Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-22
GEN. NILES CALLS II
" EMDALM[D BEEF, >
The Commanding General Gives the
War Department a Roast.

+. TNTIMATES THAT SECRETARY AL
GER, AS AN EXPERIMENT. TO
PLEASED BEEF CONTRACTORS.
FURNI SHED MEAT THAT WAS UN-
FIT TO EAT, AND INSISTED THAT
IT SHOULD BE EATEN-IdILES
COULD BUY FRESH BEEF AT 6
CENTS A POUND IN PORTO RICO.
CHEMICALS USED TO EMBALM
THE BEEF' CAUSED THE SICK
NESS.
Washington, D. c., December I'll
Gen. Nelson A. Miles, commanding the
United States army, and Gen. Wesley
Merritt commander of the American
forces at the capture of Manila, were
the principal figures before the war in
yestigation commission to-day.
Gen. Miles responded to the sum-
mons of the commission only after sew
eral days consideration. He was ac-
companied by his own stenographer.
His examination was comparatively
brief and not sensational. He spoke
with some bittern ess as to the "em-
balmed beef" and the canned beef furn-
ished the army in the field. This he
characterized as an experiment for
which "some one in Washington" was
responsible. He said that the landing
facilities of the Santiago expedition
were inadequate and that the men were
short of rations and medicines and
might have been better protected from
exposure to fever contagion.
Gen. Merritt told the commission
that he regarded the Philippine expe-
dition as decided success and would
conduct it on the same lines if he had
it to do over. He spoke in high terms
of the troops under him and said his
army Was well supplied with medicines
and food.
Lieutenant Colonel INLAY, Gen. Shat
ter's chief of staff, testified first con-
corning the Santiago campaign. largely
following the lines of General Skaters
testimony yesterday. Colonel INLAY
said that while the expeditionary feet
were lying at Tampa prior to the start
the troops were given every facility
for bathing and shore privileges. He
told the positions of the two lines be-
fore Santiago and said the Spanish
lines
WERE so CONSPICUOUS
ty
Nuisance to determine them. He said
there was no doubt that there were
Spanish sharpsooters between the
Spanish and American lines, but he
was unable to find single instance of
Spanish sharpshooters firing on our
hospitals in the rear or of their firing
on our tanks. He spoke of the two
mile range of the Spanish rifles and
describing the American position on
San Juan hill said it would have been
more dangerous for the men to have
been half mile in the rear than to
remain where they did.
Gen. Miles took the stand next.
Are you willing to be sworn?" he
was asked.
Il think was the reply, that l can
say what have to say without being
sworn"
Gen. Miles was fortified with a large
package OF papers and had his own
StenogIapher. He gave his evidence in
clear, unnesitating way and went into
details regarding both the Santiago and
Porto Rico expeditions. He opened by
describing the railroad confusion in
getting the war munitions to Tampa,
pointed to the lack OF government
StOrehouSe facilities there, and said the
cars at one time were held back as far
as Columbia, S. c. He said when the
transports were loaded it was found
impossible to Lut more than Is 900 men
aboard, and they were equipped as well
as possible under the circumstances.
1t was most fortunate, he said. that
the transports had good weather. If
they had encountered a severe storm
THE LOSS OF LIFE,
or the suffering, at least, must have
been fearful. AS it was, with fair
weather. the men below crowded in
with the mules and supplies, could get
on deck, which would have been impos-
sible otherwise.
The commissary stores taken. he
said, were sufficient. but the medical
supplies were inadequate He had left
the loading, except for general direc-
tons, to the corps commander, Gen
Shafter. He found just before sailing
that there were a number of pontoon
boats being taken which were utterly
useless for the purpose and he himself
had secured two barges from the own
ers there and had taken other steps.
but the supply of such boats taken was
very inadequate. The expedition" he
continued, should have been furnished
with launches, naptha or steam, or
tugs, for towing barges from the ships
to the shore. He relied largely on the
engineer corps and the engineer de-
paTtment for these. In the second ex-
petition to Porto Rico these were fur
nished, but they arrived too late to rem
der much assistance"
He said before the first fleet sailed
from Tampa estimates had been defin-
ytely made of the number of boats to
be furnished the transports and the
number To he furnished nv the navy