The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-22


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 Puerto Rico. both
because there was abundance of it on
the island, as well as because Of his
belief that it was defective.
He characterized the refrigerator
beef. of which there was So tons sent,
as .embaimed beef" and said the
canned fresh beef, of which $4,000
pounds had been shipped there. was
condemned by officers whose commands
used it.
SOME ONE" IN WASHINGTON.
who fixed that beef as an army ra-
tion?"
You'll have to ask some one here
in Washington. You had better ask
The secretary of war or the commissaly
general. 1t was sent as food. If they
had not taken that, they would have
had TO so hungry. # they had sent pay
masters down there, as l asked. we
could have bought food, but they did
not do that
General Miles suggested that the food
was sent TO his large army under pre-
tense OF an experiment.
General Miles called attention to the
chased in Puerto Rico for cents a
pound, American money, and he sug-
gested it might be interesting to COM
pare the cost of the refrigerated 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 n the American army. Re
ports which he had received concerning
it were to the effect that the beef had
an odor like an embalmed dead body.
REPORTS WE'RE UNNoTICED.
Captain Howell-Were these reports
ever brought to the attention of the
commiSsary general?
General Miles-Reports were fire.
quently 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 CT it be sent. If supply of it
were issuing to the men in this coun-
try, 1 would prohibit their use of it.
I am having an investigation of the
matter. thought you gentlemen would
get on to it
He said he had never complained to
the secretary of war as to the condi-
ton of beef, but had asked that the
supply be stopped.
General Miles said the first plans for
sending troops to Cuba were not his,
as he was opposed to sending troops
there until Cervera'S fleet was located
The question at the outset was a naval
problem, and the dispatch of troops, in
his judgment, then hinged on which
feet should destroy the other. If the
Spanish had destroyed the United States
feet, the United States would have
been blocked for a number of years.
If we had had a force in Cuba then
We would have lost it, as it would have
been impossible to get it back here
He said the destruction Of Cervera' s
large force to places like Havana or
Matanzas, because Of the large per-
centage Of yellow fever deaths there.
HIS OWN PLAN.
He sad the destruction of Cervera's
feet settled that problem. He said he
wanted to operate with a small force
against the Spanish forces by harass-
ing them during the sickly season, aid
ing the Cubans and not endangering
the lives OF his own force. He also at
first favored taking Puerto Rico, to
prevent the Spanish from using that as
q base of operations. General Miles
gave details of the Puerto Rican expe-
dition organization and obstacles. Con-
Guiding with the opinion of camp sites,
he said the first he knew of the selec-
ton of Camp Alger, Va, the most OBJ
jectionable camp, his mind, was
when the regiments began marching
there. AS to Chickamauga, he had
recommended modifying the regulars
left, but he never anticipated $4,000 men
would be sent there, and when he found
it overcrewded, he had recommended
distribution of the forces among other
localities.
MERRITT'S TESTIMONY.
General Wesley R. Merritt was the
first witness of the afternoon. He be-
gan his testimony by a description Of
the operations around Manila prior TO
its capture. Owing TO the smallness Of
mis- force, he said, the army was COM
PEELED to operate along the sea front,
in cooperation with the navy. Had
there been a larger American force on
land the city could have been taken
from the high ground inland but this
was tactically impossible without leaV-
ing our base at the mercy Of both the
Standards and insurgents. The city s
defenses We're good. The Spaniards had
excellent arms and plenty of ammuni
ton. All they lacked was sand" The
engagement lasted not over two hours.
The army had both Spaniards and in
surgents to contend with.
..Thes insurgents We're very anxious to
take part in the attack said General
Merritt, but they were not notified
when the attack would be made, as l
was sure the entrance of the FilipinOs
into the city would mean unnecessary
bioodshed and some looting.
General Merritt said the American
losses were not correctly stated in the
press reports. They We're about 120
officers and men killed and wounded.
No accurate account OF the Spanish loss
was ever obtained. The American force,
however. captured over $1,000 stands Of
modern arms, and the Spanish loss was
known to be severe.
THE BEST RIFLE.
There was some discussion on the
co1n.oission over the relative merits of
the SDriag6eld and modern snall-cali-
fre rifles. This drew from General Mer-
rfrt he statement that, personally. he
shorlld prefer the Springfield, with
enokeless powder, 70 the "calibre 80"
line officers would be better judges of
that than l." ne added. As an in
stance OF the lack Of stopping power OF
+be snnalI-bore rifle he said one of his
.oFioers was shot through the leg in the
Manila fight and did not know ii until
the next morning.
General Merritt said, ia reply to ques-
+ions. that The volunteers were as eff
fectiye and as enthusiastic as could be
desired. He Regarded them DIS very eA-
cellent TROOPS
r<7e supplies were satisfactory at all
t;r,es. except as to ice and milk for fe-
Yer patients. He explained this by say
inc that there was apparently no milk
,,reducing animal in that region. There
1,,s,e some small cattle. apparently i'm
norted from China. but they gave no