The herald., 1898-12-22
THE ARMY COMMANDER
SPEAKS WITH BITTERNESS OF
EMBALMED BEEF
FAULT FOUND WITH SKATER
For Not Keeping His Mem Out Of Fever
infected Cuban Houses-Merritt
Well Pleased
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l.-General Mel
son A. Miles, commanding the United States
army, and General Wesley Merritt, COM
mander of the American forces at the cap
ture Of Manila, were the principal figures
before the war investigating commission to-
day. General Miles responded to the sum
mons of the commission only after days OF
consideration. He was accompanied by has
own stenographer. His examination was
comparatively brief and not sensational: de
spoke with some bitterness as to the EN-
balmed" beef and the corned beef furnished
the army in the field.
This lie characterized as an experiment,
for which "some one in Washington was
responsible. He said that the landing facil-
tiles Of the Santiago expedition were made
Quate and that the men were short OF ratlons
and medicines and might have been better
protected from exposure to fever contaglon
General Merritt told the commission that
he regarded the Philippine expedition as a
decided success. and would conduct it on
tho same lines If he had it to do over. lie
spoke in high terms of the troops under him
and said his army was well supplied with
MILES On THE STAND
Are you willing to be sworn!' ne was
Il think" was the reply, "that l can say
what have to say without being sworn"
General Miles was fortified with large
package Of papers and had his own steno-
erapher. He gave his evidence in a clear
way, and went into details regarding both
the Santiago and Porto Rico expeditions.
He opened by describing the railroad con-
fusion in getting the war munitions to
Tampa, pointed out the lack of government
- Ia
at one time were held back as far as Colum-
bia, S. G. He said when the troops were
loaded it was found impossible to put more
than $1,000 men aboard and they were
equipped as we'll as possible, under the cir
cumMances.
'It was most fortunate" he said, "that
the transports had good weather" II they
had encountered severe storm the loss
of life or the suffering ut least must have
been fearful AS it was, with fair weather,
the men below crowded in with the supplies
could get on deck, which would have been
impossible otherwise"
The commissary stores taken, he said,
were sufficient, but the medical supplies
were inadequate. He had left the loading,
mander, General Shafter. He found just
before sailing that there were number OF
pontoon boats being taken which would be
utterly useless and he himself had secured
two barges from the owners there and had
TO take other steps, but the supply of such
pedition," he continued, should have been
furnished with launches, naphtha or steam
er tugs, for towing barges from the ships to
the shore. We relied largely on the en-
gineer officers and the engineer department
for these. The second expedition to Porto
kico Rico these were furnished, but arrived
too late to render assistance. The General
ftttI int 1..k - 11s l.
campaigns"
He said before the first fleet sailed from
Tampa estimates had been definitely made
OF the number of boats to be furnished the
transports and the number to be furnished
by the navy to assist. The most cordial
assistance, he added, had been promised on
the part Of the navy AT Santiago the sup
Were the medical supplies at that time
sufficient for the needs Of the command? ?"
was asked
In reply, he read dispatch from Cen
eral Shafter on August 4, which referred to
2 chronic scarcity of medicines, and TINT
four men had just died from lack of medi-
ctnes There was at no time, said General
Miles, sufficient medicine for the troops.
he remembered seeing one train for the
sick with no covering over the wagons.
General Beaver-From what you learned
and observed while there do you think there
was at any time sufficient medical sup.
ply?
General Miles-Of medical men and ma
terials?
General Beaver-Yes.
General Miles-No, sir.
The. witness stated that the hospital ac-
comodations were only of temporary char
acters He said that the shelter was bad
The shelter tents did not shelter. Cues
toned as to the character of the facilities
for transporting the wounded, he said they
were taken in wagons.
General Beaver-Do you know if any of
the wounded were lying exposed to the
weather?
General Milestone were exposed in be-
ing sent down to the hospitals. l saw one
train of wounded men driving along in the
drenching rain with nothing to shelter
them.
He had taken measures personally to
correct matters, and on July 18th had
telegraphed for a well equipped corps Of
pier and bridge builders, ETC., and had or
dered places burned. General Miles said
the transportation facilities were used to
carry supplies to some $4,000 to 10000 ref
ugees from Santiago and about 5000 Cuban
troops. "This was not expected" he ans
wered, in reply to question, because l
men out of the Spanish buildings of every
character and to keep the men away from
the natives Had he not done as he did,
the army would have been much better
supplied"
/. His army in Porto Rico, he said, had
been supplied in y way with quartermaster
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 the troops Of food.
He asserted that the scarcity of food largely
caused the distress of the troops He had
advised against the shipping of beef to
Porto Ri6o, both because there was abund-
nnce of it on the island, as well as because
of his belief that it was defective. He char
hcterized the refrigerator beef, of which
there were 327 tons sent, as "embalmed
beef" and said the canned fresh beef, Of
which l98,000 pounds had been shipped
there, was condemned by officers whosc
commands used it.
"Who fixed that beef as an army ration? %
you'll have to ask some one here in
Washington. You had better ask the sec
'etary Of war or the commissary general.
t was sent as food. If they had not taken
hat they would have had to go hungry. II
hey had sent pasmasters down there, as