THE LARGEST KITCHEN IN THE WORLD.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 502, 3 April 1869, Page 3

THE LARGEST KITCHEN IN THE WORLD.

Every kitchen in the world, existing now and having existed before, clisappeai's in magnitude if compared to Liebig'a Extract of Meat Company's Establishment at Fray Bentos, on the River Uruguay, South America. The Buenos Ayres Standcwd gives the following particulars : — "The new factory is a building that covers about 20,000 square feet, and is roofed in iron and glass ; we first enter a large hall flagged with the best Scotch • flags, kept dark, cool, extremely clean, where the meat ia weighed, passed through, the apertures to the meat-cutting machinea. We come, to the beef-cutting hall, paved also with Scotch flags, spacious, airy and well-lighted. Here are four powerful meat-cutters, specially designed by the company's general manager, Mr Giebert. Each machine can cut the meat of 200 bullocks per hour. The meat, being cut, is passed to ' digerators' made of wrought iron ; each one holds about 12,000 rbs. oi beef. There are nine of these digerators, and three more have yet to be put up. Here the meat is digerated by high pressure steeim of 751 b per square inch. From this the liquid which contains the extract and the fat of the meat proceeds in tubes to a range of ' fat separators' of peculiar construction. Here the fat is separated in the hot state from the extract, as no time can be lost for the cooling operations, otherwise decomposition would set in in a very short time. We proceed down stairs to an immense hall,. 60ft highf where the fat separators are working., Below them is a range of five cast-iron clarifiers, 1000 gallons each, worked by high-pressure steam, .through Hallett's tube system. Each clarifier is provided with a very ingenious steam tap. In the monstrous clarifiers the albumen and fibrine and phosphaie magnesia are separated. From hence the liquid extract . is raised by means of air-pumps, driven by two 30-horse power engines up to two vessels above the clarifiers ; from thence the liquid runs, to the other, large evaporators. Now we ascend the staircase reaching the hall, where two immense seta of four vacuum apparati are at work evaporating the extract at a very low temperature ; here the liquid passes several filtering processes before being evaporated in vacuum. We now ascend some steps and enter the ready-making hall, separated by a -wire gauze wall, and all windows, doors, &c, guarded by the same, to exclude flies and dust. Here, again, we notice the splendid Scotch flags. The ventilation is maintained by patent fans, and the place extremely clean. Here are placed five ready-making pans, constructed of steel plates, with a system of steel discs, revolving in the liquid extract, acpolingunelevating, evaporating process invented by the company's general manager. These five pans, by medium of discs, 100 in each pan, effect in one minute more than two million square feet evaporating surface. Here concludes the manufacturing process ; the extract is now withdrawn in large c ins and deposited for the following day; Ascending a few steps we enter the decrystallising and packing-hall, where two cast-iron tanks are placed, provided with hot water baths under their bottoms ; in these tanks the extract 13 thrown in quantities of 10,0001 b. at once, and here is decrystallised and made a homogeneous mass and of uniform quality. Now samples are taken and carefully analysed by the chemist of the establishment, Dr Seekamp, the representative of Baron Liebig, under whose charge the chemical and technical operations are performed. We witnessed in the afternoon the cleansing of the establishment, water-cocks in all corners, torrents pouring in from all sides — iv an instant the whole place was cleansed, the water washing down, into large drains built of brick and cement, which empty into the river, cleanliness being one of the chief objects in every department of this splendid factory. It should be mentioned that the company's butcher kills at the rate of 80 oxen per hour ; separating by a small double-edged knife the vertebrae from the cerebrae, the animal drops down instantaneously on a waggon, and is conducted to a place where 150 men are occupied dressing the meat for the factory, cutting each ox into six pieces ; 400 are being worked per day." •