Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-31
MORE OF THE "EMaALMEDr BEEF.
Surgeon Days Testimony TO Its
Disgusting Character.

| WASHINGTON, u. C., December 5D.-
The War Investigating Commission had a
brief executive session to-day and az noon
adjourned until Tuesday. January 3D..
! There was no important action at to-day s
| meeting. and the matter of recalling
! Commissary- General Egan. Major-General
J Shafter. and Major Mi es as a
/ result Of agitation of the question re-
| gardng the beef served the army, re-
mains undecided. a decision will be
| reached next " .esday, when II Is likely
there will be a fun attendance Of the
| commission.
| Absence oyer The holidays of ma
| jority Of the members resulted in making
| the past weeks proceedings Of an unim-
| pOrtant and routine character. The COM
| mission to-day made public a report omit
| ted in the statement given out yesterday,
bearing on the beef controversy. 1t is
! from Major w. II. DAILY, chief surgeon
at army headquarters. in Tampa. prior
TO the sailing of the Shafter expedition,
and Is as follows:
Washington, September q, 1893. To the
Assistant Adjutant-General Headquar-
tiers Of the Army, Washington, ID. c.:
Sill have the honor to report, in the
interests of the service, that in the seve-
raj inspections / made in the various
camps and troop-ships at Tampa, Jack
sonville, Chickamauga, and Porto Rico,
l found the fresh beef TO be apparently
preserved with secret chemicals. which
destroys its natural flavor. and which
| also believe to be detrimental to the
health Of the troops.
while on duty at the headquarters Of
the army at Tampa, at the time of the
embarkation of the Shafter expedition,
Colonel Weston the efficient chief com
missary showed me a quarter Of beef
that had already, as a test, been sixty
hours I'm the sun without being perceptibly
tainted, so far as the sense Of smell could
detect. 1t is impossible 10 keep fresh
beef so long untainted in the sun in that
climate without the use of deleteriOus
preservatives. such as boric acid salicylic
acid, or nitrate Of potash, infected |
into it in quantities likely to be hurtful |
to the health of the consumer. at Ponce, |
Porto Rico much of the beef I examined, |
arriving on the transports from the United |
States, was also Of the same character, |
being apparently preserved by injected |
chemicals, TO aid deficient cold storage.
LIVE BEEF SAFEST.
IF possible, transporting beef alive is
the method that should receive the fullest |
consideration by the government, as be- !
ing safest for the health OF the con-
sumner. When detailed 10 take charge Of |
the transport Panama. for conveying con-
Valescents to the United States, l OBJ
tanned 1900 pounds Of fresh beef from the
commissary at Ponce. 1t looked well,
but had an odor similar TO that Of a dead
human body after being injected with
preservatives, and tasted, when first
cooked like decOmpossd bOrdcic acid,
while after standing day for further in
spectioD IL becomes so bitter, psuseous,
and unpalatable as TO be quite impossible
sf-s q obi fra1 frter Q
TO its condition and the just complaints
OF the sick about it, the disgustingly sick
ening odor II emitted Whom being cooked
and its mawkish, fiat taste when served
and for the >af2Jy Of tie patients ejj con
valescent soldiers on board, TO organize
board Of survey. ana t1ndoml ind throw
1900 pounds, all we had. overheard. Con-
sequenty, the convalescents were en-
tirely without much-needed fresh beef,
making the duty Of bringing the men to
the United States In an unimproved condi-
ton a very difficult matter
In my inspection Of the Fourth United
States Volunteer Infantry, at Jackson
Vile. recently, ] observed the same odor
and taste upon the fresh beef, but not so
marked; and at the camp of {
he Sixth United States 'Nolun-
Ger lnfantry,s at Chickamauga, I also,
At several inspections, observed 1t mark
iQlN. lntlG inspected q 4oL OF peel just
ssued TO that regiment. 1t looked well, |
,ut while it looked well it was Of a sick /
ming odor, like that of a human body ]
.eau of disease and injected with preser-
.atves, and when cooked il was quite :
consequently, IL was likely :
% prove an efficient cause of iil-health. 7
The men complained of its insipid and i
nawkish flavor, that high seasoning could ]
lot conceal |
COMAuSSARY DEPT IMPOSED ON.
Believing that the Commissary De- J
artment had been imposed upon by the y
llsdirected commercial spirit Of persons y
fresh beef, ! respectfully re- y
commended that the matter be investiga- \
I'd by experts making a quantitatiye and \
palliative chemical analysis Of the seve- }
al preservatives suspected TO be used
Y getting samples Of the beef furnished \
,r export to Cuba and Porto Rico. \
If the question arises that a report \
Mould have been made by me earlier, \
ag TO say that l have endeavOred with | n
\ nv opportunities to first inform my n
~ by observation of the conditions Q
Dove noted sufficiently to warrant my | =
-awing the attention of the Adjutant- -
eneral at headquarters Of the army 10 | p
he matter. Z
VERY respectfully, r
Signed) "W. H. DAILY, r
MAJOR and Chief Surgeon. United States Z
volunteers" ~ ~
A RRETSON AGREES WITH MILES. g,
CLEVELAND, o., December 3O.-Gene- 81
/ George A. Garretson, OF this city, 81
no commanded a division in Porto Rico. 81
reed to-day with General Miles, that ST
2 canned beef furnished the army was. ~
a large extent, UNFIT for use. The Cen -,
Al said to-day that a large amount Of =,
G meat had 10 be thrown away by the 81
mmissary officers OF his division So
The condition of affairs" salu General So
rretson. was every bit as bad as is So
ported Considerable canned beef total ~
unfit for the use Of human beings was ~
covered by the commissary officers of -
, division | commanded. W hen the ~
tier was reported TO me | ordered all w
at unfit or use to be destroyed. w
I had previously seen 10 ii that large w
mber Of beeves had been taken with
division These were slaughtered as Al
Y were needed. In that way we had az Ar
ch fresh meat as possible. and used as U
le OF the canned stun as we could ! W,
slbly get along with. There IS no
lbt that this bad meat was the cause A
a large part OF the sickness among the A.
n. In several instances whole lots OF An
stuff had 10 be destroyed" An
- An
THE PROPOSED PAPER TRUST. -,
Co
an and sibIey, of Providence, to Col
FInancier the scheme. Go,
r. l., December 30 Ha