Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-02-23
|. CANNED ROAST s! :. BEEF :.
:" LIKE ''WET SEaWEED"
Colonel Powell Says 1t Was Shiny
and Nauseating and Sickened
Santiago Soldiers,
WAS A MATTER OF COMMON TALK
Bad Quality of the Beef Was freely
Commented On by pflcers--
Refrigerated Beef Was
Generally Good.
WAS A MATTER OF COMMON TALK

Washington, Feb a3.-The session
of the Miles court of inquiry began to.
day with Colonel VIM. H. Powell, OF
the Seventh infantry. He said thu
regiment went through the Santiago
campaign, and after the city was cap.
tured and the regiment entered the
city he received requests from hin
men for money to buy stuff to eat. Ha
investigated the canned roast beef
and had some served at bis own table.
II could not cut ii" he continued. sit
was a strihgy and unwholesome look.
ing mess, more like wet seaweed than
anything else can think of. The men
were sick and dcbilitated and could
not keep it on their stomachs. Soon
afterwards fresh beef began to arrive,
and the men ate it readily and began
to pick up in health. Afterward we
moved out near San Juan battlefield.
Here much of our meat spoiled before
we could get it,"
Colonel Davis inquired if "any other
complaint had been received"
Not in the Habit of kicking.
II would like to emphasize" said
Colonel Powell, "that the enlisted men
of the army are not in the habit of
complaining. They seem to feel i'm .
campaign that the officers are doing
all that can be done for them, and
cannot say there was anything that
gould be termed complaints. The Off
fers discussed the matter freely, and
the quality of the canned beef was IL
matter of common talk"
Regarding the refrigerated beef
Colonel Powell said there was little To
be said against it except that some of
II spoiled before it was received. There
were few facilities for cooking while
in the city and all food had To bt
boiled.
The regiment was very hard worked
while in the city, being ON guard iuty
daily. Some of the men were so sick
That they fell down at their posts and
lad to be brought in. Witness thought
the men would be better off in the
country and he directed. his energies
toward getting them out of town
Father than to reporting the q,fdntye
pf the rations. He tried to get better
quarters and failed and tried to get
medical assistance for his one con,
tract surgeon, but this failed also.
Made No Official Report.
you made no official report at the
time, them" said Colonel Davis, NOR
any effort to ameliorate the condition
of the men as to their meat ration
mo, sir; made no official report till
after returning to the states, when j
was ordered by the war department. to
report on the canned roast beef
Yes, l understand said the re-
ccrder.
Colonel Davis then produced a re-
porr from witness made from Gov
crnor's island September 20, in which
he condemned the canned roast beef,
saying it produced disorders of The
stomach. Colonel Powell said be made
the report on an order from the adju-
tant generals office and it was based
on personal knowledge and reports
from his company commanders.
Colonel Powell reviewed the decrease
| OF sickness after the issue of fresh
beef and the removal of the camp to
the hills. However, he attributed the
sickness more to hygienic causes than
to the food. The fresh beef generally
was wholesome, but was never thor
oughly good when issued in the morn
ing, and often putrid when delivered
late in the afternoon. AT Santiago and
Montauk the refrigerated beef tasted
as il it had come IN contact with chic
reform or kerosene This was notice.
ably true when it was boiled. lie
never entertained the idea that the
| beef had been treated chemically to
| preserve it. From his experience in
the civil war he thought cattle on the
| hoof in Cuba would have been prefer
able to refrigerator beef.
Colonel Albert T. Smith, Fifteenth
infantry, testified that he was at San
tiago from late in July till August s.
during which time refrigerated beef
was furnished. He said it was good
except one day, when it spoiled, hav-
ing been lying in the sun on the dock.
He said very little canned roast beef
was eaten, except in soup. An investi-
cation made in September showed it
had given no satisfaction either in
soup or eaten from the can. He had
no suspicion that either the canned or
refrigerated beef was treated with
chemicals. In general way he would
have chosen beef on the hoof.