The San Francisco call., 1899-04-02
REFRIGERATED BEEF
NOT THE. THING FOR
....-.. /. J. &. TROOPS IN CUBA
But General Eagan Told a Con-
tractor That He Was Com
%. !. =- PEELED to Supply 1t.

t. WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE nih-
+tary court: to.i ':vestigete the beef ques-
:tion held only sone.:session to-day. but
nevertheless :: examined. an unusually
large. number: of';;.wituesses, including
several army: sur geoIIs in charge: of hos
pitfalls: Their. testimony was: generally
to the: effect that they had no~experi=
ence With. canned. beef and. that so far
as. they kneW. :the health Of. their pa
tients. had not. been affected by its use.
= The: court also heard the: testimony
of: Gfeenleaf w. Simpson of Boston,
now. engaged lin furnishing beef on. the
hoof to.the' troops at inland points in
Cuba, who. stated that he had had sew
era1 interviews. With General Eaganl
prtor'fQ the letting Of contracts for the
troops. at Santiago and had urged the
impossihilty of satisfactorily supplying
beef to the Cuban troops in any other
way than on the hnof, or on the block.
While MIR. Simpson was undergoing ex-
animation Major Lee sought to draw
out Information concerning his present
contract, but. was stopped by General
Wadet president of the commission,
who said that this was outside the time
embraced In. the inquiry.
Greenleaf w. Simpson of Boston, pres
ent contractor for supplying beef on the
block in Cuba, who is largely interested
in live cattle, stock yards and refrigera-
tors, stated his experience In connection
with the letting of contracts for supplying
beef during the Spanish war. He had
been prepared to put in bid and pre-
Wious to the opening of the bids had had
a conference with Gen Eagan, who was
personal acquaintance and who had
wired for him to- come to Washington. Mr..
Simpson said he had in 1897 visited Cuba
as "a food commissioner for the United
States. for the purpose of investigating
the. supply Of cattle in that country. He
had Informed the general that he con-
sidered 1t impossible to use refrigerator
beef in Cuba, explaining the conditions
and difficulty. and after the first conver-
sation General Eagan had instructed him
10 remain over one day. The next morn
ing when he called the general had told
him that he must purchase refrigerated
beef for Cuba, but he did not Indicate that
this position was taken at the instance of
any superior officer. He (Mr. Simpson,
had not, therefore, put in a bid. He also
stated that he had more or less talk with.
General Eagan and with the agent of
Armour & Co concerning the use of pre-
serVatives. This question was discussed
in general way with Mr.. Eagan, who
told him that some Investigations were
being conducted in. the South in that di-
reCtion. lie had inferred that the expert
ment was made in the interest of both the
Government and the packers.
Mr. Simpson said that since that tir-o
he had made a bid which had been ac-
to the inland points in Cuba, and that he
was now engaged in that work, securing
his cattle from Texas and Venezuela. He
also stated that ne had had considera Bile
experience In shipping beef abroad, and
that refrigerated beef generally brought
about cents per pound less in the Lon
don market than beef from the live cat
tie shipped over.