Evening star., 1899-04-06
THE POWELL PROCESS
1t Was Tested by Col. Weston Of the
Oommissary Department.
ARMOUR & CO.'S LETTER READ
important Testimony Before the
Beef Court Inquiry.
DISTRICT MEN SUFFERED


The army court of inquiry opened its
morning session today with DR.. s. Clifford
Cox, assistant surgeon of the lst District
of Columbia Volunteer Regiment. on the
stand. He said the health of the District
regiment in Cuba was very good until
fresh beef was issued on July %, when an
epidemic of diarrhoea broke out DIR. Pyles.
the witness said, believed the fresh beef
caused the sickness and stopped the issue
of beef. After it was stopped, he said, he
was ordered away from the regiment to the
division hospital, but he learned that the
epidemic of diarrhoea was checked very
promptly. DR.. Pyles, he said, had attrib-
uted the diarrhoea from which the men
suffered at Tampa to the beef, but he did
not agree with him then because he could
not see how fresh beef should give men
diarrhoea- DR.. Cox said the canned roast
beef was unfit for food He could not eat
it. He had heard men attribute their i'll
ness to 1t, but he could not say whether
1t was the cause of their illness. 1t was
uEsightly, and he thought it lacked nutri-
ton. He said it looked like meat fiber from
which the substance had been boiled. 1t
looked Stringy.
The Contracts for Beef.
VIM A. DeCaindry, for twenty years
chief clerk of the office of the commissary
of subsistence of the army, was placed on
the stand. The first thing he had to do
with the beef contracts during the late war
was when a telegram was sent by the
commissary general to forty or fifty deal
ers in beef. He had no communication with
the commdssary general as to what kind OF
beef would be accepted. Three kinds had
been advertised for-refrigerated, on the
block and on the hoof. The witness drew
the contract for refrigerated, chilled or
frozen beef He did not know who the
telegram inviting these proposals as his
guide. In day or two he received memo
randa. of matters he was to insert in the
contract.
Gen. Eagan's Interlineatfon.
The witness explained at length how,
after the seventy -two-hour clause had been
put in the contract, he put in a twenty
four-hour clause on direction of Capt. Geo.
b. Davis. Later Gen. Eagan interiined in
this contract in his own handwriting
which shall not be more than sevenfy-two
hours from the time of storing same in
said refrigerators,' although that was pro-
vided in another clause OF the contract.
When he was told to put In twenty-four-
hour clause he was told by Capt Geo b.
Davis that it was proposed to have re-
frigerators follow up the army slightly IN
its rear.
Il explained to Gen. EaGan, said Mr.
DeCaindry that If this beef was to be
transferred to refrigerators 1t would seem
that a reduction of the SeVenty-tWo-nour
clause would be proper. Cen Eagan seem
ed to be dubious about it. He let the mat
ter drop out of discussion.
He said that he knew of no other case
preyious to the contract with swift * co.
in which the commissary general had en-
tered into a contract for the purchase or
subsistence supplies. Before that contracts
for subsistence had BEEN made by suoordl-
nate commissares.
He said Capt George B. Davis was the
sole military assistant of the commissary
general, and he looked upon him as being
in the confidence of the commissary gen.
eral When he was asked to draw up the
contract with Swift & Co. he felt that NJ
was called upon to do something, aithouga
rot acquainted with the details concerning
it He did not reme mber having heard or
Eagan or Capt Geo. B. Davis in regard 10
special processes of meat. There was cor
respondence on that subject. There was a
letter in the department in May IN Whlch
processes of meat were referred to. After
BIDS had been opened there was letter
from Armour & Co. claiming that they
should be awarded the contract, although
their bid was not the lowest because of
their experiments for preserving meat
which had been carried on in Florida. he
did not know what process this was.
In reply to a question by Major Lee the
witness said the letter had been returned to
the writer at his request, with the excep-
ton of the last page. which contained Of
fetal seals. He thought a copy of this
letter had been retained in the Office of
10 pOrnmiSSary general.