The San Francisco call., 1899-04-21
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The foregoing letter of Nelson A Miles
to President Hammond of the Butchers
Board of Trade leads up to an interest
ing story
The Government purchase of 100000
pounds of dressed beef for the soldiers at
Manila, as reported in a recent tele-
graphic dispatch, has created a mild SEN
sation among the meat men of this city.
The further information that twelve car
loads or about 800 dressed beeVes were
already en- route to this city to be shipped
TO the Philippines has aroused great
deal of unfavorable comment.
1t is claimed by many that the car
casses are being forwarded in an "em-
balmed" state by the very firms who
sent their unwholesome meat to Santiago
The further fact that the heavy order was
placed with Kansas City firms instead
of with local meat dealers has caused
many inquiries to be made by butchers
as to why this was done when this city
is on the seaboard and Kansas City is in
the interior.
Samuel c. Hammond, president Of the
Butchers Board of Trade and member
of the well-known firm of Hammond q
Brod. discussed the subject at length yes
terday He read the dispatch and being
vitaIly interested in the matter he made
an investigation on his own account and
rendered an opinion without any hesita-
ton.
"The meat to be shipped from here"
he said ''is handled in the same manner
and by the same firms that sent the en-
balmed' beef to the soldiers at Santiago,
and in my opinion the experience with it
in Manila will not be any better than in
Cuba.
Embalmed,' as applied TO beef, was
first used in this city about six years ago
to describe an odor and taste which be-
longed peculiarly to meat killed ana pre-
served by artificial means, and is not due
as much to the use of chemicals as II is to
the method of dressing and preserving
meat after killing cattle as is done by the
big meat trust.
taste because Immediately on their ar
rival at the abattoirs, while in fever
ish and heated condition due to their trip
on the cars. they are slaughtered as
quickly as possible, washed in hot water
and run into coolers with all the animal
heat stiI in the carcass. This is done
to save in weight what would be other
wise lost by the evaporation during the
first twenty-four hours, which would
amount under average conditions to from
twenty-five to forty pounds per carcass,
and in money would represent, according
to the statement of the number killed by
one Kansas City house to a saving of
more than $4,000 per month.
THE animal heat and moisture retained
in the carcass together Wlth W.T.. tne lacI aoJ
rooms, or worse still. cars, for quite a
length of time, is what causes that taste
baimed' After being kept more than ten
days in a cooler, particularly If the tenn
perature is allowed TO vary more or less
a few degrees, beard, begins to form.
this beard being nothing more than
mold exactly the same as would form
on any article kept in dark, damp place,
and is the forerunner OF rapid decompo-
stion and naturally adds to the vile taste
/ a InlnE
BILE.
at certainly seems a shame that the
Government should enter into a contract
to supply our soldiers with more of the
same disgusting, unhealthful meats after
the experience we have had in Cuba.
How can ii be expected that it will prove
any more satisfactory or less deadly in
Manila, where the climatic conditions are
the same, if not worse, than 1t did in
Santiago, as 1t is prepared in exactly the
same manner and by the identical firms
in both cases.
while protectionist and a strong be-
lever in home industries, would rather
see the meats for our soldiers bought in
Australia, where the packers are either
more honest and certainly have less in
fluence with our Major General Eagans,
or else have more successful way of
preserving fresh killed meat. This plan
might be much better, as 1t would result
in giving our soldiers chance of being
killed by Mausers and not by the ra-
tions served by their own Government.
Just why this order for 1,500 900 pounds
OF beef ShOulu be placeQ at a point so
far removed from seaboard, than on this
coast, which has produced so many cattle
as to make the price of beef much lower
here than in any place in the world, Aus
traia alone possibly excepted, has / see
caused much comment. On investigation
il will! be found that our herds have been
much depleted during the last two years
and to take from this market the neces-
sary cattle to fill this large order would
practically cause a beef famine here and
prices would necessarily go up to figure
unheard of heretofore.
1.-THE reason of the scarcity Of cattle
on this coast at the present time is due
to the drought of the last two years
During the season of 1897 a very small
amount of rain fell and the season of
1898 was almost totally dry. there not
being enough water in the rivers to allow
irrigation to land situated so as to re-
ceive it. Feed for cattle became so scarce
that large percentage simply starved to
death In some sections the loss was al
most total: in others. where convenient
to shipping points, the cattle that were
still able to move and stand the strain O,
travel were either sent by their owners to
other points where food could be obtained
or were sold TO spectators at ruinous
prices The latter then shipped them to
Nebraska and other Eastern points where
corn was selling from s to 10 cents ner
bushel, and were there fattened and sold
on the Eastern market The representa- :
tive of an Eastern dressed beef firm who
was here previous to our last copious
-4.Il l-,Al l.