Evening star., 1899-04-05
THE BEEF INQUIRY
Testimony Submitted as to Results
of Analytical Tests.
EVIDENCE AS TO ACIDS FOUND
Tilt Between the Recorder and
Counsel for General Miles.
SOME CORRESPONDENCE

SOME CORRESPONDEN ENCE
The army court of inquiry met TINS
morning. The fact that the court mas not
acceded to the request of Major Lee, couh-
sci for Major General Miles, that reports
of 14T Sfficers to the commanding seherdl
of the army be admitted as evidence, Is
regarded as equivalent to denial OF TINS
privilege General Miles wished these Off
GERS called as witnesses by the court, but
that was promptly denied. and Major Lee
then sought to have the reports of these
officers received as evidence. These re-
ports were all made to General Miles.
The first witness placed on the stand TINS
morning was Colonel X. W. Huntington
who was in command of the GOO marines
located at Guantanamo from June lo 10
August > Colonel Huntington had founo
all the supplies of beef furnished his COM
rnand good and had no complaint to make
concerning any portions of it,
Prof Chittenaen's Analysis.
Prof Russell S Chittenden of Yale COL
lege was placed upon the stand and onereo
his report made by request OF the court oii
several samples of roast beef ne had ana
lived with view to determining It's reld
tive nutritive qualities as compared with
fresh beef purchased in ordinary markets.
also to determine whether any substance
was contained in the canned roast peel'
either as preseTvative or for otheF Put
pose likely 20 prove injurious TO healIh'
The report was a long one and gave d de-
tailed account of the methods of investlsa-
ton used in making the analysis.
Samples of canned roast beef examiner
were labeled Prairie City Canning Co. Ar
n1our & Co Wilson Packing CO.. New
York and Armour Canning Co, Cnlcago:
These samples were compared with peel
purchased in the Hartford, Conn., market
The report showed that samples or the
Wilson Packing Co were "conspicuously
different from the other samples in ash or
mineral matter" The purpose Tor Whlcn
this ash or mineral matter was used was
not determined by Prof Chittenden. He
had found no trace of boraCic or salycflic
acid. The excessive mineral matter IN the
samples @. II and 1 from the Wilson Pack
Ing Company seemed to indicate that pre-
servative had been used.
Mai. Lees Request.
Mai. Lee said he wished to have a copy
of the report and to have Prof Chittenden
recalled some other day. 1t was finally ar
ranged that he will again appear before the
court next Tuesday morning for further
examination. After this arrangement a
number of questions were asked the wit
ness. He said that ordinary extract cf beef
contains little of the real nutritive matter.
The nuIritive matter, he said. was the pro-
tein and fat but he said the elements in
the extract of bee might be of the greatest
value by making the meat acceptable as
food and might assist in it's diges stibility.
Ii disagreeable to the eye or nose he
said. we are nauseated and reject it, and
these elements must be considered in a
question of food"
Surgeon Maus' Evidence.
Lieut. Col. l.. NJ. Maus, surgeon of United
States Volunteers. Tth Army Corps was
ar,1t ied no
beef received in Cuba by the troops with
which he was connected. He said as a rule
the refrigerated beef was good. but there
had baen consignments of it that were
spoiled. condemned and thrown away. 1t
was concluded by the medical officers, the
witness said. that after the msn contracted
typhoid and other fevers that the meat or
water had acted on them in such way as
TO weaken the intestinal canals and predis-
pose them 10 such diseases Complaints in
regard to the meat were made during the
first days of the Tth Army Corps in Cuba,
but after that the officers were fully alive
to the Importance of getting good meat and
accepted no other kind. DIR. Maus did not
accompany the first expedition that went
to Cuba with Gen. Shafter.
Found Acid by Analysis.
Dr. Daniel a. Currie of Inglewood. n. j.,
lieutenant colonel of the I'd New Jersey
during the late war. testified. His service
had been at Seagirt and Jacksonville. being
mustered out last November. popularity
of the meat they had at Seagirt was that
it kept we'll and smelled badly. 1t
looked more like salmon. The men ate it
and vomited it. the meat showing no signs
Of having undergone any of the process of
digestion. On another occasion at Jack
SonVille, Fla. men were made sick, and 1t
was given out generally that they were
siCkened by eating watermelons and beer,
but he made an investigation and found
that the men who had eaten watermelon
We're not sick. He traced this sickness to
the meat He had made a chemical test
of the refrigerated beef on two occasions
finding bOTaciC acid on one occasion and
salycilic acid another. The appearance
of the beef caused him to believe that it
had been dipped in preservative fluid of
these acids
Thought Meat Was Tempered With.
Dr. Currie said he told no one of his tests
of the meat. but he did tell the surgeon
and the three assistants that he thought
the meat was being tampered with and
told them il would be well to investigate it.
Il told them he said. Il didn't think the
watermelons, ice cream and lemonade was
making all the sickness.
When asked by Colonel Geo. B. Davis.
the recorder. why he had not reported
further on 1t Lieutenant Colonel Currie
said:
Il told no one in regard to my own tests.
because l had made suggestions on other
occasions and they were very lily received
by the surgeons, and / didn't like to have
the same experience again.
He said the surgeons had told him that
if the men would eat the food given them
and behave themselves they would not get
sick. He had told Col. Hine of the reg
iment that he was satisfied that boracic or
salycilic acid had been used in preserving
the meat. but the colonel said he could di-
gest anything-boracic saIycilic acid or
anything else-and he didn't care anything
about it. He did not tell Col. Hine that he
had found these acids by test.
One day when engaged in building a tar
get range with los men, eighty-four of
them were made sick by eating the meat
The witness had also told Gen. Arnold of
his belief that these acids had been used.
A Tilt Between Counsel.
During the examination of the witness a
tilt occurred between Col. Davis the re-
corder. and Major Lee counsel for Cen
Miles. The witness had been questioned
by the recorder and other members of the
court closely in regard to his failure to re-
he had hy