Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-03-24
Subjects Discussed by Major Rob-
inson Of the U. S. Army.
EXPERIENCE WITH BOTH.
First stamped out In sixty Da,.ano
Latter n raiatabic Article The
Filipino iiuiie,-.


= army, who went through the entire
cuban campaign against the spanlah.
II In the city lie left Santiago on the
10Th Of last month ON sick leave and
promptly headed for salt Lake where
he proposes To stay Tor the next two
weeks In the ondcnvor 20 shake on a
touch of malaria that h. contracted NJ
the end Of the campaign.
Nhen seen by "a "NuWa' reporter at
hH room In the Walker House thls
morning he denied the soft impearh-
mcnt that he was Ia this city TO lnyrr.
iisntc the recent smallpox scare at
Fort Douglas.
SMALLPOX" said the major. "oh.
have had enough Of that. I'VE mad
iully aVVp cases pass through our
hands some months agu In the UolrtiIn
district In the province of Santiago. hut
We Naccinatcd the entire population
nol.ns volonH, and within ak weeks we
nag the plague virtually stamped out"
suppose you aamped that afticl.
known as Algcr'H bcwhlskcned rm-
hhlned beef during your aolouru in
tuhat Ncnturcd the pencil shower.
'h, YES ! lived on II practically for
tMu or thrcc months % course We had
other food, but when II came 10 meat
WY we ate the canned beef aud tho re-
How ala II aErcc with your"
nave no Erynt complaint To make
regarding u, IN fact I am afraid 4 can.
NOT ray Just what some people would
NE about the rations."
The major then went on Co state that
canned beef IN hot climate IL hardiy
an hppcuzing morsel II Il better IL
taken out OF the cat and not eaten i'm.
lnciiately. While he was attached 10
thr sccond brigade. First Division,
tue oiiicorn' mess had canned beef Tor
about month once In awhile thsy 70
yelled IN az cpicurcan ntcw that was
made w of beef aud canned vegetables,
such as tomatoca. but tho trouble was
that the officers and men alike wer-.
poorly supplied with cooking utensils.
Later the major stated that he WAS In
chhfgc OF the general hospital where
they used 40 poundn Of rcfrlaoraiivc
beef per day. The beef did not look
absolutely enticing, na u was generally
covered with n Rrccniah mold but after
IL had been cut into 1T waH uwoet
enough"
The army surgeon. who has been In
the service OF tnclc Sam. principally
In this Western country for over TWEEN.
ty.thrcc years. stated that after all was
said and done that the beef he ute In
cuba. ana officers and men shared
alike. was as good n not better than
the usual rationH issued 10 the rcsu-
lars" In fact. At Palma. Soriano. two
companies Of troops used to send down
for the refrigerated beef every night
~ the commander said that they pre-
fcrrcd u 20 tho dubious native beef on
the hoof that they encountered from
time to time.
III II all rot" continued the major.
Tor anyone 10 testify. ~ some have
| done before the commission. that the
Deer tasted as though u had been
chemically treated for matter ~ fact
II impossible 10 detect. BY the palate.
the presence of boralic or salac acid 10
the quantities that would be used. IL
used az all, In treating the beef"
The United States troops were as
wen fed M any troops. I understand
that In the Soudan campaign the Eng
llsh soldiers wcrc fed upon the self
same canned beef. OF course In the In
tfonchmcntH the American troops nuf-
fcred somewhat from the fact that they
did not get full rations-aomctiine on
| ~ half sugar and coffee"
Major nobinAon then went on 10 state
that the whole trouble was caused ow-
INK 10 limited means of transportation
| OF rationa; the packers worked hard.
but wagons were scarce. From tho
tenth 10 twentieth Of july Major Robin
fon was chief surgeon of the Firt di-
/ vision. He stated that during that
| period there was limited RHs0rt-
ment Of medicines but that all the ea.
r-ntinls were present, although they
were short ~ proper food for the sick.
together with Inadequate shelter. Gem
/ cral Shafter gave a Eratultous order 20
/ him 20 obtain soup for the sick troops
but the transports stood 80 FAR ont az
sea that he could not get II, and n Il
had not been for the Red Cross people
who came 90 his aid he stated he would
have been In a temporarily bad ia.
I The Volunteer OflrNfH did not
seem 20 size up the sit
uation. When he wanted
anything for his men he simply took a
/ squad down To the beach and helped
himself and for three or four days he
personally stood upon the quay and
supervised the landing ~ tents for his
sick men. After going into the details
Of the campaign Major Robinson turned
| To the DISPATCHES frum Manila, which
! stated the Fillpinos We're using brass
| coated bullets, He stated that the
I bullet referred 90 was the ordinary 81
| bennington. as used by the spanish,
and that the idea that the bullets
| crroneouac Just ms much as the story
| ~ the Spanlnrds using explosive bul-
let's at Santiago, tho rumor HAVING
originated from the mere fact that q
| nearly spent Mauaer bullet gives forth
cracking sound. similar 90 that which
| small hoy makes with "a torpedo,
| Major Robinson has hcuu ~ Silt Lake
| city several times before. tho ursi oc-
| cnHlon being IN 1874 when hv was sta
toned nt Fort DuchcHne, ilr a. ~ me-
| dium height, wears glasses and n Van
Dyke beard, ~ an interesting talker on
| variety OF subjects since his ar
! rival yesterday afternoon he received a
letter from the war Office ut Washing
/ ton. appointing him 90 report Tor duty
/ nt Fort Reno. Oklahoma IN two weeks