The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-16
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS MADE
NO PRESERVATIVEs FOUND IN
CANNED ROAST BEEF.
Experiments Made Upon Three Men
In Chemists Laboratory, With
Varying Results-Inspector Gen
eral Breckenridge Says the Stuff
Was a Mere Pretense OF Food.


when adjournment was reached there
were only two more witnesses in sight
The witnesses today ipcluded Inspect
or General Breckinridge, General Gill
more and Colonels Bird and a. L. Smith
of the commissary department. and
Professor w. O. AtWater. The officers
called related their varied experiences
with the beef supplied to the army, and
Professor Atwater gave the results not
only of chemical analysis OF the canned
beef, but OF experiments made with il
upon persons in his laboratory. lie
found the beef wholesome. according tC
the chemical tests, but in one OF tn
experiments the subjects experienced
failure OF appetite ana aversion IL
food.
General ]. S. Gilmore, adjutant gen
eral of the army on General Miles staff,
was the first witness. He was exam
inca with especial reference 10 testi-
IRONY given by Captain AspinWall, in
charge of the transport Manitoba,
which carried cargo OF beef 10 Porto
Rico.
Captain Aspinwall had stated that
General Gilmore suggested to him after
the vessel became stranded in the har
Dor at Ponce that the beef should be
thrown overheard, saying that if neces
sary, he would give an order TO that ef
leNN lllt captain : lGSlllllDliS W d. I'LL
to General Gilmore.
Il don't remember a word of it, he
said. u am positive l would not nave
told him to throw The beef overheard,
because L am not giveE To making 70
marks Of that kind I'm fact, l don't
recall any conversation with Captain
Aspinwall whatever.
PREFERRED BEEF ON HOOP.
Colonel Charles Bird. in charge CT
rail and water transportation in the
quartermaster g erals ollice. express
ed the opinion that the government
could have saved money by buying
beeves on the hoof killing them il
Cuba and Porto Rico and keeping the
meat in refrigerators Of it's own there.
He had expressed this opinion to Col
onel Davis of General Eagan's office
while the war was in progress. Colonei
Bird also gave particulars concerning
the purchase of transports at the be-
ginning of the war Referring to Gen
eral Miles recommendations on this
head. he said:
I'VE felt the need of securing tie
most suitable vessels as sharply as did
General Miles"
He said that while the contract with
Swift & Co. had required that the firm
should build its own refrigerators on
the transports, they had not been re-
the transports were equipped with re-
frigerators before the beef shipments
began.
General Joseph c. Breckenridge, in
spector general Of the army. also eX-
pressed the opinion that it would have
been possible to land a limited number
OF cattle in Cuba after the troops secur-
ed footing there. He thought that tho
landing of livestock about the easiest
task set the army in Cuba, as they
landed themselves. He was also Of the
opinion that cattle might have been
held in the island, as grass and water
were plentiful.
1t would have been as easy for cat
tie TO carry themselves as it was for
The mules to carry them" he said, la
conically.
Speaking of the canned roast beef,
General Breckenridge said he had eaten
it and found it to be unpalatable.
ITO my mind ne said, 1t was a
mere pretense Of food. l tried giving il
away to others in whom I was inter
ested. but did not succeed TO any APP
probable extent"
General Breckenridge also stated that
he WAS recently present in Havana
when a quantity of canned beef was
distributed among Cuban indigents.
i felt interested he said, "becausc
I thought the rations given to those |
DtDl1lt SIOulu DC JtA hlAh NANSAADiA- L 2
was present at two issues and / found /
the canned beef giving out most of- |
fensive odor. ! saw the meat myself, |
and have no doubt that some of il was /
decayed. This was about the time IF |
the condemnation of the canned goods |
at Havana"
TESTS MADE OF BEEF.
Colonel a. Smith Of the commissacy !
department was recalled. He said ne
had no recollection OF having told Cap
tain PomerOy, depot quartermaster at
Ponce, that the contractors had chem /
ical process for the preservation of fresh
beef for SeVenty-tWo hours, and he was
confident that he had made no such
statement. on the contrary, his inter-
probation of the contract was that The
contractors agreed that the meat should
be preserved for only twenty -1Our hours
after being taken from the ship. lie
said no canned beef had been issued 10
the troops when fresh beef was avail
able
At the afternoon session of the court
Professor w. .. A1water. professor Of
chemistry at the Wesleyan university
in Connecticut. gave details of his in
VeStigatiOn Of the canned roast beef
supplied to the army during the Span
ish war. from specimens furnished him
by the court. He said he had mGle a
test for preservatives, but had found
none.
Professor .Atwater gave the details OF
his experiments with the meat upon
three young men connected with his
laboratory. Several trials of three or
four days each We're made with vary
ing results, the meat being prepared in
a variety of ways and eaten 10 the ex-
clusion Of vegetables and fruits. Sum
the experiments. Professor
said:
In three Of the experiments there
was more or less loss of appetite and
Dissemination to eat the meat. This was
only slight in one case but was quite !
pronounced in the other. In the third
case there was a decided aversion TO
the meat and difficulty in eating II
The decline Of appetite was in each
aase accompanied more or less bv a
feeling Of lassitude which the subjects
were inclined to connect with the meat +;
one Of the subjects was emphatic in the
statement that his trouble with the
meat was entirely unexpected. and be-
gan with the very first meat.
1t VIII seem reasonable TO infer thai 4
this meat either contained some unde- {
srahle, or lacked some important ingre-
dent; but the data Of the experilnprts .
are not sufficient TO show the nature Of :
the defect nor do they seem to me 10 :
prove that any defect existed" I
The court adjourned without cues {
tioning Mr.. Atwater. until ? y. m. Mon
day, the understanding being that he I
would resume the stand at that time =
;
ATbor Day In Logan.
Especial Correspondence
Logan, April 15-In the city all the !
afo I