New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-06
ANALYSES OF ARMY BEEF.
rop,BLE REPORT FROM PRO
rEssoR CHrTTENDEN
-o,.xn IN REFRIGERATED BEEF
A. -, c,RR1E-MoRE CORRESPOND
- WITH GENERAL MILES.

~ cr-RRIE-MORE CORRESPOND
rxcE WITH GENERAL MILES
A,ril 5-The principal witnesses be-
Wasn' o., Court Of Inquiry to-day were rroies-
fore tn e u Chittenden. Of Yale and Dr. Daniel
sor nus who was Northumberland OF the "a
- regiment. which was stationed AT JACK
New, a., the war Professor Chlttehueh Is one
son.n c,er,ists selected by the Government 10
o. ths 49,. canned roast beef He presented his re-
anayze u" nat the beef generally was good.
port s"O haa been found in II by him. and It
NO 'o-allv wholesome he expressed DOUBT
was a. ~ whether the heat OF tropica4 ell
ia not cause the fat In the cans TO Hqueiy
nA' 80 render the food dspleasing to the siSn''
ana ~. sai1 tia: most OF the cans from when
Cos.i.s we're taken for analysis had been OK
the s'p he heat Of tropical countries. some OF
poseo =, brourht from Havana for the purpose
them being O'o''
-. c,,-re testified that the refrigerated peer sup
~ :. Jacksonville had on some occasions mace
Pr, sick He had made chemical analyses OF
'n r,ef which in one case. showed the presence
me -. o,,d and in another boracic acid
o. Ms chief surgeon OF the Seventh Army
,-olonel r. W Huntington. OF the Marine
Co-l ,5 Mr. Raphael Armour's New-York agent
vere olso hea1o , 49,. o--.s,ordarce
-, General Miles and the court ana PUT IN
&c IN behalf Of the General that nine OF the
Nn lSf names Nt Ad- "N'~ 80
80 he called saying that they would testify con-
sc REFRIGERATED and chemically treated oeei
-. ~o.r, did not indicate whether or not the re-
oues, would he granted.
S~oonel Huntington was the first witness ne was
- ha-ee o. the detachment Of marines which
j" .rrh a fine record at Guantanamo. lie said
I ...,h OF he troops while there was good vary
ins the weather. depending largely. apparent
~ or the rainfall. There had been no complaint
- s,,d concerning the food supply
PROFESSOR CHITTENDEN's EVIDENCE.
o......o- Cbittenden then gave the results OF his
-.~lnsiior. Colonel Davis reading MS report ana
% ~. instructions OF the Court 70 him. The in
.ors showed that three cans ca N OF the
.,nss roast beef prepared by the Prairie Canning
con,anv the Armour company and the wilson
Imam. which had been exposed 10 a tropical eli
-,,e we're furnished to Professor Chittenden MS
800, dealt largely with the chemical methods
,,vsd b,t the result was entirely favorable 70
-. hsef as a food product He said that he had
- careful study OF the samples furnished.
,s,gnc analyzed all of them, comparing them win
,ss, heef and devoting himself also % determining
,ss ,rAsence or absence OF preservatives lie had.
\. said found the contents perfectly sweet ana
,n,,inr he odor always given out by cooked meat.
,, some cans the meat particles were large. while
= others they we're not. The fat particles were
.,s-auv found collected on one side or the other
:. me cans Although the meat had been placed
!, hotties and exposed 10 the warm air o. the
,,ho-aforv II had retained its freshness for several
.,vs T. had then developed mould. afterward &C.
ornosinr IN al ;he samples supplied the proper
ion Of "a and protein was such as 10 oring 'hem
.,,o he range Of good beef Considerable attention
g given 70 the large layer o: tat found on the
,...sca - each can which. as found by him. was
.lrsvs solid Professor Chitenden had found on
,-vestizaii9n that the fat melted A. degrees Cent?
GRADE Or 1l3 Fahrenheit. and some a. lower tenn
rsraturs and that once melted II did not again
,,l6,.v ~ higher temperature than So Centigrade
~, ,rssence ~ the melted Fat rendered f. doubtful
,ss,be- he food was suitable for a tropical climate
sr,sn, under conditions where extreme heat could
70 guarded against or where vegetables 10 NJ
cooked with the meat were available
Al the samples had shown the presence Of geia'
the out careful tests mad failed 70 develop ei'he7
boraac or saMcylic acid The specimens supplied
nv ,bs Wilson Packing Company (Which we're
corrsa showed the presence OF salt or saltpetre
sors :. the meats were red giving rise 70 the sus-
r,io1 that they might have been colored by an AM
ire dve as in the OF sausage. Tests had.
hor,ver failed 20 show that such was the case
was made evident that the meat was boiled
rssr han roasted On this account there was
hss o. some OF The inorganic salts and therefore
ne Of Us nutrtive qualities still there was suf-
sent protein IN one can OF the beef 70 sustain
-in TO- TWO days.
Major Lee made only slight cross-examinatlon
Q. the witness asking time for the examination OF
he report l. then arranged that Professor
chittenden should return next Tuesday for TINS
cross-exa nination.
rssuts,an--Colone Maus. who served in various
cau,ps in the Southern States. said there had been
YER little complaint concerning the meat ColoneI
Maus was or duty in Havana last winter He said
the meat supply then had been entirely satisfactory
DR. C1-RRIE's INVESTIGATIONS.
Dr. cv--i. was stationed al Jacksonville. He was
IN charge ~ a detail OF l0e men construct rife
range In June and July often the men were com
PEELED 70 throw way the meat sent them for din
ner Or one occasion there was especial trouble
and he had found that the beef looked much Ike
salmon The next day after eating this meat only
iweny-tour men were able 20 report for duty. lie
had taken piece o. the meat and tested II for
salcylic acid getting a decided reaction. On an
other occasion he secured a boracic acid reaction.
One PECULIARLY OF the meat" he said was that
Il Kept so vel and snlelled so badly when men
would throw r. up often many hours after eating,
Il was found still undecOmposed. He had consid-
cred the canned meat unfit for his men 10 eat and
had advised them not 70 eat f. The meat appeared
string and tempting l. smelled badly
ard was unnu,rtious.
On cross-examination Dr. Currie expressed the
Opnion thar the refrigerated beef had been soaked
n some preventative fluid containing salicylic acid
oi' ne atterward said his first idea had been that
NE acid had been injected. The view that acids
nac been used strengthened by the fact that
NE meat appeared 70 grow dark on coming into
eoniact win the iron OF the butchers knife He
mi made no report Of the Investigation because
ns had simply acted for the protection OF his men.
1nki'E the medical department would make It's
"n'inquiry He had or previous occa sions made
suggestions which were not well received Hence
ae gave no OF ,ial Information at the time concern
hs his chemical tests He had. however said al
'he time thai he thought the meat had been tam
peree with
" cu-re said he had discovered some ten or
we've FEARS ago by actual tests that Swift & Co
use 'alcyhc acid 70 preserve their meats. Two
months 40 he had made a similar test OF beef
furnished by Armour & Co at his own home in
Ins'ewood y. J. and had found that II contained
s"''cyAc acid The beef thus examined looked paIer