The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-19


formerly worked In the canning denart-
Ment at Armour's and who had nrevt-
ously testified that at one time as high
as ~ per cent Of canned meat had been
ieJected after being prepared by his firm,
was recalled. He said that while he was
employed in that department, two car
ioaos OF spoiled canned beef were re-
turned from the army. When the cars
were opened. many of the cans were
FOUND burst and maggots were crawling
everywhere. About two cans out of each
case were spoiled.
MIR. Richie, who had worked In the
canning department, said that a daily
average OF 30 cans of roast beef were re-
Jected While the government order was
being prepared The usual precaution in
It's preparation was taken. He helped to
pack the two carloads for the army The
rejected meat was sent to the cook room,
re1nspected and the good repacked in new
cases.
Thomas Talbot had packed roast beef
In the canning department. Out Of 300
cases handled in a day from 40 to 100
cans were rejected generally because of
leaks. The average rejection at the time
OF the filling of the government order
was about the same as at other times
He also helped unpack the meat returned
from the army. None of 1t was bad, ex-
cept as resulted from accidental injury to
the cans
In reply to question from Maj. Leo,
witness stated 1t appeared to him that
the meat returned from the South had
not been inspected before being returned:
that the boxes did not indicate any IN
spectfon had taken place after the meat
mad been shipped from the packing house
originally.
REJECTED MEAT REsOLD.
Henry N. Campbell. an employee of the
canning department., said that out of
about 5000 cases packed daily under his
inspection, an average Of from 80 to is
cans were rejected. OF the two carloads
returned from the army, but 70 to 50
cans were finally rejected after reinspec-
ton at the plant. The rest was put back
in stock.
Gerald Miles, who worked in the label
room and had helped unpack the re-
turned army beef. gave practically the
same testimony as Messrs. Richie, Tai
bott and Campbell, as to it's condition on
receipt from the South. Replying to a
question directed to Maj Lee, Miles said
that the labels on the meat furnished
the government were dated.
A. j. Bowie, Of the packing department,
cans Of meat of all kinds there was
daily average rejection of from 200 to $50,
simply because Of leaky cans. The re-
jected meat was reinspected, the bad go
Ing to the refuse tank, but the rest into
stock. The canned roast beef delivered
to the government, witness said, was
dated May, 1898. In reply to a question
by Maj. Lee. witness stated that the
cases containing the meat returned from
the army did not bear the name of the
United States purchasing officer. The
meat was In fair condition. and he be-
heved 1t had been Improperly rejected.
DEFECTIVE CANS.
8. I. Couts, package room employee.
testified that an average Of twenty cans
out Of 300 cases were rejected daily be-
cause of defective cans.
H. l.. Antoine foreman at Armour's
canning department, who was yesterday
instructed to bring into court the records
Of cans rejected during May and June,
1898, was recalled. His reports were Of
fered in evidence. One for May II, read
by Recorder Davis, showed that of $3.50
cans Of meat Of all kinds put up that day,
22S were rejected. because Of leaky cans,
or for other minor causes. Antoine went
on to state that extreme precaution was
exercised in filling the government or
ders. The meat for the government was
shipped as soon as canned. He said that
1t is frequently the case that fine leaks in
the cans do not develop for three or four
days. Meat furnished the government
was put up In two and six-pound cans,
and all were dated. He was uncertain as
to the exact dates on which the two car
loads returned from the army were re-
ceived. The court requested him to pro-
duce documents covering such dates, and
q recess was taken.
DOOR OBJ MEAT BAD.
When The court resumed it's sitting, at
1 o'clock, Witness Antoine presented
checking lists. giving the dates of re-
ceipt at Kansas City Of the rejected
canned roast beef The lists were Of
fered in evidence, and showed that the
first lot Of returned meat reached the
Armour plant In Kansas City on June
IA. 1893. and came from Mobile. The Sec
ond lot from Jacksonville reached here
July ~, 1893. The whole amount re-
turned from Mobile was 1888 cans. OF
this number twenty-eight cans were
found to be bad; thirteen cans were good.
except that the cans had become dented.
the other fifteen stunk badly and were
mrsty, and there were maggots in sew
eral. The cases from Mobile had never
been opened in the South The whole
number Of cans returned from Jackson
vile was 1921. OF this number 276 were
bad, the cans bursted and the condf-
lions generally the same as in the lot of
spoiled stuff from Mobile. The cans from
Jacksonville had been taken from the
cases and carelessly thrown back into
the car.
At the request of Maj. Lee, witness de-
scribed the difference between boiled and
canned roast beef, stating that they were
practically the same, except none Of the
boiled been had been sold to the gov
eminent. He was unable to state by
from the South
BACON AS A SUBSTITUTE.
Frank S. Hastings, who has charge
Of the salt meat department at Armour's,
was the last witness called He was
questioned almost wholly by Maj. Lee.
He said he had been particularly inter-
ested before the war in introducing a
certain brand Of bacon manufactured by
his firm as an emergency ration Sam
pies were submitted at Tampa, Chfcka-
manga and to the commissary general
Based on these samples, he had received
few orders. The prices per pound va
ried from 10 to 16 cents, and were regu-
lated by the market prices Of hogs at
the time and the quality Of meat used.
"In introducing this bacon was any
thing said about the impracticability or
unsatisfactory results of furnishing
canned roast beef for Southern climates,
or that the beef was not as satisfactory
as the bacon?" Maj. Lee asked.
Nothing whatever"
"Heve you any knowledge Of chemicals
having been used in the preservation of
meats-the use Of borax or anything sim
ilar7"
Il.