thick coverings for the ears, were fitted on their heads, while their bodies were swollen to a huge bulk by successive layers of thick garments. Their hands, were covered with gloves, and their feet were heavily stockinged. .In a temperature below zero,.each man's warm breath was expelled in steamy clouds; and in the intervals of waiting for the next load to be lowered the men, walked about briskly, and stamped their feet to maintain the circulation of the blood. "With infinite care, each quarter of beef was" taken from the sling and tgently carried from the refrigerated hold into the adjacent chiliing hold. There, each portion -was hung separately on hooks suspended from the roof by chains. Finally, when-the complete shipment had been stowed in the hold, the apparatus for the maintenance of a concentration of 10 per cent, of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was brought into operation and the door was closed. Although the door was a closely-fitting one, and of unusual design, further precautions were taken to see that no. air entered the hold. Thick petroleum jelly was smeared around the edges from the outside, and then paper was pasted over the whole doorway. "The hold will not be.opened until the shipment reaches London, and experts who witnessed the loading predicted that the whole consignment will reach the market in good .condition."