The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-02-01
BEEF PACKERS MUCH DISTURBED.
ACIDS ARE USED.
Statements Made by Gen. Miles Upheld by EN-.
ployes in the Chicago Stock Yards-Meat
Prevented From Rotting.

From the day that Gen. Miles said
before the war investigating committee
that the beef sent to the Porto Rican
army had been embalmod,, every other
question in regard to the army scan
dals has become secondary Not only
have the soldiers become aroused but
the beef consumers throughout the
country as well. Germany and Japan,
who import large quantities of Americ-
an beef for their soldiers have SAID
that they do not want for their armies
what American generals condemn
The Chicago packers are doing AL in
their power to thwart further dis
closures and Investigations but reNela-
tions have already been made by the
aid of chemistry which disclosed the
presence OF acids In the beef.
Albert II. Needer, attorney for the al
legged beef trust said at Chicago few
days ago.
"of course Swift & CO., and the 9TH
er packers whom | number among my
clients. take the position that packing
interests are perfectly justified in AID
ing General Eagans cause to the eN-
tent of clearly showing that quack
chemist rather than any agent of a
Chicago packer was responsible for the
shipment of the five carcasses of 'em-
bamed beef 10 Santiago on the Rough
Riders transports. That's all the So
called packers lobby at Washington
is doing. The packers have nothing to
fear from a discussion of this false is
sue of the embalmed beef for contin-
uous threshing over of the subject VIII
bring out the real truth. which main
tain will prove to be that the packing
interests never supplied any embalmed
or chemically treated beef to the ma
tionS soldiers"
A German, who said he worked for
packing company last summer at Chi
cago, during the time that firm was
supplying government beef and who Is
now employed by another company,
gave some information regarding the
curing of beef before sending 1t to
the army. He claims, however that
the methods then used of injecting an
antiseptic fluid by means of giant
syringe into the legs of beef and along
the bone are still in use. This man,
who gave his name, said:
Every packing house in the stock
yards now treats every quarter of beef
that is spoiled by dipping It into a
bath. What is in this bath I do not
know. except that 1t Is brine with a few
chemicals of some kind. Then man
takes big syringe with long steel
prod. holds it near the end and drives
IL into the meat so that the solution
will get around the bones and preserve
/ understand that salicyiic acid is used.
A large amount of this acid comes to
the yards.
Last spring" said a stockman, Il
saw a couple of men injecting some
kind of stuff into a dozen or more cat
tie in one of the pens by means of a
syringe. They repeated the operation
for couple of days. / was told then
that 1t was an experiment with boracic
and salicylic acids and glycerlne, to see
If the cattle so treated would make
better-keeping beef. | do not know
whether the cattle were afterward
killed, but presume they We're. l have
seen several experiments, but 1 guess
that l will say no more, for l Will get
myself into trouble IL do"
An authority on chemistry and chem
ical action of foods, man who stands
at the head of his profession and who
has a wide reputation as an expert,
said:
II consider meat or any other food
treated with salicylic acid unfit for hu-
man food. The acid is a new meat
preservative, which of late has come
into extensive use among packers. 1t
is one of the most powerful antiseptics
known. 1t is manufactured only in two
cities in the United States-Milwaukee
and st. Louis.