one o'clock
And then suddenly the place would spring into activity , and the merciless `` speeding-up '' would begin ! There were weeks at a time when Jurgis went home after such a day as this with not more than two hours ' work to his credit -- which meant about thirty-five cents . There were many days when the total was less than half an hour , and others when there was none at all . The general average was six hours a day , which meant for Jurgis about six dollars a week ; and this six hours of work would be done after standing on the killing bed till one o'clock , or perhaps even three or four o'clock , in the afternoon . Like as not there would come a rush of cattle at the very end of the day , which the men would have to dispose of before they went home , often working by electric light till nine or ten , or even twelve or one o'clock , and without a single instant for a bite of supper . The men were at the mercy of the cattle . Perhaps the buyers would be holding off for better prices -- if they could scare the shippers into thinking that they meant to buy nothing that day , they could get their own terms .