Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-23
GOVERNMENT BOARD OF INQUIRY
OFF FOR NEW York.
DAYS TESTIMONY IN CHICAGO
SEVERAL SPECIALISTS UNABLE TO
GIVE NEW LIGHT.
Mach Evidence In Regard to Acid
Preservatives. but Little Of II
Relevant-ChicaRo Medical
StaR Doctor Tells of
Analyses.

CHICAGO. March 22-The members of
the government court of inquiry finished
their labors in Chicago to-day and left
for New York this evening. The testimony
of Governor Theodore Roosevelt will there
be received. after which the court will
proceed to Governors island.
The evidence brought forth to-day was
largely cumulative in its character. con-
sisting mainly of criticisms of the canned
beef and refrigerated beef from soldiers
who ate it and watched its effects in Cuba
and Porto Rico.
David FIeischman. bellboy In the
Hotel Morrison. told Of visit to the stock
yards in the company Of an unknown man
whose purpose he supposed to be an ex-
pertinent in the matter of preserving beef
by chemical treatment.
w. Clark Marshall. the provision spe-
cialist whose testimony vas expected to
be sensational threw no additional light
on the question, his evidence being prin-
cipally the expression OF the opinion that
canned beef as now put on the market
is totally unfit for human food.
The court examined to-day Lieutenant
]. D. L. Hartman, of the First cavalry.
while the regiment was stationed at Lake
land, Fla. He testified that refrigerator
beef was received from Armour e. Co. 1t
was brought to Lakeland In cars. At first
it was very good, and there was no OBJ
lection to 1t, but in three OF four days
1t began to get poorer in quality. In two
instances a board Of survey rejected the
beef. In one case the witness rejected a
whole carload. The stencil was observ-
able before the car was opened
David A. Fleishman testified that he was
employed as bellboy at the Hotel Morri-
son, Chicago, during the month of June.
1895. 'One day in June he said. "a gen.
tleman in room i31 asked me II would be
at leisure to go to the STOCK yards with
him. went out there with MIN and had
to carry two boxes, tin or galvanized iron
boxes. He went out to see some man about
some meat, he told me. We took the boxes
ana went to a car where there were three
or four rows Of meat. In each OF the
boxes there We're four smaller packages.
containing, as recall it, black or rather
into perforated trays made for. that pur-
pose, set fire to 1t and placed 1t under the
meat. l asked him what that was done Tor
and he said it was done as an experiment
Next day was to go back and get the ;
germs or anything like that, but he said
no. simply to preserve the meat; l put my
finger on the meat and tasted 1t and 1t
tention to the fact that the meat looked
rather larger than 1t did when we were
there before. He said that was simply an
enlargement OF the meat from the Ice:
There was a sulphurous smell to the car
and another odor which cannot describe.
l took the cans back to- the hotei.
was card marked Tampa, Fia.' This
was at Armour's packing house. There
was only one car: there rev. were only , about ,.H..
l asked him who he was and II am not
mistaken he told me he was a quarter
msster or 1 qpartermastes nn, ma e genera for or
~ inches tall, wore eyeglasses. and | should
judge was about IS years OF age: He wore
i understand from what he said that he
had some connection with the military
service"
years president of the auxiliary STAN in the
Chicago health department, and is an an
alytical chemist. was the next witness. He
nations Of both canned and REFRIGERATED
erence 10 the examination of fresh beef
the witness said that at three different
times there were brought to him pieces Of
what seemed to be ordinary meat from the
markets, which evidently had been kept
for some time. presumably In refrigera-
II found salt liz every small quantity -
said DIR. Murdoch, land some OK the meat
Was coated with Porasic hey nS Ssd hesn c5asr
ed with a preparation Of saiicylic acid for
preserving the meat. l gave the opinion
that salicylic acid was not only detslmenta! ta!
acid. while in itself nauseating. delays the
process Of digestion. and hence Is not .
fit preservative for meat used as DIET:
found boracic acid in two specimens ana
saiicyic acid In one a.,
Dr. Murdoch in reply to que questions ms thy Dy
Of Some preservative could delay the taint'
ing of the outside of the meat. II 1t was
exposed to The sunshine IN moist M cilTase ,Ss
kind is not used l cannot zee how meat
can be kept a great length Of time in a
moist climate And ,d shaf rsc3 outside sh sGas
OF the meat as ration
How long would refrigerator beef that
had been refrigerated considerable length
of time keep after 1t had been removed
from the refrigerator in hot climate and
a low altitude without any artificial coat
ing?" ,n,a. ,,.. :, .,,,, 40, loo,
more than a few hours: six or eight hours. y
Have YOU ever found horseilesh put up
in cans and sold on the market here in
Chicago?"
NOT put in cans. but have had samples
brought 10 me purporting to be fresh beef
from the market, and have found some OF
these samples to be horsetiesh instead OF
beef
DR.. John c. Burne. Of Chicago. who was
assistant surgeon .! the Second Illinois
volunteers while the regiment was at Jack
sorville. stated that he had condemned the
refrigerator beef several times before II
left the wagon which brought II. He had
also returned some of II TO the cars, TAX
ing II back in wagons and telling the agent
of Swift L. Co. that he could not use IL
He had refused the meat seven times in
one month on account of the bad odor and
bad taste. The men complained bitterly
that they could not eat it.
Albert c. Manns. the chemist, of Armou,
& Co. testified that a large number OF
chemicals were used in the manufacturing
department. but nore in the packing house
except bofax and bOracic acid. which were
used in packing some goods for the foreign
markets.
The witness stated that the refrigerator
beef sent TO the army was shipped in the
usual way and that nc chemicals were used
on it.
w. Clark Marshall said he had been a
specialist In meat provisions since ls4S al.
though he had not been in any of the es-
Adjustments in seven or eight years
please explain the nature and character
of your experience with reference to can
ned meats. more particularly canned roas,
beef so called said Major Lee.
Il have investigated and experimental
in the matter since 1sis. The process OF
canning meat to-day robs the meat OF
an its nutrition. leaving nothing but fiber.
it entirely unit for human food. The gov
ernment chemist describes 1t as a mass OF
insoluble matter In the packing houses
this mass of insolubie matter would
come under the head OF tankase and would
be used as fertilizer.
How long viii canned roast beef keep
IF properly canned it will keep for