The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-03-10
The BEEF BOARD
VISITS CHICAGO
Tour Of Inspection Made Of Packing
House.
FOUND EVERYTHING CLEAN
Watched the Process by Which the
Neat is Canned.
LAWS ON INSPECTION OF CATTLE
Found to Have Been Complied With in
Every Particular AT Least One
Packer Will Be Celled on
to Testify.
LAWS ON INSPECTION OF CATTLE

Chicago, March 9.-The court of inquiry
to examine the beef question began its work
today in this city, where are located the
plants of the packers who had the con-
tracts for supplying the army with animal
food.
short executive session was held at
the army headquarters in the Pullman
building, and it resulted in decision to
defer the taking of testimony until after
an inspection had been made of the pack
ing houses at the stock yards where the
refrigerated beef and canned beef are pre-
pared. The court began in the killing
room. The next place visited was the
cooling room. Here were found several
halves of beef which had been condemned
either because the beef was badly bruised
or gave evidence that the animal had had
tuberculosis This condemned beef had
been placed by itself and while the court
was present men came in to remove it into
the rendering tank, preparatory to turning
1t into a fertilizer. The court examined
those tanks carefully, possibly in view of
the statement that the carcasses passed
through them. There certainly was no evil
dence of such passage.
From this room the court was taken into
the one in which the meat is prepared for
canning and saw the men at work cutting
up the meat.
The Canning Department
The next room visited was the canning
department.. Here the cooked meat was
brought in in huge caldrons. deposited
a platform and put into cans by machinery,
the cans removed and sealed, only pin
hole being left open in the top. Next the
cans were put under an iron tank where
they were subjected to a heat of $50 degrees
the sterilzing process. While the court
was in this room a number of cans of roast
beef which had an old appearance and
which, it was said, had been in Porto Rico
were opened The meat inside was good
and the members of the court tasted it,,
but, of course, expressed no opinion. Sub
sequently the court was shown through the
printing packing and other branches.
Barring the killing room everything
about the establishment was clean. After
leaving the yards the court went to the
bureau of animal industry-a branch of the
agricultural department-and obtained
some information from w. S. Deyoe, who
is in charge. They read the law governing
tho inspection of animals and inquired
to the details of the work of inspection. In
spectors are stationed in the yards, where
they condemn any diseased cattle they see.
Examine the Carcasses
The inspectors at the packing houses sup
plement their work by examining the car
casses after slaughter and throw out any
bearing evidence of pulmonary trouble.
Tomorrow morning the court will go to
the stock yards and spend the entire day
there in going over three other packing
houses. 1t is not likely that any testimony
will be taken before Saturday morning. 1t
is quite likely that the evidence taken will
be confined to that of the foremen or work.
men who have personal knowledge of the
refrigerated beef and canned roast beef for
consumption. While the board may hear
any one who appears, it is probable they
will not continue the line of inquiry follow
ed at Washington.
AS Col. Davis said, I'VE have examined
everybody from the private to the major
general who ate the beef in Cuba or had
information about its condition there. At
least one packer is to be examined-the one
who furnished most of the canned roast
beef to the army