The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-24
WORK OF EXTRA SESSION
ENTHUSIASTICALLY CONTROVER-
SY IN THE SENATE.
REPORT OF A BEEF SURVEY BOARD
Captain WarburtOn Says all Beef Issued to his
Battalion Was Bad. Some Whose 0dor
Met Him l50 Yards in Ad-
vance of the Beef.


Washington, Jan. 23.-(Special9--
There are the strongest indications that
the Treaty of Paris is TO go over to
an extra session of the new Congress to
be assembled almost Immediately after
the adjournment of the present Congress
ON the 3rd of March. Senators who
have heretofore been sanguine of ratif7
cation at the present session are now
talking of the probability of the treaty
going over and are inclined to acknowl-
edge that as matters now stand it can
not command the necessary two-thirds
vote.
Senator Lodge, for instance, has been
one of the most sanguine of the mem
bers of the Foreign Relations Commit
tee, and up to within the past few days
has been inclined to scout the idea of
failure To-day, however, he said that
it had been practically decided to make
no further efforts to push the treaty
ut this session, and Senator Davis,
chairman of the committee, virtually adj
mitted as much, although he was more
polite in his language.
utiye session, although everybody ex,
pected it would be. The time which the
Senators spent behind closed doors was
devoted almost entirely to the Samp-
son-Schley controversy, which has beer,
transferred to the Senate by the efforts
to secure confirmation of the promotions
Of both Sampson and Schley to the rank
of rear admiral. OF course the real
controversy lies in the fact that the
Presidents plan puts Sampson ahead of
Schley, and a good many people don't
believe he should be there. Senators
of both sides of the chamber expressed
themselves to that effect during to-day's
debate.
A prominent Administration Senator
is the authority for the statement thai
the President and Secretary Hay are
agreed that there should be different
status in Samoa and that the proposed
plan of dividing up the islands will meet
with the approval of the Government, 50
far as they are able to shape it. This
is for division of the islands By which
Great Britain gets Savaii. The largest
of the group; Germany Upolu, where
Apia is located and which is the prin-
cipalfsiand of the group. The United
States takes Tutuila, with Pago
Pago harbor for coaiing station.
MORE ROTTEN BEEF.
Washington, JAN 23.-The Board of
Survey, appointed by Secretary Alger
to pass upon the question of the proper
condemnation of a large quantity of
beef destined for the troops in Porto
Rico. has received from Captain Barclay
II. Warburton, of the Pennsylvania vol
unteers battalion Of artillery, sworn
statement of the condition of refriger-
| ated beef ON board the transport Mani
toba, which transport was at Ponce
from August 10th to 25th. In the course
of this statement Captain Warburton
says:
II ate of the beef which the transport
Manitoba brought to Porto Rico. II
| was served to the officers mess on the
United States transport Mississippi
| which brought my command back to
| New York. When l say / ate the
meat, / must qualify my statement by
saying that | tried to eat the meat. 1t
| was so bad that it was impossible to
swallow it. In my opinion the meat
| was not good-nor was it fit for issue.
Il had no idea that this meat had
| been subjected to any chemical process
but believed the beef to have decom-
| posed ON account of the lack Of proper
| refrigerating facilities, caused by the
| clogging of the machinery used for that
| purpose on the Manitoba. / was in
| formed by Captain Gates, who was then
in command of the Manitoba, that said
F.. machinery had been clogged with sand
as a result of our having run ashore
| which necessitated the reversing of the
screw, which threw sand into the water
pumps
In reply to your request to give the
board any other evidence or information
! in my possession or knowledge, my an
swer in general is that all beef issued
I, TO my battalion was bad and had to be
! buried Immediately upon delivery at our
| camp which was about two miles be
| yond Ponce, at place called Banos dc
| Quintana, which necessitated its trans
portation | should say a distance of six
| miles from the commissary depot, al
the Playa. One day in question Private
| Hack, of Light Battery G, Pennsyl-
yania volunteer artillery. was sent for
an issue which his captain had been mott
| fed would be issued on the morning OF
| the day on which he was sent. On his
return / met the wagon, and while il
was yet some hundred and fifty yards
I: from US | noticed the most terrible odor