The times., 1899-04-09
lie Describes His Method of
processing" Meats.
Agreed TO Let Armour & Co. Use
His System.
Admits Hnving Made Tests for the
PaciSers-SoIdiers Who
Ate the Food.
Alexander B. Powell was examined be-

Alexander B. Powell was examined be-
fore the Beef Court yesterday. Mr. Powell
is the inventor of a process for preserving
meat. and it was he who conducted expert
ments with the preservation of beef at
Tampa. There has been no session of the
Alger Relief Commission or of the Court
of Enquiry during which Mr.. Powell ami
his process have not been referred to.
After he had been sworn. he stated that
his residence was the Hotel Endicott, Ne =
York, and that he conducted a meat game,
poultry, and general commission business
in Barclay Street.
For six or eight years he had used pro-
cess was his invention and was a sec ct.
II was not patented and the witness STAT I'd
that he believed that it was not pateata lie.
as the materials which he used were in
common use.
The salient points in the testimony OF
Mr. Powell were his emphatic denial that
his process was used either by Swift or
Armour, or that boric or saiieylic acids en-
tered into his treatment of meat. These
are the chemicals which DIR. Daily and Dr.
Currie testified they discovered in meat
tested by them.
The witness said that he considered his
process IN the light of a purifier and that
he knew that 1t was absolutely harmless.
He sold his produce TO hotels. steamships.
and the general public. Some of the meats
which he shipped South were ''processed. =
II was very much cheaper to ship meat in
this way than by refrigerator cars run on
express time. He packed his '-prccessed"
meat in well ventilated barrels at New
York, put IL on board 4 steamer of the
Clyde Line. landed it at Jacksonville five
days later, and from that point distributed
it to his customers.
lie Was asked 10 tell the names Of some
OF his customers, but on objection from
the witness the question was withdrawn.
He declared that his process ccmmuni-
Gated no permanent cdcr or taste to the
meat He did not practice arteTiaI injec-
tion or immersion. He simply fumigated
the meat. The matter to be treated was
placed in tight car CT room and the fu-
migation proceeded with. He could treat
a carload Of meat in half an hour At first
there would be an odor of sulphur, but this
would pass off in an hour ANY process
would change the appearance of the meat.
though he was confident that meat treated
by his process underwent the least possi-
bic change. 1t discolcred the exterior of
the meat but this discoioraticn penetrated
no deeper than the thickness of an ordi-
nary sneet of paper. 1t tended to bleach
the fat.
Wrote 10 Mr. Mckinley.
Before the letting OF the beef contracts
he wrote letters to President Mckinley.
General Miles, and the Gommissary Gen
eral. The letter 10 the President was re-
ferred 10 the Commissary General, and he
received n ha ~,
Government would let the contract to the
lowest responsible bidder who would agree
10 furnish fresh beef 10 the troops in Cuba
which would endure seYenty-two hours
after removal from cold storage The wit
ness said that he had received no reply
from General Miles.
He communicated with T. J. Conners.
The Eastern agent for Amour & Co. at
New York, and he said that he would like
70 have the process demonstrated TO his
firm and 10 the Government authorities
Mr.. Conners furnished him with transpor-
alton 10 Chicago. He stopped at the Nor
rison House ana went TO the stock yards.
accompanied by a bellboy from the hotel.
He found one of Armour's refrigerator cars
standing on a sidetrack near the packing
plant. There were six carcasses in this
,ar. One of Armour's employees was near
but took no active part in the proceedings
The witness then treated the meat. One
carcass was left at Chicago and the other
i've were sent through to Tampa. The wit
ness Travelled South, and at Tampa was in
iroduced to Colonel Weston, Chief Com
nissary at that place. by Mr.. Edwards. Ar
nour's representative al Jacksonville. Colo
mel Weston said that he could not enter
tain the proposition officially. but would
give the inventor an opportunity TO test
he staying qualities of his meat This
was how the meat came to be exposed on
he Government transports.
Mr.. Powell stated that he had a verbal
contract with ArmOur's representative,
Mr.. Conners. 10 let the packing company
have the use of his invention in the event
that the Cuban beef contract should be
awarded to Armour d Co. He was to re-
ceive 50 cents hundred pounds, or 5000 a
aar for all beef treated. He had no writ
len agreement with the Armours, and so
Tar as he knew his process was never used
on any meat that was sold to the Govern
nent
After the fall of Santiago Mr.. Powell
communicated with Swift G. Co. on the
subject of his process. That firm replied
that if Mr. Powell would submit a speci-
men of meat treated by his process. and
shonid do it satisfactorily, q correspond
ence might be entered into
shipreu 10 cWfft d Co.
Mr.. Powell stated that he shipped a pro
cessed" rib of beef to Swift & Co. but
never again heard from the firm
The witness when asked for an expert
opinion as 10 the appearance of cold storage
beef under certain conditions said that re-
frigerated beef shipped in iced cars fire.
quently sweated because of variations in
The temperature OF the car. This caused
The meat 10 have a Shiny appearance. He
considered this meat sweet and wholesome.
When beef had been too long out of cold
storage IL began TO discolor. This indi-
,ated that fermentation was setting in The
beef should not be, eaten at this stage
When beef was covered by green mold.
Thich was due 10 long refrigeration, it in
Heated that fermentation had not set in
This beef was wholesome. He gave IL as
ais opinion that beef preserved only by
old storage and not subjected to some
chemical preservative could not endure
,Nposure Tor seventy-two or even twenty
our hours in Cuba in summer. He knew
hat there were preserving processes other
han his. but he did not know what chem
Gals were used
Johh Rusch, of Englewood. n. J.. who.
turing the war. was cook TO Compauy Al
second New Jersey Volunteers. was called
% the stand. testified that it was common
alh IN ms regiment at jacksonville that
he contract beef was embaImed.
Capt George B. Davis. Assistant 10 fhe
'ommlssary General, was recalled aad gave
testimony.
The afternoon session of The corrt v.as
occupied by Major Lee, counsel for General
Niles. in reading the reports OF officers In
ienunciation Of canned roast beef. The
,eef was invariably referred to as 'nause-
ltlng, "repulsive," horrible" taste.
ess. fat. 'stringy. 'innutritious." and
'scrappy."
The names of the officers making the
eports follow: Lieutenant Downs. First |