The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-31
Armour's Agent Made a Conf
dent of Lieut.. Camper.
IT CAME WITHOUT ICE
It Tasted Sour, Acrid and Bitter and Had
Spots of Green on 1.-THE Canned
Roast Beef Condemned by
Major c. Webb

mer witnesses were recalled. Lieuten-
ant CAMPER, who was commisSary Of
ficer Of subsistence at Lakeland, Fla.
and Major Creighton Webb, who was
on General Lawtons staff in Cuba, tes-
titled for the first time Colonel Wood
ruff of the commissary department and
Mr.. Morehouse, Tampa agent for Ar
mour & Co., who superintended the
supply of fresh beef to the troops at
Lakeland, were recalled. Major Webb's
testimony dealt almost entirely with
the canned roast beef, which he pro-
nounced as useless as an article of food
Lieutenant Camper said a representa-
tive OF Armour's. whom he took to be
Mr.. Morehouse, had told him that chem
icals were used to preserve the beef.
This, Mr.. Morehouse, when recalled, de-
MED.
Tomorrow some of the medical Off
GERS who served in the Cuban campaign
will be examined.
The session began at 2 o'clock with
the testimony of George A. Camper, a
clerk living in Cincinnati. Ohio, who
was lieutenant in the LIST Ohio cavalry
during the Spanish war, occupying the
position of regimental commissary
while the troops were camped at Lake
land, Fla. For a time he occupied the
position of brigade commissary. He de-
scribed the manner of receiving fresh
beef at the depot, and said it came in
an ordinary express car wrapped in
burlap bagging. Two or three total con-
signments of meats were rejected. He
stated much of the beef had been sour.
acrid and bitter. and emitted disa-
Ia. i.
removed. There were spots of light
green hue on the beef when the bags
were removed. showing it to be tainted.
CAMPER said that on one occasion.
while the agent for Armour e. Co. was
present, his attention was called to
spots, and he replied the beef was all
right, saying, said CAMPER:
Spots are due to chemicals we put
on the meat to preserve it and to pre-
vent its spelling within go hours called
for by contract
This agent said it was impossible to
keep beef in good condition for that
length of time. He stated, however.
thereafter he would have the meat put
up in tin boxes, but the meat continued
to come with spots on it. CAMPER then
presented memorandum by Captain
Carmichael, his predecessor as commits
sary. showing what meat had been re-
jected from the 1st to the 18th of Aug
ust. This showed a total consignment
was rejected on the 5th, 9Th and It'll of
August; 2S2 pounds were refused on the
second of the month, and no entries
We're made on two other days. On some
occasions chunks were cut out of the
meat and condemned. CAMPER thought
Mr.. Morehouse was the agent who had
spoken Of the use of chemicals. The
conversation had taken place in the
presence of Captain Carmichael (who
afterwards committed suicide) and Dr.
Castle. CAMPER had gotten an I'M
preston that some kind of liquid COM
position had been used for CLOSING the
meat over, but he had not given the
matter much attention, as he supposed
if chemicals had been used they were
harmless.
Major G. Webb. who was General
Lawton's inspector general. gave testi-
mony concerning the meat issued in the
Santiago campaign, referring especially
to canned roast beef
TT was not good" he said: "it was
non-nutritive. stringy, fibrous and had
no taste. 1t looked like the flag ends of
beefsteak. 1t was like opening your
mouth and letting the moon shine into
it. 1t was not satisfying, something we
did not want and could not give away,
even to Cuban troops, who preferred
hard bread"
ou w Ilol, tuGll, regard II as Sulld-
bic ration for for army?''
Il do not" Webb replied. TITS
weighty thing to carry, and it's a waste
of time to eat it."
Webb said he had found the refrigera-
tor beef generally good. though some of
it became putried in hot climate.
Colonel c. A. Woodruff, The purchas-
ing officer for the commissary depart
ment at New York, was recalled He
raippIa1 Ne
roast beef but did not remember the
names of the bidders in any such cases.
Colonel Woodruff stated that in one
instance canned beef which had been
shipped to Liverpool England, was
brought back to this country and sold
for the use of the army. This purchase
amounted to 100000 pounds The beef
as he understood it, had been stored in
Armours warehouse in LIVERPOOL and
had been sent abroad with the view of
selling it to the British government.
Colonel Woodruff had letters read from
representatives of various firms en-
gagged in canning beef. all saying that
the beef sold to the army was of first
class quality and of the same quality
as the beef shipped to foreign countries
and sold to the navy department in
large quantities. The witness said he
heard many complaints concerning this
\ d,
but that one or two of them spoke IA
VOrably of it. He also said that a con-
siderable quantity of beef sent to Cuba
had been returned to New York and
that he had tested it and found it to be
in excellent condition and paIatable
food In conclusion, Colonel Woodruff
asked permission to make a remark as
the senior officer of the subsistence de-
partment, saying:
Whether 1t succeeded or not, the sub
sistence department was animated by
desire to do all it could for the benefit
of the line of the army
Mr.. Morehouse, Armour's agent at
Tampa, was then recalled. He said
there had been two instances in which
the entire proffer of meat had been re-
jected at Lakeland and on three or four
other occasions a portion of the consign-
ment had been refused. He recalled a
visit to Lakeland early in August, when
one consignment was rejected and to
his surprise found the beef lying on the
platform. He had then had conversa-
ton with Captain Carmichael but he
did not remember that there was any
other person present except Lieutenant