The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-10
ARMY BEEF OF
GOOD QUALITY
y
So Say Witnesses Before
War Investigators.
SWIFT'S MEN ARE HEARD
THEY TELL OF CLOSE INsPEC-
TON OF CATTLE.
The Assertion That Chemicals Were
Used to Preserve Meat Is
Also Most Vigorously
Denied.
SWIFT'S MEN ARE HEARD
THEY TELL OF CLOSE INSPEC
TON OF CATTLE.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON. Jan. Sired w.
Wilder, general superintendent of Swift
q Co. of Chicago, appeared before the
war Investigating Commission to-day.
The witness said he had general charge
Of all the packing, canning and slaugh-
tering of cattle for the Chicago plant
and gave a general account of the prac-
teal working of the meat business. He
said that all the cattle were bought
from commission firms at the stock
yards and there given ante mortem in
spection by a Government official and
then driven to the abattoir, being we'll
cooled before killed A skinning gang
of --fteen men would butcher about 120
cattle. an hour. The cattle were then
subjected to a post mortem examina-
ton, also by Government inspectors.
who examined the lungs. liver and in
teStines.
The company had had as many as
twenty cattle a week condemned at this
inspection, being about twenty out Of
5000. The condemnation was mostly
due to tuberculosis. The condemned
animals are then taken by the govern
ment inspectors and the carcasses then
go to the refuse tank, when the only
use is to take the grease for lubricating
purposes and the remainder for fertiliZ-
ing. The good meat is stamped by the
government inspector and certified for
the market.
The beef is cooled for forty-eight
hours before shipping. the temperature
being run down gradually from As to
sc or IS degrees. The shipping cars are
thoroughly washed and aired between
shipments and are cooled by ice and
salt. The temperature in the cars is
from 33 36 ENnnrt hppf iS inolnSld
in cheeseclOth bag to keep it clean
and to prevent chatting. There are icing
stations every tWenty-four hours on
each railroad shipping line and the
cars are reiced that often.
The witness said different cities took
different grades of beef. Boston de-
manded the best beef in the country
and Baltimore about the cheapest. New
York stood between the two. Part of
the beef ordered by the Government
during the war was sent from Kansas
City, although most of it was from
Chicago. The contract with the Gov
eminent called for the best fat steers,
not less than 600 pounds for dressed
carcass. These specifications were
complied with.
Referring to the much discussed
beard" on the refrigerator meat, Mr..
supplied the best hotels in Chicago
aged" all their beef before selling it
and got an advanced price for it after
it accumulated the beard" He said
the meat was better in every respect
after being aged.
As to complaints regarding the army
contract beef he said the Manitoba
shipment was the only one condemned.
This was shipped July 80, and was not
thrown overheard until September 49,
Witness had been in the export bust
ness ten years and in the Liverpool and
London trade, where the beef was from
ten to eighteen days in transit and had
never lost one quarter of beef.
Witness denied that any chemicals
were used in preserving any of the
meat sold by his firm and said that
among other objections, it would be
useless, would be a detriment to the
beef and an extra expense. The beef
for export was not the best beef. but
fair quality.
DR.. Conner sought to bring out how
they determined "inanimate beef is
or is not or has not been tubercular.
Colonel DENLY, presiding, objected
that the Government inspectors were
the ones who were responsible.
All right" continued DR.. Conner. II
will wait to examine the Government
of the United States"
John ]. Murphy, who supervises the
handling of the refrigerator cars and
for fifteen years has been an employee
of Swift & Co., testified to the same
general effect.
Mr. Gardner went into detailed de-
scription of the ammonia refrigerating
plant He explained that the ammonia
merely furnished the cold air to keep
the meat at proper temperature. The
ammonia did not come in contact with
the meat or affect it in any way
AS to the keeping properties of re-
frigerated meat, he said that in his
opinion meat was at its best after three
weeks in the cooler. 1t would remain
at it's best for perhaps ten days longer,
after which gradual deterioration set
in.
Mr.. Gardner supported the denials of
the other beef company employees that
chemicals were used in the preserVa-
ton of the company's meat.
G. f. Swift the head of the firm of
Swift & Co., of Chicago, was the next
witness. Mr.. Swift, at the request of
the commission, went into a general
description of the beef business from
the time the cattle reached the stock
yards until they were delivered to the
retail butcher shops. This testimony
had been largely anticipated by the re-
cital of his superintendent, Mr.. Wilder,
earlier in the day. The quality of
beef sent to Cuba and Porto Rico, Mr..
Swift said, was just about the quality
demanded by the New York trade.
Regarding chemicals, Mr. Swift said
most positively that he had never used
them in all his forty years experience
as a butcher, and he knew of no
chemical that could be used with adj
vantage to either the seller or con-
sumner.
TO PURCHASE CANNED