The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-28

Washington. February 23.-The testi-
mony of Colonel j. F. Weston, who
was at the outbreak OF the war assist
ant commissary general and who now
is the successor of Commissary Gen
eral Charles =. Eagan, together, with
the appearance of General Eagan was
the feature OF today's proceedings OF
the court of inquiry. investigating the
charges of General Miles as TO the beef
supply to the army while In Cuba and
Porto Rico. Each commended that the
canned roast beef was a wholesome
n nutritious component of the army
ration which was furnished the Cuban
and Porto Rican expeditions and too
issue with the regular army officers.
who have criticised il. Regarding the
refrigerated beef, the testimony OF to-
day tended to show that IL was salts
factory.
General Eagan entered into circum-
stances attending the entry into con-
tracts with the beef concerns and will
conclude his testimony tomorrow.
There was little notable In the pro-
ceedings. General Eagan appeared In
full dress uniform, wearing a sword,
greeted the court smilingly and pro-
ceeded to testify. He took issue with
General Miles in regard to beef on the
~ 1SAAo IN e@SN ~ vi Al0oIk
beef to the army, insisting that such
a course was impracticable In Cuba
n especially undesirable in any
country where the animal heat in the
beef could not disappear before cool
ing.
Colonel Weston, in speaking Of the
Ponce preventative process~experiment,
said the commissary department had
nothing whatever officially to do with
1t. Mr.. Edwards, he said, representing
Armour 81 Co., came to him and said
some beef was coming that would be
treated and he asked witness If he
would not put 1t on ship and see how
long it would keep. The beef arrived
and witness asked Mr.. Powell what
had been don to the beef and the lat
ter replied that nothing injurious was
in the treatment. He had furnished
beef for years to Florida hotels and he
believed the beef in question woul
keep s~eventy-two hours, and, IL 50. and
the government would contract the full
process would be explained. Six or
seven quarters were taken aboard.
Some vas in canvas n some not. The
former held out seventy q hours.
while the uncanvassed beef went up
pretty quickly"
Colonel Weston declared emphatically
that the government had no connection
with the experiment, that he merely
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS luo pSek pcOPiG III OD-
served the result of the experiment.
Major Henery Osgood, acting a as
sistant commissary general prior to the
outbreak of the war and subsequently
assigned to duty with General Miles,
accompanying him to and remaining
for some time at Tampa, was also ex-
amined. He said he was at Chicka-
manga, and testified as to the excel
lence Of the refrigerated beef. Going
to Santiago early in August he looked
after the issue OF beef. He explained
/ the contract with Swift * Co. saying
il required the beef to keep seventy
two hours after being takep> from the
ship refrigerator and IL taken from the
concerns refrigerator on shore II should
keep twenty-four hours thereafter
Witness said he had TO use some beef
on the hoof, but It never became firm
n did not compare favorably at all
with h refrigerated beef, nor did II
give such satisfaction.
Responding to General Davis, witness
declared his opinion that many of tho
/ claims OF officers that refrigerated beef
was spoiled were false. The beef, he
said, often appeared offensive where
as. IL a knife were used to cut on the
| outside the best beef you could find
anywhere" would be found. Snap
judgment was taken often on that
beef" the witness declared. He said
| he had never learned whether the beef
actually would keep seventy hours
or not.