The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-05
BARS ON TRANSPORTS
LIQUOR SELLING TO SOLDIERS ON BosRr
SHIPS sTopSfD.
Major Harrison Tells Of Beef Hih a S,tenish
Mold Up,n Il, AID Declares it
Perfectly Coed.

savannah, Ga.. Jan. 1.-Two weeks
ago, Hugh McClair formerly steward on
the yachts of e. d. Morgan and w. G..
Whitney and then steward OH the trans
port Roumanan, was discharged Ivy
the ships quartermaster. McClair said
it was because he had demanded of The
quartermaster his share of profits made
from the ships store room Among 9th
er things he claimed that the quarter
master was doing a rushing business
aboard ship and poelzeting the profits.
Subsequently McClair was arrested On
an affidavit by the quartermaster charg-
ing him with having stolen government
silver. To-day however he was els
charged from custody by the United
States Commissioner. Since McClair' $
story became public Depot Quartermas-
ter Bellinger and Depot Commissary
Ruthers have been making an invcsti-
CATION. What they found has been en-
bodied in an official report which went
to Washington last night. /, is stated
that Quartermaster Wrigley, of The Hou-
manian,and the quartermasters in charge
of the Manitoba have been recommend
ed discharged from the service.
Stringent orders have been issued
from Washington in regard to the carry
ing and selling of liquors on the trans
ports to soldiers. The sale Of liquors
at one time must have come close to
the verge of scandal. Nearly every
one of the transports was running II
bar and getting rid Of considerable liG-
uor to the soldiers, something said to
have been unheard of btfor,, on q mill
tary transport. On some of The trans
were eXorbitant prices and big profits i'll
was exorbitant prices and big profits III
the business for the stewards of some
body. The selling OF liquor appears to
have run on for some time before the
general officers got theis eyes on it, a,id
then there was a speedy stoppage to il.
NO CHEMICALS WE'RE USED.
Washington, d. c., Jan. 4.--Maior
Hopkins, military aide to the Secretary
of War, testified before the war invessi-
eating commission regarding sanitary
conditions at the camps at Tampa,
Camp Thomas, and Camp Alger. 1t was
the old question of sinks, drainage, ana
camp police, and the testimony of the
witness was little different from preced-
ing witnesses.
Major Harrison, Ninth volunteer in
ffantry, whose regiment was raised neal
New Orleans and is now in service at
Santiago, was next called.
Concerning commissary stores, he
said those in the United States We're
the best that could be bought in the
open market. The refrigerated beef sent
from this country, he said, was excel
lent. He had had much experience with
refrigerated meat and he said that while
there was some disposition on the part
of the regiment cooks to cavil at the
appearance of the meat, it was in real
ity quite good. He explained that the
sudden change of temperature on remov
in gthe meat from the refrigerator
ships produced what is known as a
''beard,'a greenish growth that had to
be scraped off. When this was done,
the meat beneath was perfectly sound
1t was served to the men with excel
lent results and benefited the sick ma.
terially. The chief trouble came when
the change was made to hoof cattle sent
from I'0rIO IllcO. Ibis peer MaJOr 11af-
rison killed himself and personally super
intended its dressing and cooling. But
it would not cool in that climate he
said very emphatically. 'Ihe meat
never lost its animal heat and with its
use our sickness increased 10 per cent
In a country where the dead purified III
six hours, you will easily understand that
meat killed and exposed to the atmos-
pheric changes with coagulated blood
and the attacks of flies will spoil much
sooner. Our board of survey had no
work to do except condemning and
burying this local killed beef
OF the canned meat Major Harrison
spoke with equal emphasis, saying that
it was fully as good as the refrigerator
beef, was well received by the men, and
none of it had to be condemned.
Witness said he was thoroughly famil-
lar with the processes of refrigerating
and butchering meat, and was willing to
state positively that there were no
chemicals used in any of the American
beef that passed under his observation.
He regarded it as highly improbable that
anything of the sort had been attempt
ed.