New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-24


by clock in the morning No Official complaints
about the beef made to him. but he heard Of
one where issue was buried. due. ne sup
posed to putrefacton. Any loss from spelling with
in tweuty-four hours after leaving the refrigerator
fell upon the contractors. He saw the beef on the
Mississippi and. replying TO Colonel Davis. said IT
inviting I'm appearance as the beef at
Tampa. II was slightly discoored. but not bad
II any preservative had ever been used on any
OF the beef the felow that used 1t ought to he
whipped for stupidity for. as told you. 1t would
spoil within twelve hours" Colonel Weston re-
Piled TO another question.
Recurring to Tampa. he said three or four boxes
Of frozen beef were sent. and he sent it out TO
Riplev TO experiment to see If frozen beef would
he satisfactory The beef frozen and packed
in ice-boxes but II did not keep. Frozen beef. he
said failure.
THE PREsERVAT1vE EXPERIMENT.
sneakinr Of the Powell preservative process eh-
nortu,ent Colonel Weston said the Commissary
recruitment had nothing whatever officially 10 90
with it, Mr.. Edwards. he said, representing AT
rnour & Co. came to him and told him some beef
ros coming that would he treated and he asked
tho witness II he would not put it on a ship and
see how long it would keep The beef arrived ana
witness asked Mr.. Powell what had been done TO
the beef and the latter replied that nothing IN
furious was I'm the treatment He had furnished
beef for years 20 Florida hotels. and he believed
hours. and if SO and the Government would make
co,tract the full process would be explained SIX
or seven quarters were taken and put Oh the ships
some was in canvas and some was not The for
mer held out seventy-odd hours. while the I'M
canvased beef went up pretty quickly
,-olonel Weston declared emphatically that tho
Government had no connection with the expert
roenf. that he merely accommodated the beei peo-
pie and observed the result of the experiment
He then reviewed the deterioration Of mo troops.
When they left Tampa he estimated that from ID
10 % per cent Of their vitality was gone and ne
Cuban climate affected them so that nothing out
The excitement Of the campaign kept them UP
until the surrender after which they went 10
nieces quickly The deterioration he did not a.
,ripute in any degree to bad food but perhaps
slightly 10 insufficient food, because the me" ''o"
much Of It away cumbersome luggage
Canned roast beef in Cuba was not spoiled out
the heat made # unnviting in appearance. How
ever IT was wholesome. and excellent for Sc"
purposes the witness declared
Colonel Weston said that the Commissary De-
partent considered the question Of live cattle sup
ply 10 the Army, but the proposition was aDah-
doned because OF no transportation facilities. and
then. he added not an animal could have been put
eebore before the opening Of the haroor. Horses
could be made TO swim ashore, but not SO with
steers. 49,
Replyinr to Colonel Gillespie, witness said he did
not know whether any beef furnished 10 the Army
had been treated chemically.
REFRIGERATED BEEF PRAISED
Major Henry Osgood. acting Assistant Commis-
sarv-General before the outbreak of the war. and
afterward assigned to duty with General Miles ac-
cornnar1yinC him to and remaining for some time
a. --sr,ne testified that while there ne took part
q, loading the transports No refrigerated beef for
the troops was put on board the soldiers being iur-
nished with travel ratiOns. He saw the fo"el
process beef for experiment Leaving tampa on
July 4 he was at Chickamauga until August ana
testified as 10 the excellence Of the Refrigerated
beef Going 20 Santiago early II Angus ie ''
after the issue Of beef
He explained the contract with Swift Co.. say
ing Il required the beef 10 keep seventy-tWo hours
after being taken from the ships refrigerator and
n taken from the concerns refrigerator on shoie
# should keep twenty-four hours
He was obliged 20 some beef on the hoof. out
# never became firm. and did not compare at all
favorabiy with the refrigerated beef nor did Il
give such satisfaction. Major Osgood said he for
lnerly favored supply Of beef on the hoof for the
Army in Cuba but he was forced 20 take water
on that" after seeing the use of refrigerated beef.
Tho native cattle he used were imported rom
Venezuela
Per'vlnr 10 General Davis the witness declared
his opinion that many Of the charges Of officers
that REFRIGERATED beef was spoiled were false. the
beef ne said. often appeared offensive and spou>d
whom merely viewed whereas II a knife Were used
anywhere" would be found Snap Judgment was
-aton often on that beef" the witness declared
He said he hal never learned whether the beef
actually would keep seventy-twO hours or not. l.
was chilled TO the bone a. temperature Of % dc
arees and with ordinary care ought 20 have kept
twenty-four hours.
speakirc Of the men and their complaints he
said. .AU their livers out OF whack.' ! est
mate that 90 per cent Of en- had enlarged hvers.
and they were ready 10 complain AZ everything
wanted 70 he fed all the time on delicacies"
,fa4ar Osgood just before being excused. was
beginning 4 criticism Of he equipment OF con-
,,alescent ship his criticism affecting the Medical
Department when General Wade stopped him ny
es,'ine that the question was outside the province
q" ra,.tatn q T. Scott sth Cavalry served in Porto
MO and declared that the native beef was unsat-
Il+.cfory while the refrigerated peer was AbHH
pleasing lie had eaten canned roast peel Duh mao
,-arfain Charles n. GriersOn. ION Cavalry, ,lnul
r-o.-i,ory colonel and chic. conmlsSary "l NE
Fourth Corps. was with ms regiment III 1T.
..f4 no notable complaints were H"ue az "'i-s.
..rr.l rpa-t beef. but the men ulQ hOl ear H. va
rofrru'rg from Cuoa he was Stationed al IaHP55.,
,r,era ha had experience with refTseruieo De-l. gre
No',l,.aG IT, vas satisfactory o.; Tampa. and NkeWlse
~. Hunrey,iItc lie never suspected any chemical
treatment OF the meat
GENERAL EAGAN APPEARS.
r.. r.s nearly O'Clock when General Eagan who
va arrived from New-York was presented 10 the
court He wore the full-dress Uniform OF D'lsa-
general He gave hs name as Charles T.
J,aesn. Brgadier-Genera. CommlSsary Dep" 'n'"''
aid sdded: II have no station at present
t,-,o.sdire IN reply 10 questions he said ne con-
eid.raA carefully the question o. fresh peel ior
- ,r.n.n neef on inc hOOf or rcf:lsrialtl