Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-05-13
Az to whether ANYTHING better than

more SultdDle ana NJ tndn tue VII
known and unfamiliar canned roast
beef eaten direct from the can, and be-
lieves that there was no better food
available or procurable than refriger-
ator beef.
The opinion is expressed that it
would have been impossible to land
beef cattle on the hoof in Cuba.
ExOnerates Packers.
An instruction of the president to
the court was, IF the packers of the
country are guilty, il must be known"
Replying to this direction the court
says:
"The methods of packing the canned
beef were the same as those habitual-
meat as an article of commerce, and
the court does not find hat they un-
derwent any change during the prog
ress Of the war. The large purchases
for the use of the military forces dur
ing the months of May and June, 1873,
were made-not at the solicitation OF
the packers, or in consequence Of Ell
forts put forth by them for that pur-
pose-but by the order and upon the
initiative Of the commissary general OF
subsistence, such purchases being
made in every case by officers OF his
department in the usual manner
On another point connected with the
packers the court said:
at appears from the testimony that
whenever any cans have been found to
be defective subsequent to their orig
inal delivery to the subsistence depart
ment, such cans have been replaced III
every instance"
Replying specifically to other ques-
tons set out by the president, the
court says:
"That the canned beef was described
as fresh because il was not sailed, u
that the meat was not old or stale.
THAT the refrigerated beef fur
nished the army was not 'doctored or
treated with any other agency than
cold air.
"That the meat purchased for the
army was the meat of commerce.;
that both kinds-refrigerated and
canned-wcre such as is well known IN
both hemisphercs as commercial prod
ucts of which there is and has been
very large consumption not only by
the trade generally, but by the United
States navy and by the armies II ma
vies Of Europe. ,
THAT no report Of u%nfitncss or UNI
suitability Of the beef were forwarded
TO the war department until more thall
one month after hostillties ceased.
THAT barring some defects in metE-
DDS of inspecting the beef on its dcllV-
erv to the subsistence department the
deterioration of the meat in shipment
,.,,, H., a., Tho fu1lt nf no one
Report Of Courts Chemists
Summing UP the result of the exam
nations of the chemists employed by
the court, the report says:
"The contents of all the cases, when
consisted Of boiled rather than roast
beef. were found to be perfectly sweet,
with an odor of cooked meat. The
beef i'm nearly all the cans appeared 10
have been softened by exposure to
heat, but apparently without injurious
effect rs to it's quality. Apart from
this the meat contents were found 10
be in a good state Of preservation IN
every ease. No trace OF p~reservative
acids were found in any OF the cans.
Il 4 n There is no testimony 10 n
effect that any of the canned fresh
beef supplied to the subsistence de-
partment since April %. 1898, has been
chemically treated or subjected to the
action Of personalities of any kind
save n small quantity OF common salt
that had been added as seasoning TO
the product of certain packers.
an no case did the number OF
swelled or tainted cans discovered
greatly exceed in amount Of ! per cent
n - ,..lA nx+n NNfnnI ~
Several pages of the report are de-
voted to the consideration of the al
legation made by General Miles that
the refrigerated beef was treated with
preservativcs. but the statement is
made upon the threshold of his
question that but little testimony was
submitted by him in support Of this
contention"
Considerable attention is given to
DIR. Days testimony concerning the
refrigerated beef on the transport
Panama and also to his report con
corning the beef supplied to the i'm
muncs stationed at Chickamauga.
Regarding this the court says:
"The testimony shows hat the beef
treated by the Powell process, which
was declared by DR.. DAILY to contain
boric and salicylic acids, was, in fact,
treated by fumigation, and the ma
~terials employed contained neither
boric nor salicylic acids"
AS to the cause Of the sickness in the
army in the Santiago campaign, the
court finds it impossible to include
that either the canned fresh beef or
refrigerated beef appeared to any APP
probable extent n causes OF intestinal
diseases"
Speaking of the ration as a whole
the court says:
Not n Good Tropical Ration.
LAS to the effects Of the food supply,
having regard to both suffiCiency and
quality, it seems to he clearly established
that the army ration as supplied, Will
out modification to the troops serving in
the West Indies, was by no means well
adapted for use in a tropical climate.
If this be true, the uniitness OF the ration
should have manifested itself by It's fall
ure to keep the troops, who subsisted up
on 1t, in the best possible condition for
service in hot climates. This, In the
opinion OF the court, Is fully established
in the evidence. The insutiiCiency Of the
food supply in Cuba and the irregularity
attending upon its distribution, due pri-
marily to a marked deficiency In trans
facilities and the condition OF
the weather ana the TOauS, dppcdleu, I'D
extent, as causes of disease among
the troops who were thus insufiiciently
and irregularly subsisted."
The conclusion of the court, adverse to
further proceedings based upon the
is as follows:
1T has been developed in the course of
the inquiry as reCited in this report that
in some instances, some individuals failed
to perform the full measure of duty or 10
observe the proprieties which dignity high
military command, but the court is of the
opinion that the mere statement in the
official report of the facts developed
meets the ends OF discipline; and that the
interests Of the service will be best sub
served If further proceedings be not
taken
The document Is signed by ]. f. Wade,
Encouragement. United States volunteers,
president, and Geo. h. Davis. lieutenant
colonel. deputy judge advocate, general
recorder.