The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-10

Chicago, March 9.-The court Of in
curry to examine the beef question to-
day began it's work in this city, where
are located the plants of the packers
which held the contracts for supplying
the army with animal food. Two of the
members, Brigadier General George w.
Davis, and Lieutenant Colonel George
r. Davis, the judge advocate and re-
corder, reached here Wednesday night
and the other two members, Major
General James w. Wade and Brigadier
General George L. Gillespie arrived this
morning.
A short executive session was held at
the army headquarters in the Pullman
building and it resulted in decision to
defer the taking of testimony until af-
ter an inspection had been made of the
packing houses at the stockyards,
where the refrigerated beef and o ned
beef are prepared. The court began in
the killing room. The next place Wis
tied was the cooling room. Here were
found several halves of beef which had
been condemned, either because the
beef was badly bruised or gave evil
dence that the animal had had tubercu-
losis. This condemned beef had been
placed by itself and while the court
was present, men came in to remove
1t to the rendering tanks, preparatory
to turning it into fertilizer. The court
examined these tanks carefully, posi-
bly, in view Of the statement that the
carcasses passed through them. There
certainly was no evidence of such pas
sage. From this room the court was
taken to the one in which the meat is
prepared for canning, and saw the men
at work cutting up the meat. The next
room visited was the canning depart
ment. Here the cooked meat was
brought in in huge caldrons, deposited
on a platform and put into cans by
machinery, the cans removed and seal
ed, only a pinhole being left open in the
top. Next the cans We're put under an
iron tank, where they were subjected
to a heat of $50 degrees-the sterilizing
process. While the court was in this
room, a number of cans of roast beef
which had an old appearance and
which it was said had been in Porto
Rico, were opened. The meat inside
was good and the members of the court
tasted it. Subsequently the court was
shown through the printing, packing
and other branches. Barring the kill
ing room everything about the estab-
lishment was very clean.
After leaving the yards the court
went to the bureau of animal indus
try-a branch Of the agricultural de-
partment-and obtained some informa-
ton from Mr.. w. S. Devoe, who is in
charge. They read the law governing
the inspection of animals and inquired
as to the details of the work Of in
spection. Inspectors are stationed in
the yards proper and they condemn any
diseased cattle they see. The inspect
ors at the packing houses supplement
their work by examining the carcasses
after slaughter and throw out any bear
ing evidence of pulmonary trouble
Tomorrow morning the court will go
to the stockyards and spend the entire
day there in going over three other
packing houses. 1t is not likely that
any testimony will be taken before Sat
urday morning. 1t is quite likely that
the evidence taken will be confined to
that of the foreman or workmen, who
have personal knowledge of the prepa-
ration of refrigerated beef and canned
roast beef for consumption.