Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-03-15

Tic Sulp, dS lucIc were Ho loSiiieiSo III
cooking The refrigerating apparatus
was in the best of condition.
did any change take place in the
beef?"
''On the return trip when we were
within about two days of New York
the chief steward reported to me that
the beef was
BEGINNING TO SPOIL,
| that he had to cut out portions Of it in
order to prepare it for the table. That
condition continued to increase until
our arrival in New York. when on the
morning of September 2, l think, he
reported to me the beef was so bad that
he did not think it advisable to at
tempt to use it any more. So we took
on a fresh supply at New York.
What was done with the Manitoba
| beef?"
! 81 reported it's condition to the depot
commissary, Col. Woodruff, and a
board of survey was subsequently, APP
pointed. There was some argument
about the ownership of the meat, but
the board proceeded in the regular
way and made their report. l applied
to the chairman for a copy of the pro-
| ceedings and he told me that the pro-
ceedings had been stopped. But l OBJ
tanned copy and learned from it that
| the beef had been condemned and or
dered disposed of. In about ten days
lighter came alongside the ship and
took the beef away. | received a tele-
gram from Mr.. Barry, of Washing
| ton. who | understood was represen-
tative of Swift & Company, to deliver
it to the lighter
Witness tated that the chief engineer
on the Manitoba who was familiar
! with the handling of the meat, had
superintendent the unloading at New
port News, and expressed himself salts
fed as to the way in which the trans
fer was made. The temperature at
Newport News was 50 degrees, but the
refrigerator cars were run down to
covered she'd where the cars were
opened and the beef Immediately taken
aboard the ship. The temperature IN
the refrigerating roms on board ship
was at times only "a degrees and the
ENGINEER WAS ALARMED
because he could not get the tempera-
ture down to 33 degrees, but he finally
succeeded. The beef when it came
aboard was examined by the witness.
1t was enclosed in cheese cloth sacks
and seemed to be in prime condition.
When taken off at New York it had
"whiskers" on the outside. The Board
of Survey had several quarters exam
ined. and the beef inside was perfectly
good; but the board felt that as there
was so much mold on the outside the
beef was bad, that it would be I'M
safe to issue to the troops.
Did you have any occasion to sus-
pect that the beef had been treated with
a preservative?"
mo, sir"
Did anything of that kind come to
your knowledge in conversation"
NO sir"
I'm cross-examination Major Lee
drew out that when General Gilmore
looked up smiling" at Ponce, he said:
"a = I'D will OH ON
you up so much, and possibly enable
you to get off the reef" The witness
stated that he did not consider the re-
mark of General Gilmore as wish to
destroy the property. The witness said
he had talked with General Gilmore
several times, and even after the ship
was off the reef in the office of the de-
pot commissary, trying to make some
disposition of the stores. Captain Pom
eroy, who was acting as depot commits
sary several days after his arrival at
Ponce, said to him: I'VE have adver-
tised for bids for fresh beef" Witness
protested. He could not see why Pom
eroy could not make use of the beef on
board the ship, receiving an indefinite
reply, he
WENT TO GENERAL GILMORE
and again brought up the question of
the refrigerator beef aboard the Man
itoba. General Gilmore replied: eve
do not need it,
The witness did not know whether no.
tice had been sent that the troops were
| to be supplied with the Manitoba beef.
There was only a small ice plant at Ponce
with a capacity of four tons a day, and
the hospital took all the ice He was in
the harbor three weeks without issuing
any beef. He did not think beef would
keep very long in that country. Judging
from his experience on board ship, it
would not keep more than six or seven
hours after leaving the refrigerator. He
understood that the meat sent to the
Sixth Illinois and which spoiled was taken
in an open wagon
The recorde- then called Gustavus F.
Swift. president of the Swift company.
He testified to two contracts entered into
| between his company and the United
States government with reference to the
supplying of refrigerated beef TO the
troops in Cuba and Porto Rico
whom, were those contracts rrada