The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-31
POISONOUS CHEMICALS
THESE WERE USED TO PRE-
SERVE THE MEAT.
INVESTIGATION BY EXPERTS ASKED
Report of Surgeon Daily Made Public. For the
Salty Of his Patients he Had 10 Throw
All the Beef on Board the
Ship into the Sea.

Shp mo me Sea-
Washington, Dec. 30.-The war inyes-
tigation commission held brief execu-
tive session today and at noon adjourned
until Tuesday, January 3D. There was
no important action at today's meeting,
and the matter of recalling Commissary
General Eagan, Major General Shafter
and General Miles as n result of the
agitation over the beef issued to the army
in the war remains undetermined. 4
decision probably will be reached next
Tuesday, when it is likely there will be
a full attendance of the commission, alb
sence over the holidays of a majority of
the members resulting in making the
past weeks proceedings of an unimpor-
tant and routine character. The COM
mission today made public Il report, omit
ted in the statement given out yesterday,
bearing on the beef controversy. 1t is
from Major w. IL. DAILY, chief surgeon
at army headquarters at Tampa, prior to
the sailing of the Shafter expedition, and
is as follows:
Washington, Sept. 21, 1898.
''Io the Assistant Adjutant General,
Headquarters of the Army Washing
ton, ID. c.:
Sir: / have the honor to report in
the interests of the service that in the
several inspections | made in the various
camps and troop ships at Tampa, Jack
sonvIlte, Chickamauga and Porto Rico,
/ found the fresh beef TO be appa-
rently 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 Watson, the efficient chief COM
missary, showed me a quarter of beef.
that had already as test been sixty
hours in the sun without being percep-
tibly tainted, so far as the sense Of smell
could detect. 1t is impossible TO keep
fresh beef so long untainted, in tho sun
in that climate without the use of delete
rlous preservatives, such as boric acid,
salycilic acid, or nitrate of potash inject
ed into it in quantities likely to be harm
full TO the health of the consumer. At
Ponce Porto Rico, much of the beef |
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
Where efficient cold storage is imp0s-
sible, transporting beef alive is the
method that should receive the fullest
consideration by the Government, as be-
ing safest for the health of the consumer.
When detailed to take charge of the
transport Panama for conveying conva-
lescents to the United States / obtained
two thousand pounds of fresh beef from
the commissa;y al 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 decomposed bOPic acid,
while after standing q day for further
inspection it becomes so bitter, nauseous
and unpalatable as to be quite imposs'-
bic for use. ] was therefore Obliged,
owing 10 its condition, and the Just com
plants Of the sick about it, and the dis
gustingly sickening odor it emitted when
being cooked and it's mawkish fat taste
when served, and for the safety of the
patients, two hundred and fifty-fiye con-
valescent soldiers on board, to organize
a board of survey, condemn and throw
fifteen hundred pounds, all we had. over
board. Consequently the cOnvalescents
were entirely without much needed fresh
beef, making the duty of bringing the
men to the United States in an improv-
ed condition a serious matter.
''In my inspection of the Fourth Tint
ed 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 cf the
Sixth United States volunteer infantry
at Chickamauga | also, at several IN
spections. observed it markedly. there
inspected lot of beef just issued TO thai
regiment and while it looked wei, il
was of a sickening odor like n human
body dead of disease and injected with
preservatives, and when cooked it was
quite unpalatable; consequently it was
likely to prove an efficient cause OF i'll
health. The men complained of its
insipid and mawkish flavor that high
seasoning could not Conceal.
believing that the commissary depart
ment had been imposed upon by the mis-
directed commercial spirit of persons fur
nishing fresh beef, | respectfully recon-
mend that the matter be investigated by
experts, making quantitive and quail
tative chemical analysis of the several
preservatives suspected to he used by
getting samples of the beef furnished for
export to Cuba and Porto Rico.
IF the question arises that 4 report
should have been made by me earlier,
| beg to say that have endeavored with
all my opportunities to first inform my
self by observation of the conditions
above noted sufficiently to warrant my
drawing the attention of the Adjutant