VISIT TO THE^yOpDLA^j^^^

Southland Times, Issue 1252, 17 May 1870, Page 2

VISIT TO THE^yOpDLA^j^^^

MEAT-PRESERVING- atsto ,' . v ESTABLISHMENT. .^""^J^^q ! Some sir or seven months ago, it became known :~ _. . that an Extensive Glasgow firm had S decided t«», ;; j j commence operations, in the .Abo^e line in^Se-lic^jSjjjf j Zealand ; that they contemplate^ erecna^wprks£*J/ in several suitable localities ifi the Mid~d^M£n3,' and that Southland had bnen favored by being selected as the site of one of their largest establishments. The Oonpanv's manager^Mr^Moodie^ a gentleman of .much experidnje, nal4.»! visit .^-q this province, and, after inspecting several—likely situations,' fixed upon a spot on :tT» eattern edge of Long Bush as in all respects the most suitable for his purpose. The arrival of the "James Nicol Fleming," with the Company's 'plant,; and a- number of operatives on board, at\Port>Ghalmere, WB9 Bpeedily followed by the ■arrival of the Southland portion at Invercargill, and siuie that time the erection of : the buildings and tMwhinerv ha 3 been pushed on as rapidly -as- possible. It was thought that in three W 'four month?, after what we may.term" . the turning Jot' the first sod" . at- Christmas last, astual curing operations might have beeii commenced, but in this the' managers have beBn greatly disappointed. A 'variety of circumstance? have interfered to cause 'delay, but the uncommonly wet autumn experienced has been the chief hindrance, rendering^ "as it did, traffic on the East -Road^—during that time in process of ( formation-Tvery tedious, almost impossible, and thereby impeding greatly ,the transport of, the heavy machmery, and,building material from the town toj Woodlands.*' Another obstacle, .which frequently retarded the \work, was the difficulties in the way, of getting suitable' timber cut,' the mills haying-' had fully more than they conld_do, owing tb' the demands •for railway and. other, , purposes. , The. iavnense amount of material used m th^bnUdinM, an'^ the quantity; pfc plant on, the 'gn>und, _ may ibe roughly guessed at' when we mention .-that ever- since tlie 25th December last, b'ne^ aha •' two, powerful teams, have been constantly on the road, mating on an average four trips TJer^reet;. 10 The patience' of both'MriMdbdie- and Mr Gray, the local manager, has been sorely trial by these . obstacles, but [.by „ dra^ofj«r«jejan(»_ Jhey_have afclast got their premises so far complete as to have been' able-' to makea dinall commonceme'dt. From a Visit/ paid 'to the j worVs-oW i Wednesday, the 11th inst., we -are-in-a position to afford bur readers-; soja)6 tnforgia#ofl;.*?i3(£|'th;e~ .extent; and capacity of an establishment which has been hailed- as a boon, to. the. province, and also to say a.few worda upon the' processes by which our surplus flocks and' herds to-be rendered marketable in the cities' of ,Europe. For the benefit of those not acquainted- with the locality, we inW state that .the . trofks >*ave' erected 'ln a small paddock enclosing the .point of a' terrace which, juts. out into. a bend; of ;the Waihopai r . River, at the south-east corner of ' Long Buah ,11 miles ftom town. At a glance it, can he seen that the site- * has been most judiciously chosen. Oeoapying the crown of a dry knoll, -on the margin of a fine stream, and touching an extensive forest, TShree essential requisites are at- once secured*; viz^> the utmost, facilities for drainage, an unlimite&tapply of .excellent, water, and , abundance of firewood; while the fact that it* stands in the centre of » magnificent grazing country, irieiffding'tSerWßTr Zealand and Australian. lian^fiOohipany's almost limitless pastures, shows that no fears need-be entertained as to the permanency of the supply of fat stock. Our visit was fortunately made while Mr Moodie was present, and before proceeding further we would tender him and his coadjutor, Mr. Grayi Aur.'hearfcy thahksVfor^helc&rgiaßi^r of • the reception accorded f-and the desire they evinced to place at our disposal thd fullest information on the important enterpfise'under their charge. Entering the "grounds, from th£E#?fc'Rosd J theffirst department met with is the'slaughter-houVe.^lhis la a strong, compact .buildi.ng, .66 x2^ feet. The> eastern division of it ia' dcimpled: by the sheeppens, into which the animals are ilnren from ;th» "forcing yard" 'oufsidej the ee&tre/with'a g'rafed floor, is the.'spot'^ereTtTie^prbteess'df Jrilling goe» on ; and at the other- end ? are arranged numerous parallel lines of iron beam's VnVh!cn J thecarcaVseß are hung to [stiffen. :' A fnab' of> Leicester nm» were , passing . under ;the . oo r three expert butchers at the time" of 'ourvts^t/arifl tne rapidity with with the operationrof skinning, and disembowelling. - ; 'were > 'p'erfortne&r^ nafuraSly prompted -the queryi • "How long would it take these men to fltiy every-rautton in the country V* Each man has his cwn pen ;,he;3Bticks/ t )tntee or four at s, time, leaves them, on .the grating to bleed, and 'then f proceeds with 1 tne ikinnitig.' "At the side of the buildiDg facing the other departments large doors-tjpen-BndridmTt-ofTrtioable tramway — wooden. The floor of the killing-house is so raised that it is just on a level with the top of the trucks when they are ran In. One mm attends to, the entrails' as they are; thrown frbrn the carcass. He " shreds" the fat off, and thenitossea them into the truck, which, .wb,enfullvi^Tjan down and emptied into the pig-yard. Another man attends to the skins. He cuts off the. heads and feet, tosses them into, another, .track, arid Itangs the skins but oh hurdles fixed for the purpose, to dry. When the second truck is filled, it is also run down, and its conteata_shotjlawxLa_oUclQ_toJ;he fur_nace of. the melting pot, wh..