The Portland daily press., 1899-03-30
NOTHING STARTLING.
Gen. Eagan Before Inquiry Court
Yesterday.
HE TRIES TO EXPLAIN HIS
PREVIOUS TESTIMONY.

senator Hsnna's Name Brought UP I'm
Connection with Beef Contracts
Major Black Quotes Some Choice
EagaDisms.
Washington, March 29.-Real Admiral
Edwin Stewart, paymaster of the navy
was the first witness before the army in
quiry board today. He stated that canned
roast beef was one of the articles of food
used by the navy and explained in de-
tail the careful inspection that WAS de-
manded by the department regulations
Occasionally the beef when delivered
would be found to be unsatisfactory and
would then be rejected. He estimated
the average purchase Of this character of
food for the navy to be 5000 pounds
per year, the purchase being made through
the New York representative of Armour
& Co., Nelson Morris s. Co., and other
firms. The canned beef was portion of
the regular navy ration and very little
of it was ever condemned.
Major Les asked the admiral for speci-
fioations in the matter of rejections, but
these facts he was unable to give at the
time. Reflections, he said, were always
due to the fact that the grade of the beef
offered was not up to the requirements.
The marines at Guantanamo were sup.
piled with this beef, There had been no
complaint concerning IL to his knowl-
edge.
Paymaster Henry Il. Colty.. assistant
chief of the bureau oil supplies OF the
n "a arfy also fnsiifp1 COnCprn u
the use of canned roast beef in the navy.
He stated that where any question
arose as to the quality of beef 1t was
submitted to chemical analysis. The
navy had found that the canned beef Kept
we'll at sea and in some cases 1t was held
from year to year. Nj Colby had per
sonally inspected cans opened In the
tropics, but the quality did not appear to
be affected by the heat. The meat was
used for making soups and hash and was
well regarded by the men In the navy.
Refrigerated beef had been used by the
navy only since the beginn ng of the
Spanish war. There had been few losses
of thisfbeef. The Celtic had recently ar
rived at San Francisco with teet i'll good
condition that had been in refrigerator
for eight months. Major John ID, Black,
of the subsistence department of the vol
unteer army, who was member of Gen.
Miles's staff in Porto Rico, testified that
1t had been u part of his duty to superin-
tend the landing of stores at Ponce. he
said that many of the vessels had no
manifest and 1t was difficult to locate
the various stores. He was questioned
concerning the appearance In the hnrbor
of Ponce of the steamer Manitoba on Au-
gust 10th with 300,000 pounds of fresh
beef. The vessel remained there for sew
eral days, he said, but no effort was
made to have the betf issued. This WAS
Il 60 ha foe hot mo
orator on shore and no ice could be pro-
cured. Furthermore, the vessel was on
a reef fer four days and the sen was run
ming 50 high that it was dangerous TO ap-
proach 1t.
Major Black said he was aware that a
telegram had been sent from Gen. Miles
on August I'd requesting that no more
fresh beef be shipped. When the Mani
toba returned after an absence of ten
days, at other points the troops vera sup
plying themselves in the interior with
beef on the hoof. Moreover. there had
been no notice that the Manitoba was to
bring beef.
The vessel was sent by Gen. Miles to
other points where the stores could be
moro easily issued to the tr ops, The
officer in charge of the vessel stated that
he had the beef aboard and that he was
fearful that it would spoil because OF
some damage to the refrigeratng plant
while the vessel was on the reef.
Major Black stated that the engineer
volunteers brought fresh beef with them,
but it was spelling when they arrived,
SO that 1t became necessary to corn the
beef Capt. Frederick II. Pomeroy, also
of the volunteer subsistence department,
who was for time Major Blacks asss-
tant at Ponce, gave testimony along the
same lines.
He also told of the return Of the Mani
toba to Ponce after visiting other depart
ments, He was then depot commissary
and he had receipted for II 600 pounds of
which 600o pounds was destroyed. Much
of the beef was covered with greenish
film, but some of the men ate IL each
meal. Still, they generally complained
Of the beef, Much of 1t was found to be
tainted, decomposed and and spoiled. The
beef in this condition was condensed and
buried or thrown into the haroor. AT
this time, fresh native be ( was being re
ceived on the hoof and at many points in
land, native beef was, Capt. Pomeroy
said, still being deli vered.
AT Major Lees request, Capt. Pomeroy
related a conversation with Col. Smith,
who was for time chief commissary and
who had told him that the beef was guar
anteed to keep 70 hours on shore, because
of a process for prese wing 1t. The
Colonel had, however, stated that he did
not know what the process was.
Capt. Pomeroy said that he had handled
$50, 600 pounds Of canned roast beef while
depot commissary, but had great difficult
ty in getting the men to take it.
"They complained" he said, that this
beef was repulsiye in appearance, unap-
petizinc, tasteless and not nutritious"
Not 10 exceed 10 par cent of 1t was
taken. When the men did accept it they
generally threw 1t away. They tried TO
sell this canned beef TO the natives and
succeeded for a time, but not long. AS
a matter of fact the canned roast beef and
also the canned boiled beef sent to Ponce
was of a very little value. The men COM
planned that the meat made them sick.
He also mentioned preserved meat Sc
cured from Kansas City which, he said,
the troops liked. This meat was not
cooked, but he did not know the process
for it's preservation.
Capt. Pomeroy said that the native beef
only gave fair satisfaction. and TINT it
was not as good as the refrigerated beef
under the most favorable circumstances.
Major Black was recalled at the instance
of Major Lee and asked to give the details
of conversation he had had with Gen.
Eagan. Major Black was chief commits
sary on Gen. Miles's staff during the