A BOILING-DO WN ESTABLISHMENT. «.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 376, 28 July 1869, Page 3

A BOILING-DO WN ESTABLISHMENT. «.

A correspondent of the Queenslander, under the signature of "Bushman," gives the following description of the Baffle Creek boiling-down and extract ot meat establishment: — A few weeks since I had the pleasure of paying a visit to the above establishment of the Messrs Robertson Brothers, and as a short description of the same may not be uninteresting to some of your readers I will endeavour to give it. The establishment is situated on Baffle Creek, some eight miles from its junction with the ocean, and has a greater appearance of cleanliness, and a less | offensive odour than any place of the kind I have ever seen. The creek there may be some 200 or 300 yards wide, and the scenery around the works is very beautiful. While I was there, no less than 70 hands were employed, and as it was the first extract makiug I had never witnessed, it interested me very much indeed. First of all I observed a range of stock-yards for holding bullocks and sheep. These keep growing smaller and smaller, till they terminate in two slaughter yards, above which are platforms for the men who spear the bullocks to walk upon. From 8 to 15 bullocks or cows, as may be, are dropped at one time. The men then, descend, and walk round and bleed the fallen animals. More assistance then comes into play. The cattle are decapitated and legs taken off ; then skinning commences, and the entrails are thrown on a tablo outside the slaughter-yard ; liver, Bee, thrown out into an immense pig-sty running alongside of the yards, and parallel to the creek. In one corner of the slaughter yard there is a chain-pulley worked by an iron winch, and the gambles used are pretty long. The pulley is hooked on to the nearest beast, and up he goes ; the gamble fits on two transverse beams, and the beasts are pushed along easily by one man ; thus the whole of the carcases are slid along from the slaughter yard. Then the cutting up takes place. Alongside of the carcases is a table on which the meat is thrown, and the whole of the bones taken out. If required for extract, the pieces are thrown, on to another table farther off, at which are another lot of men, who strip off every particle of fat, and cut the pieces pretty small. These bits, by the aid or a Polynesian — of which, by-the-by, Messrs Robertson have some 25, and all getting very useful indeed — who uses a long pole with teeth in the end of It, •omethiug like a table fork with a very long handle. This Polynesian dexterously throws the pieces through an aperture into the mincingroom, where three setsof knives are in fullplay,and driven by steam; they are similar to the sausage machines used in large towns. After this, the meat is sent off to the mashpot, and after this I fancy there was some sleight of hand work, visible only to the initiated. However, the next thing I saw was some 30 evaporators, worked by steam, in a room by themselves. These evaporators are cylinders of tin revolving in square vessels, holding, I presume, the essence. The room had quite a novel appearance, the belts attached to the cylinders and the cylinders themselves all revolving in measured time. From this room the essence is again removed to a sanctum, where the cooling and finishing touch is given, and when all was done I saw some of the extract. It tasted remarkably fine, and is good and wholesome. It has much the look of the gravy one sees in a camp-oven after baking some meat therein. I believe a whole bullock goes down to some seven pounds. The extract is then put into 6 1b tins and soldered up, a tinsmith being occupied at this work on the ground. When I paid my visit they were working with cattle, but since then they are makings mutton extract as well. The sheep are worked much

the same as cattle, some 200 or so being killed at one time. The names giren to the different hands (their occupation names, I mean) is legion, There are butchers, pelters, leggers, men to run the entrails, boys to cut off the trotters; and after a hard day's work they are wild looking boys enough. But half-an-hour after work is done you would not know the place, a pump and hose effectually cleaning up the whole concern. Indeed the proprietors are entitled to the very highest praise for cleanliness, and much more so for their enterprising Bpirit. Every particle of the carcases holding fat is boiled down here; nothing wasted, every bone saved, horns, and everything that will turn a penny. Messrs Robertson's is the most economical establishment of the kind I have seen in the colonies. The place itself is quite a little township; huts everywhere; stacks of engine wood on all side 9; coopers' Bhops, blacksmiths' ditto; sheds for empty casks, sheds for full casks; everything in its place, and a place for everything. It is worthy of note that the proprietors have given a large room adjoining the store for a reading room, in which they have placed a tolerable amount of literature — books, periodicals and newspapers ad libitum. Here the men can congregate after work till, I believe, 10 o'clock p.m. There is a large table lighted up with a good kerosine lamp, and forms all round the table and room, with shelves for the books, &c, &c. Men are here treated as men, and every one I spoke to seemed to have a good word for the " coves," as they facetiously termed their worthy employers. I will now wish them every success ; may they prosper, for they deserve it.