The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-06
COLONEL OSGOOD EXPLAINS
MEAT TREATED CHEMICALLY
NOT GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.
The Commissary Of Subsistence Who
Served With Miles Says the Ra-
lions Issued During thee
War Were Good.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-Colonel
Henry B. Osgood, commissary Of sub
sistence, who served with General Miles
at Tampa and at Camp Thomas and
Santiago, was before the War Investi-
CATION Commission to-day. General
Beaver asked many questions as to the
quality of the rations issued during the
recent war. In brief, Colonel Osgood
said the rations throughout the war
were as good, if not better, than those
usually issued to the regular army.
The beef, he said, was particularly
good and better than any he had ever
eaten at an army post. 1t was the first
time, he explained, that he had ever
seen the refrigerated beef issued in the
army and it was far better than the
contract beef he had generally had at
various posts.
He said he had had under him
butcher of twenty-five years experl-
ence who cut and issued the beef and
this man was under strict orders never
to issue pound of bad beef. The Gov
eminent, he said, had a very good con-
tract with Swift & Co., whereby they
kept a supply of beef on hand in re-
frigerator cars and ships. Each day
witness called for what meat he wanted
and the contractors put it out on the
block. They were responsible for it till
the meat got to the troops, and if meat
was bad when delivered it went back
on the contractor. The contractor made
good whatever meat was rejected.
Colonel Osgood explained that there
were many complaints as to the appear
ance of the meat. 1t had the green
mold or beard" on the surface, as had
lot nv Of This
was repulsive looking, the witness said,
but the meat underneath was perfectly
sound and was really prime beef, much
better in fact than any beef killed on
the spot. Witness corroborated the
testimony of Major Duncan harrison
that after the men who disliked the
appearance of the refrigerated beef hau
had a short experience with meat on
the hoOf they were glad to get back
to the American meat. Colonel Osgood
cited one instance where a board of
survey of the Second United States
Volunteers had condemned a lot Of
beef and reported it rotten. The con-
tractor protested to Colonel Osgood that
the refrigerator beef was good and
brought a steak cut from one Of the
condemned quarters. The steak was
kept tWenty-four hours longer off the
ice and then served to the members of
the board that had condemned it. They
did not know the antecedents of the
meat and pronounced it particularly
fine.
General Beaver said: Colonel Os-
good, it has been alleged before this
commission, not in sworn testimony,
and not in a way, perhaps, to demand
any great attention, but still it has
been stated that beef sent TO Santiago
was prepared in some way with chemi-
Gals to preserve it. Can you tell us
a hing that head ~ univ
should use chemicals on meat when it
was apparently so easy to preserve it
in refrigerators?
Yes, can tell you a good deal about
that. The meat treated in that way
was not the property of the Govern
ment or any of our contractors. 1 was
aboard the Comal one day and Colonel
Weston, chief commissary, showed me
four quarters of beef hanging in the
sun which he said was process beef
1t was prepared at the request of an
inventor named Powell, who claimed
that he had discovered a chemical pre-
paration that would keep meat in a
hot climate without ice. 1t was purely
a private experiment and was not is
sued to the troops. l looked at it and
it seemed to be perfectly good. There
was no mold on it, as on the refrigera-
tor beef and it had no smell / be-
lieve Colonel Weston tasted some of it.
80 Iar as L Know ne was the only OIL
Ger who tested it,
Witness did not say what Colonel
Weston thought of the process beef.
He continued: Il think Colonel DAILY
saw this meat and probably the fact
that this beef was there gave the start
to all this talk of chemically prepared
beef 1t was purely private expert
ment and the Government had nothing
to do with it,
In connection with Colonel Osgoods
explanation of the process" beef ex-
pertinent, it can be stated that the in
ventor of the chemical preventative
brought the matter to the attention of
the War Department before the out
break Of the war and offered to sell the
formula and process to the Government.
1t was considered by the commanding
general. the Secretary of War and the
commissary department, and the War
Department declined.