The San Francisco call., 1898-12-31
Meat Sent to Cuba
 and Porto Rico.
SURGEON DALY'S REPORT
TELLS HOW FILTHY FOOD WAS
 THROWN AWAY.
While the Beef Looked Well, It Had Sickening odor, Like Human Body Dead of
 Disease.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


 WASHINGTON, Dec. S0.-The War Investigating Committee to-day made public a report, omitted in the state ment given out yesterday, bearing on the beef controversy. It is from Major w. H. Daly, chief surgeon at army headquarters at Tampa prior to the sailing of the Shafter expedition, and Is as follows:
 WASHINGTON. Sept. q, 1SsS.-To the Assistant Adjutant General, Headquar- ters of the Army, Washington-Sir I have the honor to report in the interests or the service, that in the several inspec- tions ! made in the various camps and troopships at Tampa, Jacksonville. Chlckamauga and Porto Rico, l found the fresh beef to be apparently preserved with secret chemicals, which destroys its natural flavor, and which 1 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 authorization of the Shafter expedition, Colonel Weston, the efficient chief com missary, showed me quarter of beef that had already, as a test, been sixty hours in the sun without being perceptibly tainted so far as the sense Of smell could determine. It is impossible to keep fresh beef so long untainted in the sun in that climate without the use of preserves, such as boric acid or nitrate of potash, inject ed into it in quantities likely to be hurtful to the health of the consumer At Ponce much of the beef arriving on the transports from the United States was also of the same character, being appar- ently preserved by injecting chemicals to aid deficient cold storage.
 Where efficient cold storage is impossi- ble, transporting beef alive is the method that should receive the fullest conSidera- tion by the Government, as being safest for the health of the consumer. When detailed to take charge of the transport Panama for conveying convalescents to obtained hounds of fresh beef from the commissary at Ponce. It looked well, but had an odor after being injected with preservatives, and tasted when first cooked like decom- posed bodies smell. After standing a day for further inspection 1t became so bitter, nauseous and unpalatable as to be quite impossible for use. was, therefore, obliged, owing to the condition and the complaints of the sick about 1t, and the disgustingly sickening odor 1t emitted when being cooked. and it's mawkish. flat taste when served, and for the safety of the patients, 255 convalescent sol diers on board, to organize a azo6 board or 5oSt all we had, overheard. Consequently the convalescents were entirely without the much-needed fresh beef, making the duty of bringing the men to the United States in an improved condition very difficult matter. 1 States Volunteer Infantry at Jacksonville recently 1 observed the same odor and taste upon the fresh beef, but not so marked and at the camp of the Sixth ln- fantry at Chickamauga 1 also, at several inspections, observed 1t markedly. l there inspected a. lot of beef just issued to that regiment and, while it looked well, 1t was of a sickening odor, like a human body dead of disease and injected with preserv- atives and when cooked 1t was quite un- palatable and consequently likely to prove an efficient cause of ill health. The men complained of it's inspid and mawkish flavor that high seasoning could not con ceal.
 Believing that the Commissary Depart ment has been imposed upon by the misdi- rected commercial spirit of persons fur nishing fresh beef respectfully recom- mend that the matter be investigated by experts, making a quantitative and quali- tative chemical analysis of the several conservatives suspected to be used by get ting samples of beef furnished for export to Cuba and Porto Rico.
 If the question arises that report should have been made by me earlier, 1 beg to say that I have endeavored with all my opportunities to first inform my self by observations of the conditions, as above noted, sufficiently to warrant my drawing the attention of the adjutant general at the headquarters of the army to the matter. Very respectfully,
 W. H. DAILY,
 Surgeon United States Volunteers.