Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-22
TIMED ROAST BEEF GOOD ENOUGH
FOR SOLDIERS.
PART OF REGULAR RATI0Ns
no APPARENT REASON WHY ARMY
SHOULD OBJECT TO 1T.
Contents of Cans Bought at Random
in the Open Market Tested by
Members of the War COm-
mission and Found
to Be Good.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21.-Paymaster
Thomas H. Hicks. U. S. N, assistant store
keeper at the New York navy yard. was
a witness before the war Investigating
commission to-day. He testified that the
timed roast beef was satisfactory In the
navy, was palatable and good, and that
he saw no reason why it should not be
good emergency ration for the army, as II
was regular ration in the navy. Asked
what proportion of the ration in the navy
the timed roast beef forms, he said about
one-seventh.
He went on to say he had noticed no ma
terial difference in the timed roast beef
when taken to a tropical climate.
He said a can of beef, if hole should
penetrate ii, would decay and give out an
offensive odor. but it would not hurt the
other cans. A can. he said. would last
some hours after opening. He admitted
that there is a good deal of beef that is not
palatable. Much of the beef used at his
yard had come from Libby, McNeill &
Libby, which was generally satisfactory,
but last June he had occasion to reject
some they furnished because dry and un-
palatable. He demonstrated the method of
opening the cans. and two cans bought in
open market at random We're opened and
their contents tasted by the members of
the commission. Each member declared 1t
had a good flavor and taste.
Paymaster Henry C. Colbert, of the navy.
testified to large purchases by MIN of beef
for the navy. The purchases were from the
same firm which supplied the army. He
said the meat gave general satisfaction. and
there We're no complaints. When asked If
there We're any evidences of chemicals be-
Ing used. he answered in the negative.
Professor F. Wielaski, chemist, Of the
United States geological survey, to-day re-
ported to the war investigating commits
sion that his test OF the powder furnished
from the boiling down of a portion of the
condemned beef on the Panama, disclosed
the, presence of both boric and salicylic
acids. He could not say where the powder
came from, He said boric acid was unob-
jectienabie and that it had neither an Of
fenSive odOr nor taste.
report on the beef the Panama procured
at Ponce. saying some of it tasted like
decomposed boric acid
ceptibie taste in boric acid, would its use
in any quantity in meat impart any such
taste?"
Il should say not" answered the wit
ness.
Then We have disposed of that" COM
mented General Beaver.
Witness said he knew of no such thing
as decomposed boric acid, and that. from a
scientific point of view, the expression was
meaningless: that boric acid in sucn guam
tllieS dS WOuG pTOpdDly De uSSQ WOuiQ
leave no taste in the mouth of an individ-
ual. as had been testified to yesterday by
Surgeon DAILY.
Would the treatment of boric or eali-
cylic acid make any difference in the odor
or stencil from decayed beef?" interrupted
Ex-Governor Woodbury..
That would take actual experiment"
was the reply. there might be some slight
product of putrefaction.' y
Asked as to the effect on health of using
beef injected with the boric acid. witness
said it would be relatively harmless, but
that the use of salicy!ic acid would be diff
ferent and was prohibited by most Euro
pean countries. The use of the boric ACID
on meat furnished troops: in his opinion,
health view. but the salicylic acid would
be Objectionable. The effect of the pre-.
servatives was to make the meat keea
longer. If the meat were kept twenty
four hours after leaving the refrigerator
the chemicals might reterd putrefaction.
IF the boric acid We're used in the meat
would 1t impart, as has been testified to- a
taste SO bitter, nauseous and unpala ia ole
asked. and he replied: mo, SIR"