The age-herald., 1899-01-05
IT WAS OF GOOD QUALITY
Impossible to Keep Anything from
 Spelling in Porto Rico.
ADMINISTRATION WAS DlLIGENT
In Investigating All Complaints in Re- gard to Camp Sites and Com missary Supplies -Alger's
 Aide on the Stand.

Washington, January 4.-Major Hopkins, military aide to the secretary of war; tes- tifed before the war Investigating commits sion regarding sanitary conditions at Tam pa, Camps Thomas and Alger. It was the old queston of sinks drainage and camp police, and the testimony of the witness was little different from preceding witnesses He had not approved of the conditions at Camp Thomas and in accordance with his report an order was issued August 15 for it's abandonment. He knew of no ad- verse report ever having been made to the secretary on Camp Alger. If there were any complaints they were merely individ- ual. He knew of no complaint as to any camp that was not promptly investigated.
 What action was taken, if any?'
 ''Well, for one instance, I was appointed VI, ,hEH Reed to investigate the condition of the hospitals. The surgeon-general told us to report daily and he would meet at once our recommendations
 This ended Major Hopkins testimony.
 Maj. Harrison
 Major Harrison, Ninth Volunteer infan- try, whose regiment was raised near New Orleans and is now in service at Santiago, was next called.
 Concerning commissary stores he said those in the United States were the best that could be bought in the open market. The refrigerated beef was excellent. He had had much experience with refrigerated meat and he said that while there was some disposition on the part of the regimental cooks to cavil at the appearance of the meat it was in reality quite good He ex- plained that the sudden change of tempera- ture on removing the meat from the re- frigerator ships produced what is known as bear" a greenish growth that had to be scraped off. When this was done the meat beneath was perfectly good. It was served to the men with excellent results and bene- fited the sick materially. The chief trouble came when the change was made to hoof cattle sent from Porto Rico. This beef, Major Harrison kild himself and personally superintendended it's dressing and cooling. 2"But 1t is not cool in that climate" he said.
 'The meat never lost its animal heat and with it's use our sickness increased 10 per cent In country where our dead pu- trefied in six hours you will easily under stand that meat killed and exposed to the atmospheric changes with coajulated blood and the attacks of fes will spoil much sooner. Our board of survey had no work to do except condemning and burying this local killed beef.''
 Canned Meat Was Used
 Of the canned meat, Major Harrison spoke with equal emphasis, saying that it was fully as good as the refrigerated beef, was well received by the men and none of it had to be condemned.
 Governor Beaver asked if a refrigerat ng plant were established there whether Gu ban beef could be killed and rendered fit for use.
 Witness said he thought this would not be desirable as the Cuban cattle while fine cattle, furnished the coarest and most stringy beef he had ever seen
 Witness said he was thoroughly famil- far with the processes of refrigerating and butcherng meat and he was willing to state positively that there were no chemicals used in any of the American beef that passed under his observation. On the con- trary he said there were no chemical prep aration that could be used on the meat with advantage to the packers and with out buying their product before they could get it to the army. He regarded it as highly improbable that anything of the sort had been attempted
 Recurring to the hoof-killed beef at San tiago, witness said the surgeons in charge attributed the 10 per cent. increase in in- ternal sickness to the use of the fresh killed beef. There was proportionate decrease in sickness when the regiment returned to the refrigerated beef. Major Harrison said he had no complaint to make as to medical supplies or attendance. He considered the whole supply system good.