The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-23
NOSE ABOUT ARMY BEEF.
centlnura from Fir, rage.


The fact that the meat was different
ftufn amy thqt had ever tasted and that
o. made me siok.
y. y. Robinson, travelling representa-
tive Of the chemical urm of Charles Pfizer
& Co., New York, testified that he had
formerly solicited orders and sold chemi'
Gals to the packing trRdo lie said that his
firm sold 20 packing houses large quanti-
ties OF boric acid and other chemicals but
that so far as he knew, such chemicals
were never applied to fresh beef, they
were used for export PORK.
horace g.. Gardner OF swift & Co. re-
called, gave lisa Of the chemicals used In
the departments Ct TINT establishment.
ee said tint in tbs Refrigerated beef de-
parttncut, no chemicals were used and
that he never knew OF salicylic acid being
used on tho premises for any purpose.
Albert q, Manns. the chemist of Ar
mour u Co, testified that "a large number
81 chemicals were used in the msnufac-
turing department but none In the pack
ingsdepRrtmcnt except hornS and boraeic
aciu, which were used in packing some
goods for the foreign market. The wit
ness stated that no chemicals were used
on the refrigerated beef sent to the army.
Witness said he had seen "preservative"
and. also analysed It. Its main ingredi-
ents were borax anu 1t was used for pre-
serving vegetables, milk, cheese, butter,
etc.
John Eiefma, private OF Co E, First
Illinois volunteers, afterwards sassigped
TO provisional battalion of engineers for
duty in Porto Rico, testified that in all
cases the men in his battalion refused to
eat the canned roast beef unless abso-
Iutely driven 20 1t. They said it was un-
palatabie, their stomaChs rebelled against
81 and they were attacked with vomiting
after eabing it. Inc surgeon told the men
Ion of ff<esrl fetG hnnf xru n RI
eat ana that he ooh d not do anything
with his IN dieines as long as they were
compelled to cot it. He also condemned
the canned beef
" Clark Marshall testified that he had
tCsp = specialist IN meat and provisions
ince iS4S lie said
The present process Of canning roast
meat deprives it of all its nutrition leav
ing nothing but fibre, fat and aelatine in
tue can, / consider il entirely unit for
human food. The government chemist
describes 10 as a mass of insoluble matter
II the packing houses this matter of
insoluhle matter would como dnder the
head OF Jankage and would be used as
fertilizer. 1here nrs thousands OF ex-
perimsnts in colleges known to all scien'
tiefs TO show that animals fed with 1t
will s'arye to death. Canned corned
teef-
Col. Davis here objected to any testi-
mony from tho witness which did not
rnlste strictly to the objects of the in
quirv. In reply TO Major Lee, the wilt
ness stated that he knew where o. NAL
leys slaughter house used to be loca ed.
lie also knew OF Il herd of 30 or 40 con-
dcmnod cattle being driven there for
slaughter. He saw some of these cattle
the next day in @ city market He knew
of the carcasses going afterwards to
canning estab ishment he would not
give the name of the concern unless the
firm denied it. The cattle had pleuru-
pneuuIonlG. This occurred Is months be-
fore DIR. Deyoe took charge of the bureau
of animal Industry At the sock yards
flow long will canned roast beef
keep"
ii properly canned it will keep for 90
The witness stated that the present
process robbed the meat of its nutriment
and the sterilizing feature OF it generated
gas which tainted the meat
Is fresh beef prior to or during ship
ment directly or Indirectly treated with
any chemicals
IA man would be fool if hs did not
treat 1t chemically under ordinary refrig-
GRAFTON, because meat going from here to
London could lot be sent there under the
ordinary temperature of the ice house
without having on It's arrival deposit
Of atmospheric germs and the meat would
be unsalabie in London"
Witness did not think there WAS any
harm in so treating beef If it were done
intelligently.
Capt II. p. Wainwright, First U. 5.
cavalry, said that in Cuba the canned
fdAst beef was generally eaten by his
men. There was general dissatisfaction,
however, with Ii on account Of its un-
paiatableness and Incorporating quail
ties.
Lewis Is. Wilson, who served with the
seventh company OF the volunteer signal
corps in Porto Rico, testified that on all
o. casious the men in his company COM
plained Of the canned roast beet as
nauseating, nnpalatable and unfit 10 ear.
Not more than ten per cent of that is
sued 20 his company was consumed.
The members Of the court left for the
East tonight and win meet in New York
Saturday.