The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-16


p1dlntS about the canned roast beef. -
ne said The complaint about the
canned roast beef was that it was nau-
seating. Specimens were brought TO me
Tor examination. and found them very
repuislVe. The meat had disagree
able smell. l made frequent represen-
tauons to General Grant about the
canned roast beef, but he insisted that
the trouble was hack of knowledge on
the part of the cooks"
Mayor Joseph A. Sanborn of Chicago.
major of the First Illinois volunteers.
testified that the roast canned beef was
unpalatable. He inspected the refrige-
Tator beef. Two issues out of three
We're IN line condition, but the third
was condemned, because decomposi-
ton had set in. The witness attribut-
ed the spelling of the meat to the neg
lect of those charged with the duty of
issuing it to the men.
George Lees. the next witness gave
his occupation as that of a packing
house expert putting up machinery
ana apparatus for large packing houses.
He said he was familiar with the
classes of cattle delivered in Chicago.
What. are 'canners?' asked Major
Lee.
What is generally termed Gamers
are a very inferior class of cattle; l
think one third of them would be con-
0t1li1lGQ III any EgISllSn llldThGI.
and sometimes, meat Scraped off the
plates are used for canning
About what per cent of nutriment
would be left in the meat that goes in
the can?"
Little or none"
MAGGOTS IN THE MEAT.
William H. Replogle testified that he
served in the hospital corps at Porto
Rico and that canned roast beef was
frequently served to the corps. He
had seen three or four cans open with
naggotS running out of them. Witness
stated that at Guayamo he saw piece
of cooked fresh beef which had mag
gots in it.
In reply to Major Lee, the witness
told of the sickness of one Thompson,
who had nothing whatever to eat the
first day after landing. The second day
he was given corned beef and bareback,
but had no way OF making coffee. The
man became very SICK and died within
a week
After considering in executive ses-
sion the matter of calling more wit
nesses, the court took a recess until
O'Clock.
AT the afternoon session First Ser
geant Albert Salavin of the Seventh
United States infantry, testified that.
some of the men complained that the
AS to refrigerator beef, some of it
spoiled-about half of it, and It was
buried.
Captain D. II. Boughton, Third cav
airy, testified that in his command the
officers drew the same ration as the
men while in Cuba. 1.-The complaint
about the canned beef" he said was
that the men could not eat the meat
and would not eat it unless absolutely
compelled TO do so to appeaSe hunger.
When the cans were opened the first
thing that struck the observer was the
repulsive uninviting appearance of the
contents. DiaTrhoea broke out in my
camp some time after the surrender
and IN general converse ton among the
officers we attributed it in part TO the
meat"
What complaints were there as to
the refrigerated beef?p
we think that was bad. Sometimes
half Of the quarter of refrigerated beef
furnished would be unfit for use. Sub
seqUent tG the surrender our command
did not receive a sufficient allowance
OF food"
UNFIT FOR FOOD.
In reply to Major Lee the witness
said that canned roast beef was abso-
lutely unfit for ration.
DO you consider canned roast beef
wholesome for the American soldier?''
1t is exceedingly unwnolesome. 1t
tastes like chips. There is no sub
stance, and the fat and grease is repul-
size
Colonel Henry L. Turner, who went
To Cuba in command of the First Hi
neis infantry, and became a brigadier
general, was the next witness. He said
that on the way TO Cuba, there was a
good deal Of unofficial complaint about
the canned roast beef, and the result
Of an official complaint was that the
surgeon condemned a lot of it, and it
was thrown overheard. The cans had
swollen, and the meat was very bad.
In reply to Major Lee. the witness
stated that he tried to eat some Of tie
canned beef, but it nauseated him. and
he could not do it. 1t certainly was
unfit for a ration in the warm climate.
He regarded ii as a contributing cause
of the sickness of the men. He had
also tried to eat the refrigerated beef,
but could not, as il gave him diarrhoea.
First Lieutenant NJ. F. Davis Of the
First cavalry was called upon request
of Major Lee. He said that in Cuba
the men opened all the cans of roast
beef issued to them, but only consumed
oRe-half of the contents on an average;
the rest was thrown away because it
was unfit to eat. The contents OF the
can he said. would be about three
quarters sUet, not what you would call
meat. Perhaps One-QuarUer or one
fifth Of the can would be good fibre
meat; the rest appeared to be tailings
or clippings. Sometimes a can would
be entirely spoiled.
CAN OF MAGGOTS.
Witness said he once opened a can
which smelled bad; he examined it and
found maggots in it.
Major Lee-HoW did the maggotS get
in there2
They We're canned in there"
Colonel Davis--Are you aware that
in the process OF canning this meat I'M
dergoes such an intense heat that no
animal life could survive in il?
4 don't mean to say they We're alive;
they were dead /
Major Lee-You are positive about (
the identity Of the animal?
Yes, sir; quite positive"
In consequence of the canned roast /
beef not being sufficiently sustaining, (
and not having nutriment in it, did /
your men lack for food?'
They did,
Colonel Gillespie-What was the name |
of this brand that you found with mag /
cots in it?
1T was Swift's & Cos. brand"
Are You certain Of that?'
Il am certain"
The court adjourned to meet in
Omaha tomorrow.
PACKING HOUSE FRAUDS.