Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-04-12
Gives His Evidence to the Court in
the Form Of a Narrative.
KNEW OF NO SUBSTITUTE
For Canned Meat ne a Ration Heard
No Complaints. Of Canned beef
Ate 10 Iitmsei.

IuTN lu' NNhhNs ahH
statement differed little from his tcs-
tlmony before the war investigating
committee. lie had eaten the canned
roast beef and found II not Disagree
able. The refrigerated beef was as finc
IA any he had ever eaten. The men
who suffered FOR lack OF food had only
themselves to blame. II there had
been mistakes. Congress. which pro-
yidcs the rationa and clothing OF the
soldiers. was responsible.
lie admitted that he had never heard
~ canned roast beef before the war,
while II was not very pnlatablc In the
tropics. he thought II would be very
good IN n cold climate.
Some OF the Pennsylvania volunteers
gave direct testimony aH to the tainted
character OF the refrigerated beef ana
the canned roast beef. one Of them
testified that beef aboard the MisHia-
nippi had maRotH In II.
sydney Reid Of the New York office
Of the Associated Press was recalled NJ
the opening of the session of the beef
investigation board today. but his re-
examination developed nothing.
capt. Edward II. Plummcr. aidc-dc-
camp OF Gen. Shnftcr. and brigade
quartermart2r during the Cuban cam
pnirn. the next witness. was closely
Nu'htlontu M 10 tnt tNcllltieh TOT ktt-
tlng supplies 10 the front. but his tcati-
mony In this respect developed moth
inr new. lie said that the rcgimcntal
and brigade qunrtcrmnstcrs toward
the close OF the campaign generally re-
qucntcd bacon In preference to beef
There were hut two days, according 10
his belief. between the dcbarkRtlon and
the cnd OF the siege when the troops
dld not have practically full field rn-
TONS with tho exception OF potatoes
aud tomatoes. After the surrender,
when refrigerated beef was Issued he
said. the only complaint he heard con-
corning the meat was from the Eighth
ohio. He had no personal knowlcdgo.
but he saw statement by MAJ. Gala
Ehcr that only one onc-hundrcdth OF
ncr cent Of the refrigerated beef Is
sued had not been consumed.
q. Ochrenachlagcr. the representative
OF Armour A. Co. at jacksonville. fol-
lowed. lie had heard very few COM
plants. To his knowledge no chemicals
or prcAcrVativcr were used. certainly
not there. lie never heard OF process
beef until after he saw mention 81 II
In the newspapers two or three weeks
nro.
Mai. Gen. william II. shafter was
the next winners. lie entered the court
room unactompanicd. and all the mem
bcra rose Ia receive him. lie detailed
the main events connected with the
Santiago expedition In narrative form.
The quantity et. supplies taken was
largely dctcrmlnSd by the capacity OF
the ships. lie had no discretion In the
matter OF rAtlonr. lie took what was
sent to him By the commiHrnry depart
mcnt. II was utterly impractlcablc 20
take beef ON tho hoof. lie regarded u
aH absurd TO consider. Looking back
a. A..
impraetieablc. Had they encountered
an active enemy, they might have lost
a beef herd. and In any event II would
have been imperativcly necessary 10
take the same amount OF salt ana
cured meat 10 provide against such
possible contingency.
After the troops were landed he or
dcrc1 all troops forward. with three
days ratlonn. The meat ration was not
specified. Each commander determined
whether II should be- bacon or roast
beef. lie heard no complaints OF the
canned roast beef between the time OF
landing and tho surrender. He heard
no complaints until after his return
from Cuba. Naturally In such u cll-
mate n was not appetizlng. lie ate. II
every day himself. The troops were
furnished with full rationa Of meat.
hard bread. coffee and sugar. There
werv one or two days when the full
ration Of coffee ana sugar did not reach
them. but II was made up the next
day. The question ot supplying the
utopr was the difficult question; the
reft was easy. There were no com
plants from Washington.
The health u the troops was fairly
rood up TO the time OF surrender. Tho
sick report July 18Th would show but
1900 men sick. but the troops had been
weakened. and after the surrender
Hos "a NIL FUf HIlN M
yellow fever was reported ON the 9Th,
lie only recalled one complaint against
the refrigerator beef. He thought that
came from the Seventh or Ninth IN
fantry.
lie took great Interest In the rcfrig-
Grated beef, and from his Investigation
pronounced II perfectly satisfactory.
Suspicion that II had been chemically
treated was never even suggested at
that time. He attributed the immense
amount OF sickness To exposure, the cN-
crtionH OF an active campaign and the
climate.
Maj. Lee cross-examined Gen
In report forwarded by Col. Roose-
Welt some complaints We're made, but
he did not regard them ~ important,
NJ the emergency had passed.
Mai. Ice read from col. RooHevelts
report OF the action Of Jul" LIST. say
ing his troops had no food ON that day
except what they captured froL. the
Spaniards.
'''If they did not have food II was
their own fault" observed Gen. Shnf-
ter. 'They were ordered to provide
themselves with two days rationH,"
A 10 col. Roosevelt'E statement that
they did not have adequate food or
opinion. They had their rationa pro-
Ndel by law II the rntiona Of the