The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-03-16

\
roast beef WAS there any Improvement
asked Major Lee.
| Yes, the canned roast beef generally
| gave them diarrhca aGd Gastritis.'
Did you In any official way recommend
| its discontinuanceg'
Yes sir, TO my immediate comman-
| der"
did the commissary come around and
| find out how these things werees
HE came several times and told us II
| was all right. He told us Il was all right
| and We would have 10 eat IL. Sometimes
| we substituted what he called bacon, but
| q good deal OF that had naggots in II
and had to he condemned III we had de-
| pended on army rations the troops would
have starved 10 death. They spent all
the money they got TO huy thlngs TO eat
either at the coinmIssaiy store or IN the
city,
What Was The brand on this canned
| roast beefa''
u think II was fdbby. NoNeill & libb$;
| l am not sure. | tried 10 eat some OF g..
hut could not; it was absolutely revolt
| ing"
when the beef was eaich from caus did
you order II emptied out of the cansg''
I'VE tried TO have Il served Immediately
but under that intense heat puirefaction
would set IN almost as soon as the can
was opened. / think ptomaines were DE-
ing OF the cans.
The next witness WAS Colonel Fred Ben
nett. colonel OF the Third Illinois voIun-
teers He spoke OF The voyage from Sow-
port News TO Porto Rico
There were q great many complaints
about the canned hsef,n he said
"The complaint about The canned roast
beef was that It was nauseatiug Speai-
mems were brought TO me for examination.
and found them very repulsiye. The
meat had disagreeable smell ! made
frequent representations to General Grant
about the canned roast beef bat h. in
sisted that the trouble WAS lack OF
knowledge on the part Of the cooks
Witness remembered that Inc Massaohn
sets came 10 Arroway with lot Of re-
frigerhted beef on board. and that some
OF IL was thrown overheard
The complaint about the refrigerated
beef was hat It showed signs OF decompo-
sition. Perhaps SO per cent OF It was
thrown away.
In answer 20 General Gillespie. the Wit
ness stated that he did not cat any OF the
canned roast beef nor the refrigcrated
beef. He bought some canned bacon and
fresh fish. He noticed that the canned
roast beef bore the label OF Libby, Mcneil
Libby.
Major Joseph sanborn OF Chicago major
OF the First Illinois volunteers, testified
that the canned roast beef was uupalal-
able. He inspected the refrigerated beet
Two issues a1t of three were In hne con-
dltion. but the third was condemned be-
cause decomposition had set in. The Wit
/ ness attributed the spelling OF the meat
to the neglect OF those charged with the
duty Of Issuing It 10 the men
George Leese, the next witness, gave hts
occupation as that OF packing house OK
pert, putting up plachinery for large pack
ing houses. He was familiar with the
classes OF cattle delivered in Chicago.
what arc Gamers" asked Major Let
what are generally termed Gamers
are a very inferior class OF cattle J think
one-third OF them would be condemned in
any English market. chpcks and some-
times meat scraps on the plates are used
for canning"
About what per cent Of nutrimcnt
would be left IN the meat that goes into
the cam"
Little or none"
Walter G. Jonea. sergeant OF Company
|. Thirty-third Michigan Volunteers tas-
tined next He stated that during the y
days in Cuba between the landing and sur
render there we're scarcely any complaints
made about the canned roast beef; SO far
as he knew none was made In regard - It's
making the men sick.
Captain Arson Bolte. OF the First III
nois volunteers. testified that he heard no
complaints about canned roast beet except
when eaten cold. when II was unpalatable
william IT. Replogle testified that l.e
served in the hospital cnfps e Porto Rico
and that canned roast beef was frequently
served to the CORPS He had seen three
or four ems opened with naggots run.
ming out OF them. Witness stated that al
Guayamo he saw a piece OF crphed iresn
heef which had maggots In It.
In reply TO Major Lee the witness tod
Il the sickness Of one THOMPSON. who had
nothing whichever to eat The FIRST day
after landing The second day be was
klven corned beef and hard tack. bat nAs
no way OF uiahirg coffee. The man oe-
came very sick and died within weeA,
After considering In executive session me
matter OF calling more witnesses the eorfs
took Il recess until 2 O'clock,
Al the afternoon session First ser,
Eeant Albert Slavin OF the Scyeafh Urttep
Ststes infantry testlled Lhat come Of tge