The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-17
IT HAD A bad DOOR
AT TAMPA FOR USE OF AMER
ICAN SOLDIERS
GEN. MILES coRRoBoRATED

Capt. Irvine Testifies before the
War Inquiry Board as to the
"EmbaImed" Beef stOry-Tells
How the Stuff Was Thrown Into
the Sea, and Soldiers Got Along
Without Fresh Meat.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 16.-Gen. c. F.
Humphreys, who was in charge Of the
water transportation at Tampa for
Santiago. was chief quartermaster on
Gen. Miles staff and was with Gen
Shafter prior to Gen. Miles arrival, was
the main witness before the war in
vestigating commission today. Prior
to his appearance Frank E. Vogell,
representing the Nelson Morris Pack
ing company, and vice president Of the
Fairbanks Canning company, testified
that his concern had sold about $780,
s000 worth of canned roast beef to the
government. used at Chickamauga, and
said 1t was all Of good quality No
complaint ever had been made to him,
nor had any beef products of his con-
Germ been chemically treated
Capt. r. j. c. Irvine, Eleventh Unit
ed States infantry. commissary on
the Panama at the time the ship was
in charge Of Surgeon DAILY, who wrote
report on the beef, condemning it in
the most sensational language, testi-
fed that the vessel sailed for Ponce
on Sept. or 2, and on the 7th there was
well marked odor, as if of some
thing that had been closed up" He
said the odor was like that emanating
from dead human body injected with
chemical preserves, as Surgeon Daily
had reported. AS soon as complaint
was made of the beef. he said, it was
examined and found to be very odor-
Gus. The beef was thrown overheard.
The men were then put on the rest
of the ratiors. living without fresh
beef. The witness said the lack of it
was not felt by the men. All the beef
carried was refrigerated beef The ice
taken aboard had not been sufficient to
preserve the beef, "even," as the COM
mission asked. IF it had been received
in good condition" 1t was received,
however in fairly good condition, the
witness said. After the beef was thrown
overheard he thought it must have I'M
dergone some chemical treatment. and
was brought aboard before it was put
on the Ice The board Of survey that
examined the ice condemned it, be-
cause it was spoiled. nothing to any
other effect being adduced. It's report
said that the beef was not received in
good condition and it exonerated Capt.
Irvine from resporsi bility therefor. De-
spite this finding, witness said, he in
sisted that the beef was in fair con-
dition, and fit for immediate use when
received. and it was used for three or
four days. He cited the absence of re-
frigerator facilities on board, and adj
mitted that the beef was not as good
as could have been gotten at a first
class restaurant as it had not the
fresh flavor
CONGESTION AT TAMPA.
Gen. Humphreys. the chief witness
of the day. said the congestion at Tam
to handle their cars.
did you assign the troops in adj
vance of their arrival at Tampa to the
different vessels?" asked Gen. Wilson.
mo. sir"
when these troops came to you were
they then assigned for the first time?''
YES, sir, because that was neceS-
sary."
He said that, under the circum-
stances, the transports at Tampa were
as well fitted out as they could have
been. Each vessel carried its full COM
| plement of ordnance, quartermasters
and commissary stores, In fact all tina
| could be taken. There were ia mule
! wagons and seven ambulances taken.
"Why were no more wagons and
! ambulances taken?" queried Gen. VIII
| son.
Because the vessels were frll," was
! the answer.
would your reply then be lack OF
transportation?'
Il would not like to say that"
All the wagons, said the witness
were landed at Santiago, but all were
not set up. Litters he said, should
have been landed before the battle
| of Ell Caney, because they were regi-
mental, and he believed they must
| have been.
Witness was aboard the Seneca for
| two days and said she looked all right
| to him.
81 know all the people aboard the
| Concho ought not to have been" he
| said, in reply to queries as to passes
! for outsiders to come north on these
| vessels He thought duplicate issu-
ance Of passes for foreign attaches and
others might overcrowd the vessels
and had protested that only one per-
| son should furnish passes. After the
| vessel was turned over to the medical
| department, he said, he had nothing
| to do with these ships.
COMPLAINTS OF TRANSPORTS.
| Asked as to serious complaints that
had been made of improper condition
! of the Seneca. Concho, Breakwater
and the City Of Washington, witness
insisted the responsibility rested with
| the medical department. When the
| Seneca, Iroquois or the City of Wash
| ington sailed for home with the sick,
he said, they had no ice, unless the
Red Cross had a little. The first Ice
| schooner, he said, reached Santiago
| July 3.
| There was a long wrangle over the
responsibility for the loading Of the
transports for the SICK
IF the Concho," asked ex-Goy.
Woodbury., was overcrowded, was it
! because the government had not pro-
vided sufficient transportation, or
through an error Of judgment Of the
medical department.
why, the medical department, GER
| tainly.' replied Gen. Humphreys, en-
| phatically, because there were two
more ships, each as good as the Con-
cho available
Gen. Humphreys resumed his testi-
mony at the afternoon session. Speak
! ing of the Santiago expedition, he said
| it was easy enough now to look back
on things which might have been done
| but there were thousand and one
things which happened which could
| not have been anticipated
| He was closely questioned by DR.
Conner as to the supply of medical
stores and the transportation furnished
| to convey them to the front. Witness
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