The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-03-14
BEEF INQUIRY PROGRESSING
SEVERAL INSPECTORS TESTIFY BE-
 FORE THE CHICAGO COURT.

Possibly Week Will Elapse Before mi
 of the Witnesses Now Called Can bs
 Examined Condemned Cattle Were
 Sent to the Rendering Tank-Possibls
 to Take Meat from Tank.
 Chicago March 13.-Rapid progress was made, to-day by the government court of inquiry Investigating the beef controversy. Nearly a dozen witnesses were examined, three of them being in spectors of the government bureau of animal industry and the rest of them employees in various capacities at several Chicago packing houses. Colonel Davis, recorder of the court, stated that he was unable to approximate the length of time it would take to exhaust the list of Chicago witnesses, but it seems like ly that two or three days will be re- quired and possibly the entire week be- fore the members of the court can leave for Kansas City.
 
 tor of the bureau of animal industry, who had been on duty at various pack ing houses in the stock yards, testified that about one in five hundred cattlte was condemned If the animal was to be entirely condemned, the inspector followed it to the rendering tank and saw it put in. He made no inspection of the tank itself, nor did he inspect the refuse when it came out. In the case of bruises, the bruised portions were cut off and condemned Meat with drawn from the tank would not be suit able for food.
 Witnesss aid he had no knowledge Of any being withdrawn from the tanks, nor any reason for suspecting it. He never had any occasion to believe or suspect that chemicals were used for the preservation of the beef. He had no Jurisdiction as to chemicals If beef were rubbed down with cloths contain ing boric acid it would not be a matter within his jurisdiction.
 The witness told how the meat was cut up prior to putting into the render ing tank, saying it would be possible for small quarter to be put in whole. He stated that cows that had recently given birth to calves were condemned within certain length of time. The limit was nine days after delivery or up to within a month prior to delivery A COW carrying a calf seven months would not be condemned.
 The larger portion of the canners were cows The witness further stated that some of the houses killed cattle the same day they arrived at the yard, while others held them for day or two.
 Dr. O. E. Dyeson, who has been an Inspector at the stock yards since 1893, testified that his duties were to look af- ter the other inspectors and see that they did their duty. He had twenty five or thirty men to look after and had reported only two in year for negli- gence An interval, he said, might elapse between the going off and and the coming on of an inspector, but, i've are supposed to be very strict in regard to that"
 He said it would be possible to take out meat from the tank when once thrown in, but he did not think it very probable.
 The condition of the beef would not be very inviting. After once being thrown into the tank, the beef, witness thought, could not be used for food. To be worked up it would have to be taken to the sausage room or to the canning room. The chances of detection would be in some of the employees being around and seeing the meat in that condition. Witness thought it would be easily rec ognized Witness said he had had no occasion to believe or suspect that that practice existed in any registered pack ing house within the laws for four or five years.
 He never had any positive evidence of anything occurring prior to that time, but he was stationed at house where there were rumors or reports that prob- ably such a thing was done. He had no reason himself to suspect anything of the sort. After it was reported he used all the vigilance he could. He made no Investigation or report with reference to the matter, as it was outside of his duty. Some cattle thrown out at the yards he said, were driven to what are known as Little houses"-houses that had no inspection and were killed under the supervision of the city inspectors
 pr. Dyeson said that cattle condemn ed at the ante-mortem examination in the yards for various causes, if they | passed the post-mortem inspection | might be brought into the packing ' house and used. He had never seen chemicals of any kind used except bor- ax and things of that sort around the | hog houses. He had never investigat- | ed the use of chemicals with reference | to beef.
 He said that a case of lumpy jaw | does not necessarily condemn the meat | unless the disesae is generalized.
 Dr. Charles E. McNeill. bureau in- spector at the beef and sheep house of l Nelson Morris & Co.,, was the next wit ness He was not aware of any chem icals being used i'll that establishment, and had no reason to believe or sus- pect that they were so used.
 Charles H. Emory, superintendent of the Libby, McNeill & Libby packing house. testified next. "Our business is principally canning" he said. We do not do any slaughtering directly, but animals are killed for us by Swift & Co.,
 sThe amount of canned beef sold by us to the United States last year was hotwaap two million and two million