>re^ they »re used as fuel carcasses' have " itifened" enough, they are also put in a truck and run aown •an incline into the rnexfc'building,! the' pceserving department, a building covering 60 x 56 feet, and divided into six or seven ■cotupartments. The first entered is the fMtitchen," where the carcasses are cut up, boned, and put in the tins. This is a gpaciousjroom, into the centre of which the loaded trucks can be" "ruh-^-^ with" "Benches" rangeoT* all round,; and in it> is'i performed tljatrpart of the process in which females are employed. In.linewith the last, is the' bath-room,' where the meat undergoes the preserving process. In this room, are a number of large shallow troughs,- cijled bas.hs r each, of ,wh\ch jean . contain XOQ tins. The foil ttns,- previously firmly soldered/ are placed in " trays"— a sort of flat open-work iron basket — a ! dozen or so in each; and then placed in the baths of chemicals, where they are boiled- by-meanso-f steam ouppliod from a largo " gftngrator'* ontfridff. .Thff actiofl. of, the heat of course creates Bteam, and evolves v gases inside the tins, whicK *<Jioverf* up the lid. At the right moment, the operator -goe» round, punctures' the swollen tin, and, just as the steam has all escaped, and before the cold air begins to rush into the vacuum, he drops a | morsel of solder, on the hole, r and seals it hermetically. '' When sufficiently 1 boiled, xne '6ns are transferred-fiym-the-hot-bath-to a trnngh of joold water, which, instantly, condensing any remaining vapor, causes the raised lid to indent with a> repbrC~7"Oif being taken from the^eohtwater; th» tins 'are' again placed on a trbok^'w'h^c&'ranajon a tramway across, and outside therreai'df, t»%oild« *iliff"j th%y ure then rufiraroxig to Bfiotßer-rlmflios — the " testing-roqm'V-wh'ere they are piled up ancLsubjected for a speeded „tjme,.to.ra^temperature. of about'.. 9o deg./ the^ropm bemg heated with : Bteaj[a.;pipes.."! .-.On 1 b'e^ng^'t'akenl.ftoi^ the testing-roqmj thsj, |/ are, agfkin 'pjjt tu^R; •• !;i 't t^ o^ -and run on to, the room/* where they are examined — any showing signs of lunabfcnßnVfcß) fyJ3sqgsg3ijbftog put aside — painted, JabeUad, mad packed into case* ready fopiLSbApment^f Adjoinug TJ ,tb^ ;.ip»oking.'' room is a.:general: BtorerropmjWb.ere^the xoßterial required for the. different; depar^men^, Ajtfpt ia istock>aii4aaiojwaragtni» again. ( ia I .jt% jtnm^ager's and book-keeper'B office.: jThe traioway,,frqpi the " bath-room," vand whi9h.connecls it wlu all the " other ' departoepbr ,'^fterwards mentioned, is carriea^outtdaioadmgstag^ on the road, which bounds the west iid^blithegroundßVwhiire there is a large weighing machine, over which the cases)may be paßse4»*«lfcßy#re:i*ein«rP ut ™ to ithefdray. .- . Wft 5 U» 3 re > 4hui;foHpwe4 v |ihf,flj«|J firom the time it is drive»,juito jthejjnajfdj it -leaves the rpremißeo Again, in". a preserved Btate^ and mustlioif reCuni.ancl'iiotice another 'in teresting branch of tb^e eStabmhliSejitif -"^b staled that the " kitchen" and "bath-room" occupied

— / one-half of a large building, 60 x56 feet. The „ opposite side of this building forma the work- _ shops of the tinsmiths, where the tins are made, and the soldering done. The process of manufacturing the canisters is a very expeditious one, and yet there are no Jess than ten men at present engaged at it. The greater part of the work — the " cutting out" and " formation" — is done by -machinery, in^de to work so " true" that, taken up indiscriminately, part fits to part with absolute perfection. A square of tin, placed upon one' machine, is cut at one stroke into the " bodies" of two tins, another machine stamps out " bottoms," and yet another " tops," at the rate of about twenty a minute ; another movement " crimps" the groove where the ends of the sheet forming the body are joined, and a fifth instrument curves it into shape. The pieces are then passed into the aoldering-room, •where they are put together, ready for receiving the meat. The boiling-down establishment stands nearer the river than that already described, and is built on a lower level, the face of the terrace having been cut away to form a foundation, so that the upper floor of the building, through which protrudes the top of the " digester," comes just on. a level with the surface of the higher ground. This building is 50 x3O feet, and is much simpler in its details. The " digester," or " melting pot," is a large iron vat. standing on end, on a strong framework on the tinder floor. It measures eight feet deep, by six feet