The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-31
Repulsive and Sickening In Odor
and Taste.
SURGEON DALY'S REPORT
\ THE coMMIssARY DEPARTMENT
WAS IMPOSED UPON.
Beef Was Preserved With Chemicals
Injurious to the Health of the
Soldiers-When Cooked It Tasted
Like Decomposed Bodies and Was
Nauseous and Unpalatable.

Washington, Dec. 9O.-The war in
v~estigating commission held a brief
executive session today and at noon
adjourned until Tuesday, Jan. ). There
was no important action at today's
meeting and the matter of recalling
Commissary General Eagan, Major
General Shafter or Major General
Miles. as a result of the agitation over
h beef issued to the army in the war,
remains undetermined A decision
probably viii be reached next Tuesday,
when it is likely there viii be a full
attendance of the commission.
The commission today made public
a report, omitted in the statement
given ont yesterday, bearing on the
beef controversy. II is from Major w.
H DAILY, chief surgeon at army head
quarters at Tampa prior to the sailing
of the Shafter expedition and is. as fol-
lows:
To the Assistant Adjutant General,
Headquarters of the Army, Washing
ton. Sir: I have the honor to report
in the interests of the service thai in
the several inspections 1 made in the
various camps and troop ships at
Tampa, Jacksonville. Chickamauga and
Puerto Rico that / found the fresh
beef to be apparently preserved with
secret chemicals, which destroys its
natural flavor, and which / also be-
lieve 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
e~mbarkation of the "Shafter expedi-
ion" Colonel Weston. the efficient
chief commissary, showed me a
quarter of beef that had already. as a
test. been sixty hours in the sun with
out being p~erceptibly tainted. so far as
the "a of smell could detect. 1t is
impossible to keep fresh beef so long
untainted in the sun in that climate
without the use of -deleterious pre-
serves, such as boric acid or nitrate of
potash injected into it in quantities
likely to be hurtful to the health of
the At Ponce much Of the
beef arriving on the transport from
the United States was also of the same
character, being partly preserved by
injected chemicals to aid deficient cold
storage.
Where efficient cold storage is i'm
possible, transporting beef alive is the
methed that should receive the fullest
consideration by the government, as
being safest for the health of the con-
sumner. When detailed to take charge
of the transport Panama for conveying
conValescents to the United States ]
obtained 1900. pounds of fresh beet
from the commissary at Ponce. II
looked well. but had an odor similar
TO that Of a dead human being. after
being injected with personalities ano
tasted. when first cooked, like de-
composed bodies, while after STANDING
a day for further inspection, it be
came so bitter. nauseous and unpalat,
able as to be quite impossible for use
/ was therefore obliged, owing to tbs
condition and the complaints Of the
sick about it and the disgustingly
sickening dor it emitted when being
cooked and mawkish fiat taste wher
served, and the safety of the patients
80 convalescents on board, to organize
a board of survey, condemn and throw
/ 500 pounds, all we had, overheard