Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-08-09
FRESH BEEF FOR MANILA
PROBLEM OF SUPPLYING 1T TO OUR
TROOPS THERE SOLVED.

Novel cargo she carries - Eve VI ON
Days Required to Cool the Meat Sufh-
ciently "A Novel DefrostinG Process,
Two million pounds of beef which
cannot spoil has left New York for the
Philippines, states the Sun. All went
in one vessel for the feeding of tile
navy and army engaged in operations
in aud around Manila.
The problem of sending fresh pro-
visions to the Philippines was much
greater that Cuba Or Porto Rico pre-
vented. Two difficulties had to be
overcome. One was distance, the
other was climate. The simple de-
vice of keeping the meat fresh by
placing it in rooms cooled TO 30 de-
grees, which is sufficient for a short
trip and moderate climate, would be
absolutely worthless if attempted for
long trip and the high temperature
through which vessel must pass In
going to the Philippines. To overcome
the difficulty a ship specially built for
carrying fresh mutton,from Australia
to England was purchased: She is
how the United States refrigerator
vessel Glacier
She proved herself practical for that
work, aud is therefore not even an
experiment now that she has, to do
similar work for tile United States
troops al Manila. The navy depart
ment advertised for sealed bids for
between million aud a half and two
million pounds ofprime beef for the
cargo OF the vessel last month. The
contract was awarded. Experiments
as to the shrinkage in weight of frozen
meat were made, proving that there
was not more than one. quarter OF l
per cent. loss iu the process of freez-
ing. These tests showed that the
whole substance of the meat must re-
main in it or there would have been
far greater losses in weight. Orders
were then dispatched to the western
agents Of the company to which
the contract was let to purchase %, 900
of the very best stall-fed beeves.
These were loaded on 100 Of the best
cattle cars and shipped to New York.
Here they we're unloaded, kept for q
few days until they had recovered en-
tirely from the trip and then slaugh-
tered. Each animal was carefully ex-
amined, and if found in any way
defective was rejected. AS each car
cass was passed it was hurriedly quar-
tered and slid into . the refrigerating
room, where, hanging on huge hooks,
it was gra lually cooled. Tests had
been made here also to ascertain how
long it would take these quarters to
freeze through to the bone.
1t was at first thought that when
submitted to n temperature Of
Is degrees only 72 Or 80 hours at most
would be necessary to freeze the meat
through so hard that knife could not
be pushed into it: Experiments
proved that from fia to six days were
needed for absGluto certainty; SO all
of the 1900, 900 pounds of beef have
been frozen for six days before being
loaded on the Glacier The method
of testing the freezing is itself inter
esting. A'brace and bit is used. just
rs if you were going to bore hole
into an oak door to put on the
hinge. At first the bit is sunk only
four inches in the thick hiudquarter.
1t is drawn out, and then a small
thermometer like those used by ply
sicians in taking the temperature, is
inserted. 1t is left in few minutes,
and when drawn out should show a
temperature Of about 20 degrees.
Then the hole is bored deeper, going
right to tie bone; the thermometer is
again inserted; and if it again regis
ters 20 degrees it is certain that the
quarter is frozen through:
After the first lot of $50; 600 pounds
was we'll frozen, the task of loading
began. The engines OF the refrigera.-
ing apparatus on board ship had been
at work, the pipes running all around
the sides, the bottom and top were
heavily coated with frost If you
wanted to go in there you had to
wear heavy overcoat. 1t was arctic
and was meant to be. Night after
night the work went on, $50, 600
pounds of beef being packed away
each night BY the use of refrigera-
tor cars for transportation across the
river not one of the quarters of beef
was exposed to the air for more than
| ten minutes.
At Manila tremendous refrigera-
tor storehouse is now being completed
for receiving the cargo of frozen beef.
1t will not be exposed to the tropical
heat of the Philippines for many
minutes-only long enough to put it
into the refrigerator rooms. Nor will
it be delivered to the navy and army
imme lately, for if this frozen meat
we're allowed to thaw out suddenly in
that terrific heat it would not be in the
best condition for consumption. There
is a defrosting arrangement in the
Manila refrigerating storehouse. 1t
is series of rooms with gradually
rising temperatures. The first room
| is kept at temp erature OF 20 degrees
and then gradually raised to 30 de-
grees. The second starts at 81 de-
grees and carries the temperature up
| to Is degrees, aud thus the process of
defrosting continues, gradually rising
the meat to the temperature of the
normal carcass. In this way the fa-
voring juices OF the beef are preserved,
s hat roast beef will taste rs if the
OK had been killed only day or two
before.
When it is remembered that the
trip to Manila from New York will
occupy ten weeks, even though the
Glacier goes by way of the Suez Canal,
it can be easily understood that any
thing less than freezing the. meat
would not preserve it. Beef is shipped
to Europe un'rozen, being kept at a
temperature OF about 36 degrees, and
arriving in good condition, but the
L.. -, - clort opo op1 Tho fam,,arotur