The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-05-29

CAUSE OF MEAT TROUBLES
Mr.. Waller Says 1t Is in Lining
of Walls Tar Paper Used
Instead of Felt - Opinion of Ex-
pert Chemists on the Subject.

G.. J. Waller, manager of the Metro
politan Meat Company, called at this
| office last night to correct a report made
of the Board of Health's proceedings
of Wednesday in so far as it referred
to DR.. Maxwell's letter. Mr.. Waller
said:
"The letter sent to the Board of
Health was not from Prof. Maxwell,
but from me- In it l quoted Prof. Max
well as saying that the only thing in
the construction of the refrigerator
plant that could possibly affect the
meat is the paper lining between the
walls. This paper, under certain con-
ditions, would give off volatile bodies
which would be readily absorbed by
any organic substance such as meat or
butter.
"The doctor does not think, nor do /, -
said Mr. Waller, that the paper would
have an effect upon the meat that
would be injurious to the health, but
| find my customers Objecting to lining
their stomachs with creosote or tar
rangements to have another room clean
ed out and our meat stored there until
other arrangements could be made"
What first led you to think that the
cause was in the storage rooms and not
in the meat?" was asked.
Because the smell and taste of the
carcasses had a decidedly foreign odOr
from bad meat. For that reason and
of 10 TO19
some customers returning meat they
had bought of us. Among these were
several physicians"
In answer to the question whether or
not the complaints were general Mr..
Waller stated that cit is more fire.
quently found with mutton or in stew
pieces of beef. Some persons have not
noticed it at all, while others are loud
in their complaints
Take it all the way through, Mr..
Waller, lis not this refrigerator plant
as good in it's arrangements and man
agement as any you ever saw?'
yes, and better; but that has no eff
feet upon the lining Of the walls. 1 am
convinced from what people have told
me and what l have learned from my
own Investigations that the trouble eX-
lists only there, and fortunately it may
be easily rectified. [ was not satisfied |
with the result of my own investiga- |
tion, so 1 asked Prof. Lyons, the chem |
ist, to go through the building and see
if he could discover the cause.
Upon opening the door of one of the |
rooms he detected the unpleasant and |
foreign odor
His first impression was that the |
used in the refrigerating pro- |
cess might contain impurities. but this |
was abandoned when he found the |
walls were lined with tar paper. Prof |
Lyons says he has in progress expert |
ments to demonstrate that meat and |
butter shut up in a refrigerator with |
some of this paper will acquire the |
smell and taste that has been complain |
ed of. Already, after fOrty-eight hours, |
the butter shows it distinctly, the meat |
to a less extent
Then again." said Mr.. Waller. ION
one occasion, | am told on good au-
thority, large quantity of meat in the
cold storage rooms of Swift & Co. of
Chicago, which had been lined with
the tar paper, was affected by the odor
given off by the paper. The rooms had
to be torn down and the paper removed. !
ON the S. S. Peru the same kind of
paper is used as here, but any trouble
of the kind we are experiencing has
been guarded against by placing a lin
ing of zinc, made perfectly tight, be-
tween the tar paper and the rooms, |
thus preventing any odor from the pa
per from reaching the meat or other
provisions. l have also a statement
from Mr.. Lawrence, a gentleman from
New Zealand, whom l met today, who |
has a cold storage warehouse. In build |
ing it the contractor wanted to line it
with tar paper, but the engineer who
had been sent out from London to erect
the machine rejected it, for the reaso
that it would taint the meat, expert
ence in other places having taught hin
this. Felt was used instead, with goo,
results.
He also spoke of two places in the :
colonies that had been constructed with
in % oh, OF