The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-23
BUT LITTLE MEAT FOUND BAD.
EXAMINATION OF CANNED ROAST
BEEF HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

Mai. Ruthers, Depot COmmissary,
Found 2,726 POundsN of Spoiled
Beef in 562,G2S POunds-Thirty Men
Worked a Week on the Examine
tiOn-AII the Beef VIII Be Sent 10
Cuba on the COmRI-Maj. Ruthers
Believes "A Little Salt Lacking Is
the Only Trouble With the Roast
Beef-Thinkx the War Department
Was Wise in Providing 1t for the
Army.
4 careful exarninati ton of the canned
roast beef in the storehouses Of the depot
| cemmisssary officer at Savannah has been
| completed and a very small percentage of
| spoiled meat has been found. Five hun
dred and sixty-two thousand six hundred
and twenty-eight pounds of the beef In
two-pound cans were examined, and
only 2,726 pounds were found in bad
| condition. This is less than one-hah of
per cent of the entire quantity exam
ined.
The inspection Of the beef was begun
| some days ago. and a week was required
for its completion. Thirty men were at
work all this time. Maj G. w. Ruthers,
depot commissary officer. desired to salts
fly himself that the meat he is sending
out is in good condition, and for this rea-
son the examination was made. He
had received no orders to examine the
beef he had on hand.
The search through this great number
| of cans disclosed a smarter percent
age of spoiled meat than any other that
has been reported. Some time ago an ex-
animation was made In Cuba OF some of
the beef that had been shipped on the
| Comal from Savannah, but the number
of cans reported as bad far exceeded, in
comparison, those that the examination
| here showed. In that case the examina-
ton showed a percentage of about four
spoiled cans. Another examina ton in
Cuba showed a greater percentage, but
this test was hardly a fair one. Maj.
Ruthers thinks as it was largely guess
work, only a part OF the shipment hav-
ing been examined and the general esti-
mate Of good and bad cans being made up
from the result
Mai. Ruthers believes that 1t is safe
to conclude that the meat is good in those
cans that show no outward evidence of
decomposition. If the meat is spoiled, he
| believes the can itself will show it. If
there is no outward visual evidence the
| olfactory nerves viii aid in the discovery,
| for the odor of decaying roast beef is all
pervadlng, and the dullest nose cannot
| miss its warning. For this reason he is
sure the test that has been made Is a corr
rect one, and he Is ready to bank on the
cans that have passed the inspection hold
| ing sound roast beef.
The beef examined is all that remains
IN or ataznNnaz
| found bad was carried away to the ere
matory and destroyed. The rest will be
| loaded on the Comal as soon as she ar
rives from New York. She left there
yesterday, according to a telegram received
| by Maj. Ruthers and should be in by
| tomorrow. The beef, with other supplies
| will be sent to Cuba for the relief of the
| Cubans, who are in need of provisions that
| cannot be secured, except through the min
| istrations of this government
The Corral viii take about 100000 ra-
| tons. BY ration" is meant a supply
| Of provisions for one man for one day.
| When the vessel gets away with the sup
| plies on this trip she will have carried
about 100000 rations from Savannah The
greater quantity of the supplies for Gu
| bans that have left this country have
gone through this port. In all. there have
been about 100000 rations sent over. AT
| first these We're distributed from the yes
| sci by the commissary officer in charge
| but lately 1t has been the custom 10 turn
all the rations over to the depot commits
! sary officers at the ports visited by the
| vessel, and by these officers the ratioAs
| nave been distributed among the Cubans
| The canned roast beef on hand will
| constitute part of the cargo of the Comal
| on her next trip. Mai. Ruthers would
| not be surprised 20 learn that the meat
has been subjected to another examination
| after 1t arrives in Cuba. Officers in the
island have been making it a point. prob
| ably on account OF the Investigation Of
meat matters that is being made. 10 loolr
| carefully into the condition of all thai
| reaches Cuba. on the last shipment Mai
| Ruthers had not assured himself as he
| has in this case, and he could not oues-
! tion the report of the examinations mat
! were made. This time, however. he wifi
! be IN a position to compare notes with
/ any officers who may declare a percent
! age Of the canned beef they will receive
! b. the Comal to be bad
Maj. Ruthers is a staunch believer A.,
| canned roast beef AS a commissarv Of
| tcer of long experience his opinion re-
| garding the meat should be worth some
thing. He says there is one possible oh
lection 10 the meat and this is in the
| quantity OF salt that was put into n
! There is not enough salt, he declares 10
suit the taste of the a,aroo, -
r1sn When he has issued the
heef TO soldiers he has also is
sued pepper and salt for Its seasoning
His issues have included canned corneS
beef at the same time, the two meats he
ing given out in about equal quantities
| and serving as an issue of one ration 81
meat Mai Ruthers believes the roast
beef finer grade than the corned beef
and he thinks the war department having
| in providing a large quantity of the form
| er adopted a wise measure and one whose
| benefits would have been seen had n been
| necessary for the troops to have conducted
an arduous and long campaign. The meal
he believes, would have been far superior
to bacon as regular ration and the men
would have appreciated It more. There
has been too much camp-lfe. in Mai
Ruthers' opinion. for a proper apprecia
ton of the things campaigning would
show up as excellent.
There will probably be no further shin
ments of canned roast beef to Savannah.
IT has not been stricken from the list of