six inches in diameter, and can take in at one charge the carcasses of 250 large Leicester, or 300 Merino, sheep. The tramway from the killing-house runs into the upper floor, and the carcasses are. transferred at once from the truck to the " digester." The melting is effected entirety by steam, which is forced into the " digester" from a boiler outside, at a pressure of 301bs to the square inch. When the fat has been thoroughly released, it of course floats above the " liquor," and, if necessary, water can be let in to Taisc it to the level of the tap, by which it is run off into the large " coolers" adjoining. The fat passes from one "cooler" to another, until it finally falls into the casks placed to receive it, three of which are filled simultaneously by means of as many plug-holes in the bottom of a narrow distributing trough, placed across the end of the last cooler. When full, and " set," the casks are headed up, and are then ready for shipment. The fatless juice of theraeat-— the " soup"- — is allowed to run to waste, having first passed through a process which saves any fat which may have escaped with it. A small door is then opened at the bottom of the side of the " digester," and the refuse, reduced to a very small compass, is drawn out into S tnrek placed to receive it, as a stoker draws the clinkers from an engine furnace. So thoroughly does the steam perform its work, that ~ the meat and bones are left totally " sapless," the ■ largest .bones of a sheep being as friable and .. easily broken as a clay pipe-stem. Pigs don't r. care for it, and it is.fit only fo.r manure. It is therefore run along a tramway for some distance »~&ncLdeposited in a roomy shed, called the " boneheap," where it speedily undergoes fermentation, • ' and crumbles to powder, in which condition it is «qual to the. best Peruvian guano. The blood —.from the. slaughter-house is also deposited in the bone-heap, and forms one of the ingredients of the "guano." " A fellmongery department is being added to the establishment, where the skins will be dressed . a'nbV the wool scoured, and in which, what is ' known in the trade as the " sweating" process, • ! 'wffl r; be performed by steam. ■ __ The piggery adjoins the boiling-house, at some ""BtfleTiißtance, and is divided into two ; in one . division is kept the store pigs, fed on the coarse ! raw offal from the slaughter-house ; in the other, ''those put up to fatten, and for which the lights V .and livers, with a little grain, 1 are boiled. When ; fat, these unfortunate grunters are themselves in " turn "digested," partly by the pot, and partly by, it may be, their own progeny. ". Close to the margin of the river stand two ..vigorous little donkey engines — driven by steam '; from the " generator^* that melts the fat — which force the water up to the reservoir, composed of . .about twenty large iron tanks set on a strong " scaffolding in the centre of ihe ground, from whence the whole establishment is copiously sup"2pliedJ>ygravitation. -Besides the numerous de^ partments "mentioned, there are others which need not be particularised — carpenter's and — blacksmith's shops, &c. The preserving department has not yet commenced operations — further than the making of the tins — but it is expected to be in a condition to start in the course of the next ten days or so. The sheep being boiled down at the time of our visit, although large*~~framed rains, .were not prime fat, and consequently not a fair criterion of what the same •heepin condition would yield ; they averaged, : /however, about 251bs of tallow, worth, to the : -owner, at the lowest calculation, 3d per lb. Although designed chiefly for the utilisation of 1 sheep, the establishment will also absorb a large number . of cattle. The preserving process . adopted, we may mention, is known as Appert's, : a French system, and the one which has hitherto proved to be most successful; The tins are of a uniform size, containing 61bB each. Outside of the grounds, fronting the high-road, the Company ' have built a row — a dozen— of substantial V cottages, for their worfc-people. They have at . ~ present employed about twenty-five hands, but ! ~ when in full going order, at least double that . number will be required. The operatives in 'demand are coopers, carpenters, butchers, tin- • smiths, fellmongers, &c., a number of whom ■would, we believe, now be taken on were they to apply. As soon as the arrangements have been fully completed, and everything is working smoothly, the Company will be prepared to buy sheep and cattle for their requirements. The Woodlands establishment is the first of three preserving factories ; the other two, Kakanui and Timaru, at present confined to boiling down, trill be proceeded with a3 soon as this one's working arrangements have been prayed. When we state that the present establishment — it will be extended as required — is capable of " putting through" easily, between 200 and 300 sheep per day, some estimate of its value to the province may be formed,' and it is consequently to be hoped that it may be as lucrative to the proprietors as it must be beneficial to the district in which it is placed, .