The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-22
GEN. MILES SAID SOLDIERS
WERE FED ON EMBALMED BEEF
1t Was Furnished the Army as an Experiment Made
the Men Sick-An Inadequate Supply Of Ratons
and Medicines at Santiago Refused to Be Sworn.

accommodations were only OF tempo
rary character. He said that the shell
ter was bad. The shelter tents did not
shelter. Questioned as to the charac-
ter of the facilities for transporting the
wounded. he said that they were taken
in wagons.
General Beaver-Do you know II any
of the wounded were lying exposed to
the weather?
General Milestone were exposed in
being sent down to the hospitals. l saw
one train of wounded men driving along
in the drenching rain with nothing TO
shelter them.
General Miles said the transportation
facilities were used to carry supplies TO
some 1900 to 10000 refugees from San
tiago and about 5000 Cuban troops.
This was not expected" he answer
ed in reply to a question, because l
cautioned. General Shafter to keep his
men out OF the Spanish buildings Of ev-
cry character and keep the men away
from the natives. Had he not done as
he did. the army would have been much
better supplied"
The army in Porto Rico, he said. had
been supplied in a way with quarter
master and commissary stores, but not
in the best way. At Porto Rico he had
asked that fixed rations be sent, but
instead they were sent down in bulk
without invoices or bills OF lading. and
in many instances stores were spoiled in
the hold and thrown away. This caused
great embarrassment and loss of stores.
and deprived troops of food. He as
serted that the scarcity Of food largely
caused the distress of the troops. He
advised against the shipping of beef To
Porto Rico. both because there was
abundance on the island and because
OF his belief that IL was defective. He
characterized the refrigerator beef. of
which there was 321 tons sent, as "em-
balmed beef" and said the canned
fresh beef. of which 19S.000 pounds had
been shipped there, was condemned by
officers whose commands used it.
who fixed that beef as an army ra-
tion?'
"You'n have TO ask someone here in
Washington. You had better ask the
secretary of war or the commissary
general. 1t was sent as food. II they
had not taken that they would have
had to go hungry. II they had sent
paymasters down there, as l asked. we
could have bought food. but they did
not do that" tr.
IL Was an Experiment.
General Miles suggested that the food
was sent to his large army under pre-
tense of an experiment.
General Miles called attention to the
fact that good fresh beef could be
bought in Porto Rico for 6 cents a
pound. American money, and he sug-
gested IL might he interesting To COM
pare the cost of the refr. gerated beef,
together with the expense of transpor-
tation.
He said he did not know but what
the chemicals used in treating the beef
were responsible for the great sickness
in the American army. Reports which
he had received concerning IL were to
the effect that the beef had an odor like
an embalmed dead body.
Captain Howell-Were these reports
ever brought to the attention of the
commissary general?
General Miles-Reports were frequent
ly sent in TO him. But he seemed TO
insist that the beef be used.
Captain Howell-Was the matter ever
brought to the attention Of the secre-
tary of war?
General Miles-I requested that no
more of il be sent. III a supply Of II
were issuing TO the men in this country
i would prohibit their use of IL. | am
having an investigation now of the
matter. l thought you gentlemen
would get on to IL.
He said he had never complained to
the secretary of war as to the condition
OF beef, but had asked that the supply
be stopped.
Plan Was Not His.
General Miles stated the first plans
Tor sending troops to Cuba We're not
his, as he was opposed to sending
troops there until Cervera's feet was
located. The question at the outset
was a naval problem: and the dispatch
Of troops. in his Judgment. then hinged
on which fleet should destroy the other.
IL the Spanish had destroyed the
United States fleet, the United States
would have been blocked for a number
Of years.
'If we had had force in Cuba then.
we would have lost it. as IL would have
been impossible TO get IL back here"
He was opposed also to sending a
large force to places like Havana or
MatanZas, because OF the large percent
age of yellow fever deaths there. He
said the destruction of Cervera's fleet
settled that problem. He said he want
ed to operate with a small force against
the Spanish forces by harassing them
during the sickly season. aiding the
Cubans and no: endangering the lives
Of his own force. He also at first ia
vored taking Porto Rico to prevent the
Spanish from using that as a base Of
supplies and opera tiCns. He gave de-
tails of the Porto Rican expedition and
obstacles. Concluding with his opinion
Of camp sites. he said the first he knew
of the selection Of Camp Alger. Va, the
most Objectionable camp in his opin-
ion. was when the regiments began
reaching there. As to Chickamauga.
he had recommended mobilizing the
regulars left. but ne never anticipated
$4,000 men would be sent there. and
when he found :; overcrowded he had
recommended distribution of the forces
among other localities.
Merritt On the stand.
General Wesley Merritt was the first
witness OF the afternoon. He began his
testimony by a description of the opsr-
ations around Manila prior TO it's cap
ture. Owing To the smallness Of his
force. he said. the army was compelled
TO operate along the sea front in CO.
operation with the navy. Had there
been larger American force on land.
the city could have been taken from
the high ground inland. but this was
tactically impossible without leaving
our base at the mercy OF both Span
iards and insurgents. The city's de-