Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-01-20
A NEW SENSATION
General Miles Chief Surgeon, Major
VIII. Daily, Testi6es Before the
Investigation Commission.
ACIDS TO PRESERVE BEEF
Even Bull Flies Wouldn't Touch the Meat
at Tampa, and the Surgeon Was
Nauseated by It It-Damaging
Testimony.

Washington, Jan. 20.-Major w. H
DAILY, chief surgeon with General Miles
whose field service extended from Tam
pa to Puerto Rico, and whose repor,
condemning the beef furnished the ex-
peditionary forces created a sensation
some weeks ago, made his long awaited
appearance as witness before the war
investigating commission today. Major
| DAILY was accompanied by General
| Miles stenographer, despite the pres
ence of the commissions official ste
| nographer. On being sworn, the wit
ness identified the report submitted as
his own, changing it's date, however,
from September 81 to October 81. He
was willing to stand by his report. 1t
was wholly voluntary and was not call
ed out by any request or in obedience
to any circular or letter as far as he re-
membered. He heard nothing of the Of
1cial circular calling for reports At
Ponce, however, some time between Au-
gust | and y, he believed he commune
Gated to General Miles some obserya-
tions regarding the beef supplies. AT
Tampa, on ship board, he noticed a
quarter of beef hanging free in the sun
and became interested in the expert
ment of having fresh slaughtered beef
placed under such moist climatic con-
ditions, to see how long it could stand
it. Il observed" he said, that flies, es-
pecially bull-fies, did not affect it, did
not alight on it, or if they did, they
got away from it very quickly
He had cut off a piece of that beef at
Tampa and cooked it, but it neither
smelled nor tasted natural. Later, he
helped men corral some horses, and
he had trouble with his
stomach, which he at first attributed
to the activity in corraling. Then he
noticed indications of chemical pres
ence that brought back recollections of |
the chemical stuff he had used to pre-
serve elk in hunting expeditions in the !
Rocky mountains some years before. |
All that day at Tampa, and the next, he
had an unpleasant taste. In that pre-
vious hunting experience he had an
alyzed the chemical preservative and |
found it to contain boracic and sali-
,ylic acids. These were to be used ex-
-ernally on the elk but he had rubbed
It into the raw flesh, and also injected
t. When questioned as to these ingre-
dents, he said boracic acid was not
safe to be used in connection with food,
Tor for ordinary medicinal purposes,
while salicylic acid was most nauseous,
oathsome and disgusting, and almost
,lways destructive of digestion.
1AGAN'S SUCCESSOR DECIDED ON.
New York, Jan. 2O.-A dispatch to the
Herald from Washington says: What
ver may be the outcome of the Eagan
ourt martial, it may be confidently
tated that Eagan's career as commits
ary general of the army is ended. His 4,
uccessor. Colonel John F. Weston, has
lready been selected Weston was :
hief commissary officer during the !,
antiago campaign.
While at the War department today :
'eneral Eagan was not on duty nor in .
barge of the commissary generals Of .
ce. He has not secured counsel.