The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-18
N bRNOUR'S PLANT
Beef Court Watches the En-
tire Packing Process.
QUERIES AS TO GAMERS
Put TO Employees of the Ar
mOurS, and Others.
QUERIES AS TO GAMERS

Kansas City, Mo-, March 1.-THE army
beef court of inquiry arrived here from
Omaha at o'clock this morning and was
chartered in the Midland hotel. During
the morning an hour and a half was spent
in inspecting the Armour packing plant,
from which more than 1,000.0 coo pounds of
canned roast beef was sold to the govern
ment during the recent war. In the after
noon two hours and d half were spent in
examining witnesses. Soon after the
courts arrival here this morning a brief
session was held. 1t was decided that as
the Armour company was The only local
firm that supplied meat TO the army, its
plant alone would be visited The party
was driven TO the plant in carriages at 10
o'clock. William NJ. Miles, general man
ager, and Superintendent TourteLot pilot
ed the party through the different depart
ments, each Of which, with the exception
Of the killing room, which was not visit
ed, was inspected critically. They watched
the process of canning, sterilizing and
roasting. The foreman declared that no
preseryatives had ever been used in can
ming the roast beef. The court returned
to the hotel uptown at noon and began
taking testimony at 2:15. Eleven witnesses
We're examined. Nothing sensational was
divulged. Tomorrow further evidence VIII
be taken and later. probably tomorrow,
the court viii go 10 Fort Leavenworth.
Kan. and take the testimony Of some Of
the regulars recently returned from Cuba
William D. Miles, general manage Of
the Armour plant, was the first witness
called. He said that his company had fur-
nshed the government with 100000
pounds Of canned roast beef during the
war. 1t was sold 10 Commissary Eagan
at Washington and Comnlissary Woodruff
at New York. The meat was inspected at
Nozzle ara other points of delivery in the
south. Two carloads of the million pounds
were returned from Mobile and three car
loads from jacksonville. On its return to
Kansas City the company inspected the
meat and found that less than one-half
of one Per cent was bad. That from Mo-
bile, witness said, had never been inspect
Cd there. The returned meat was put
back into stock and possibly some Of it
re-sold to the government One portion
o. l. was rc-sold to a foreign government
and accepted
EH-Consressnan Mason S. Peter, who
was formerly in the livestock COMMIT lion
business N Kama City, and Lionel a. J.or,-
non, commission man, defined Gamers
as quoted in the daily market reports.
H. L. Antoine, foreman a Armours can
ming department, told of his department
working night and day during MAY and
June, 1898. to fill the governments orders
Because of the big demand Cor ''carners''
it was Necessary 10 XII fresh cattle Of !
hiGher grade M ally used. NJ,wi;h-
sta'Ging the rush, proper preca"lion r
packing was taken, and all cans were T.
specteG four times before they q the
pant. The reject'cns amounted ore
half of one per cent.
L. T. Ranbo swore that IN June, 1896.
he was in the employ of the Armour COM
pany and helped in the canning depart
ment He frequently nailed up eases.
Cans would often swell up and burst. In
reply to a question witness declared that
some days as much as a third of the cans
prepared were rejected for this and other.
reasons.
Mr.. Antoine was recalled and denied that
Rambo had worked in the canning depart
ment at the time stated or that the num-
her Of cans rejected reached the amount
alleged by Rambo. Antoine said that a
record was kept of all cans rejected. and
the court instructed him to bring this rec
ord before If tomorrow.
:. r. Morse, who has charge Of the kill
ing at Armour's. said that all cattle PASS
Ing through his hands bore tags showing
governmental inspection He had no
knowledge of chemicals being used in pre-
serving meats. and said that it could not
have been so used without his knowledge
Dr. 5. Z. Bennett Of the bureau of ami
NAL industry in Kansas City. and Thomas
W. Carmichael. a government meat in
spoctor, said the proportion of cattle re-
Jected because of disease or for other rea-
sons Was from one to nine per day, rarely
as hich as eight
John spence, foreman Of the cutting de-
parment, testified as 10 the good quality
Of cattle used for canning.
DR. Ernest W. Slusher. hospital steward
Of the Third Missouri volunteers. said that
while stationed at Fort Meade. Pa he
was one morning called 20 attend ff.-
members OF the regiment. who were vOr7-
ii'Hg. II was his opinion that they had
neen made sick by eating spoiled canned
eorred hef The matter was not investi-
gated The cans. he thought. bore the label
OF Libby. Mcneil & Libby.
Carl Hol5sehue a member If T~oo-
First United States volunteer cavalry s.f7
there was NJ. complaint OF +ba canned
roast beef served on the voyage f-o-,,
Tampa 70 Cuba. I'm Cuba. I'D - J7n- %
.-t-