The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-04-07
LETTER CAME
Armour 4 co. Wrote to the War
Department About Beef
PreSeryative.
They Controlled the Only Process
by Which 1t Could Be Kept
Fresh.
Interesting Reading in View of
the Great Amount of Beef
Testimony.
Surgeons Testify Refrigerator
Beef Gave Men DiarrhOea
and Dysentery.

WASHINGTON, April Tn the army
beef court Of inquiry the letter of
Messrs. Armour & Co., proposing to use
the Powell process for the preservation
Of beef was submitted as evidence by
Major Lee. acting for General Miles.
1t was addressed to the commissary
general, dated at the firms Washington
Office, July l3, and reads as follows:
LAS supplementary and explanatory
Of our bid to supply dressed beef in
Cuba, we wish to say that We have the
exclusive control of the Powell process
for preserving fresh meats and that this
process has been tested at Tampa, Fla.
the test having been completed with
most satisfactory results.
This test was made under the super
| vision Of Colonel John Weston Of Your
, department who has advised you of the
results.
We are advised. however. that he
received four carcasses Of beef which
We sent him from Chicago. duly refrig-
Grated and treated according to the
| Powell process.
Part Of these carcasses We're envel-
| oped in sacks or canvasses, and part
Were not. These carcasses We're dis
tributed to the Third cavalry, the Sixth
cavalry. batteries of artillery and the
medical department. and Were hung i'll
| the air on the upper deck of the trans
port troop ships lying at the wharf in
the hot sun without benefit of fresh air.
The pieces that were not wrapped fer
mented in less than - hours while the
/ pieces that were covered or wrapped
kept about 100 hours.
These practical tests made under the
supervision of your officer show that by
means of this process, wrapped pieces
or carcasses can be kept longer than the
- hours required by your specifications
I'VE believe we may safely say tha,
such results have never before been ac
complished in the history Of the fresh
meat business. In view Of the test:
which we have made in the past and ol
the results of the tests made under the
supervision of your own officer, we be
lieve that we are absolutely safe in thu
assertion that this is the only process o
method which will secure the results
required by your specifications.
Very truly yours.
ARMOUR g. CO..
Per J. j. Conner. Supt.
Made tho Men Sick.
The testimony began with DR.. L
Clifford Cox. assistant surgeon in tn
volunteers for the District Of Columbia
He was at Tampa and in Cuba, and ties
tilted that the command was attacke'
by diarrhoea. to the extent Of an epi
demic. after eating refrigerator beef a
both places. At the second attack Q
this character the regimental surgeo
had ordered that the issue of the bee
he stopped. When this was done, tn
liarrhoca ceased.
DIR. Richard A. Pyles, chief surgeo
> Of the District of Columbia volunteer:
testified that the refrigerator beef SUI
plied the troops in Cuba had given thel
: dysentery, but expressed the opinio
t, that this was due to the fact that the
/. ate too much of it. Heexpressed disal
, proval Of the canned beef, and said tn
: men would only eat when they coul
| ..o< ~, cfhar meat