Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-02
THE RICHMOND DIsPArCH-THURsDAY. MARCH 2 1881
NEAT MEN HEARD.
THEY DESCRIBE THEIR PROCESSES
M srAuGHTERING AND Packing.
The QUESTION Is TO CHEMICALS.
Absolutely Nothing but Cold Air re-
lied on for Preservation of Dressed
Reef. IL IL Stated-How Tuesdays
Test Resulted.

| WASHINGTON, March 1.-The court OF
inquiry into the beef charges held a lons
session to-day. examining officers and en-
listed men and representatives, OF west
| ern meat firms The meat-packers' rep
resentatives gave practically the same
testimony they had previously presented
to the War Investigating Commission
! hut II IS understood that this was only
| to get their general statement on the
| courts record. and that their examlna-
| ton to-day will be followed by a more
detailed examination into specific mel
| dents connected with the meat iurhlsheu
| in Cuba and Porto Rico during the war.
Major Jesse Lee, who has attended the
| court for several days, it being UNDER
stood that he was present In DehalI Oh
| General Miles, appeared to-day TAKING
notes and formulating questions lie was
| allowed TO question the men OF his own
regiment, but his questions to other VII
nesses were taken under advisement by
| the court, and it was understood de-
| cision would be reached tomorrow as 10
| Major Lees standing before the court
BACON PREFERRED.
Colonel Gallagher, of the Subsistence
| DEPARTMENT. who was at Santiago. tes-
titled that when complaints began to
come in from the front against the can
ned roast beef, bacon was substituted as
far as possible. There were large sup
plies of canned roast beef, Colonel Gal
lagher said, but 1t was fed TO the Cuban
troops and Santiago refugees, who pre-
ferred II to bacon. As there were more
Cubans and refugees to be fed than there
were soldiers, the canned roast beef did
not go amiss. As soon as the army
moved into Santiago Colonel Gallagher
began the issue of refrigerated beef, I'M
der Colonel Weston's directions. There
were some complaints here as to the re-
frigerated beef and about 1900 pounds
were condemned, TO the knowledge Of the
witness. His only previous experience
with refrigerated beef had been a Camp
Thomas, where there was no complaint.
The beef issued at Santiago was as good
as he had ever seen before. He had no
reason to believe that any Of the re-
frigerated beef had been chemically
treated in any way.
ATE THE BEEF WITH RELISH.
Major John Guthrie, Fifteenth Infantry,
who was with his regiment in the San
tago campaign was next called He was
wounded during the assault on the Span
ish lines. and spent some time in the hos
pital at Siboney He said he had can Of
roast beef with him the night before the
IT,
palatable as some beef he had eaten. but
IL was wholesome. While he was in the
hospital al Siboney he saw the meat used
in stews and in other ways. He was too
feveTish 20 eat il himself, but he saw
other officers eat it with relish.
RESULT OF TUESDAYS TEST.
DR.. J. c. Borden then reported on the
beef experiment tried on the enlisted men
yesterday. Or. Borden said that in pre-
pairing the various sorts Of meat yester
day. one plate Of stew was from canned
meat that had gone to Porto Rico and
BACK, one was Of canned beef bought i'm
open market, a third was Of fresh beef
bought in the market here and boiled tho
roughly, while a fourth was of fresh beef
par-boiled eight minutes, and subsequent
ly roasted half an hour. The last was the
way in which the packing-houses said
their canned roast beef was prepared.
Four other plates OF the same variety OF
meat were served cold. As a result of the
test four OF the enlisted men picked out
the Porto Rico canned beef as what they
had eaten in Cuba; two selected the cam
ned meat bought in open market, and two |
picked out the fresh beef. which had been !
simply boiled. or the cold meat, two men |
picked the Porto Rico canned beef. four |
the canned beef bought in open market, |
and two the boiled fresh beef. None OF |
them picked out the fresh beef boiled and |
roasted according to the packing-hOuse |
receipt.
MEAT GENERALLY SATISFACTORY" |
Major George II. Sands, of the Engineer |
Corps, testified that his experience with |
the canned roast beef had been rather
more limited than that of some of the
other officers who had testified, but said
that on the whole it had proved a salts
factory ration. The refrigerated beef re-
ceved at his camp usually had to be
trimmed before being used, but lost little
weight in this way, and was generally
satisfactory.
ARMOUR'S PROCESSES.
Arthur Meeker, general manager for
Armour & Co., described in a general way
and at length the process Of purchasing
and Strengthening cattle and of packing
meats by his firm. The recital was identi-
cal in detail with the testimony given by
all the packing house representatives 10
the War Investigation Commission.
Colonel Davis then turned TO the chemi-
cal phase Of the controversy. and asked:
What agent do you depend on for the
preservation OF dressed beef?'
cold air" witness replied; absolutely
nothing else"
Regarding canned roast beef, witness
said there was no distinction between
the packing cattle and those for refrise-
rating, except tndt the Gamers ana pack
ers were leaner, SO as not to get so much
fat i'm the can. The leanest part of the
carcass was selected for packing.
BEEF EXTRACT.
Witness said his company turned out
about 100000 pounds Of canned meats
last year. The only by-product of the
canned beef was the water in which the
meat was boiled which furnished IAN
amount of beef extract
Pressed 10 say how much beef extract
would be made In packing a hundred
pounds of beef, witness pleaded igno-
rance of the exact figures, adding that
il was impossible 10 extract more than
H. or . per cent. Of nutrment He said
that the beef extract business done by
his company was incOnsderable
WOLSELEY ENDORSEMENT.
certified copy Of a letter from Lord
Wolseley. of the British army, was pre-
scented to the court in which he spoke
i'm very favorable terms OF 'tinned meats
and vegetables" for practical use in tropic
The testimony Of the other
Of packing companies re-
vealed nothing new.
Don't Swallow Nnuseating Capsules,
but take Groves Tasteess Quinine Pow