Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-09
Not In The Last Like the En-
balmiDs Process.
OTHER PROCESSES IN MARKET
His Own Uxed Only ExperimentaIIy
on n Cnr-LOad of Armour Dccf Sent
TO Tampa, and Was Officially
Commended.
Commended.

WASHINGTON. April s.-John Rusch,
or Englewood, y. j.. cook for the Second
New Jersey Regiment while the latter
was at Jacksonville, opened the testimony
In the army beef Inquiry to-day. He de-
clared that it was common talk among
the soldiers that all the meat sent south
was embalmed. The story became preva-
lent, and the men refused TO eat the meat.
which, he testified, was rotten. often
Shiny in appearance, ana there were fire.
quent complaints that it made the men
sick" After being fried, It tasted like
straw. and had a peculiar smell, as If
decayed.
Mr.. Alexander r.. Powell, OF New York,
the proprietor Of the Powell beef pre-
servative process, followed Rusch on the
stand. He explained at some length that
he was sole owner Of the Powell process
for preserving fresh meats without the
use Of ice; that the formula was a secret.
and that it was not patented, because so
eminently simple. He declared emphati-
cally that neither boracic nor s~alycilic
acid was used in the process. nor. he
added, us there any injection or INNER
sion in chemicals. The process IS applied
by fumigation."
APPLICATION OF PROCESS.
Mr.. Powell then gave the particulars OF
his treatment Of a carload OF Armour's
beef, which was sent to Tampa in the
spring of 1898. When he heard that the
contract was to be given by the govern
ment he reached the conclusion that the
government ought to nave the use Of the
process, and he had written TO the
President, to General Miles, and TO Gene
raj Eagan, asking where he should apply
to have the process used. General Eagan
had replied, saying the department was
not engaged In purchasing any process.
but that it could only deal with those who
would supply the meat, and guarantee
mat 1t should keep. He said the process
was applied to a car of six carcasses Of
beef at Chicago. owned by Armour x
co. He had made the ARRANGEMENT with
Mr.. COnnOrs, the superintendent Of Ar
mour IL Co., arguing that they should
nave the preference in the use Of the
process for the use Of the government.
These carcasses were taken to Tampa the
EF f'fR - NAtN tA0AF AAAh tUlDllfl
Weston secured four of the carcasses. ex-
posing them in the sun for about eighty
hours. 1t was after this exposure that
Colonel Weston, Of the Commissary De-
partment, made his report, which was
cOmmendatory. He said later that not to
his knowledge had Armour * Co. used
the process during the war; nor had il
ever been used by any one. except him
self. There were, however. other beef
p~reservative processes in the market.
NOT AT ALL LIKE EAIBALMING.
Does your process resemble the en-
balming process at all?' asked Major
Lee.
Not in the least" replied Mr.. Powell.
"but / see no reason why it could not be
so used-why human bodies could not be
preserved by its use. However. there is
no resemblance 10 the embalming pro- !
cess"
Mr.. Powell said he had known Of hotels
in which beef prepared by him had been
used for the past five years, and in
which it ave the best satisfaction. He
had been shipping to the Compile du Barry
for ten years, and he would have no other
beef. He had only q verbal contract
with Armour d Co., but the understanding
was that if that firm got the contract
they were to have the exclusive control
Of the process during the continuation of
that contract only. He was to nave 20
cents per 100 for its ~use-about 500 per
carload. He had not attempted 10 make
any arrangement with Swift * Co, the
successful bidders. at the time, but after
the battle of Santiago he had written to
Mr.. Swift on the subject. furnishing him
a piece of beef that had been treated.
Nothing. however, had come of it.
WILL DISCOLOR BEEF.
MI. Powell said he made no claim that
his process would not discOior beef. Any
process would cause a change in appear
ance. After the use of his process beef
would look like meat that had been in cold
storage for about two weeks. darkening
the grain and bleaching the fat. There
would be a smell of sulphur for an hour,
as sulphur was one of the articles used
in fumigation.
He considered It impossible to keep
fresh meat for seventy-two hours after
a refrigerator without a preserva-
tive process. and he was of the opinion
that any agreement TO keep it so long in
the climate of Cuba after taking II out
of the refrigerator must involve some
preventative process. He thought that II
thoroughly frozen il would keep from
twelve to twenty hours, and not longer.
ONE OF DE CAINDRY MEMORANDA
FOUND.
Captain George h.. Davis, who was Gene
raj Eagan's principal assistant in the
Commissary-GeneyaTs Department, made
a brief statement; in response to Mr.. De
caindry. He said that his charge OF the
dles OF the COmmissary-GeneraIs once
was only p%erfunctory, and that he had a
eoorch made for the memoranda whlch
Mr. DE Caindry had reported as missing,
and had found one OF them. lie had
never removed any papers from the flies.
The reading of the reports of officers
was then proceeded with by Major Lee
Thev were OF the same tenor as these
read yesterday.
colonel Davis announced at the begin
ming of the afternoon session that The
curt had decided to adhere TO its former
lecision 10 summon only such OF the ad-
I,,tonal witnesses suggested by ''enerai
Miles as could give testimony upon points
oot already covered by the inquiry. Al
ter the reading OF the additional reports
he board adjourned until Monday.
THE BEEF DESTROYED AT HABANA
WASHINGTON. April S-A cable as
,atch was received at the War Depart
to-day from Colonel Smith, chiei
.omnissary at Habana. I'm reply 10 a re-
NEST for IN regarding III" re