The San Francisco call., 1899-03-26
CANNED ROAST
BEEF WAS NOT
FIT FOR FOOD
Roosevelt TellSOf theNauSeatin9
and UnpalatabIe Stuff Sup
piled Troops.

WAS any of it eaten?"
Some of 1t was, but it could not be eat
en- by the half-sick, and the well men did
not like it
Major Lee was about to ask question,
when the Governor interrupted to say he
wished TO speak of the talk of the 'em-
banned beef"
when we left Tampa" he said, two
or three quarters Of the beef were put
aboard our ship. 1 was told to put II in
the shade. l understood 1t was specially
treated for the tropics. 1t did not last.
and board Of INVESTIGATION decided to
throw it overheard.
Can you remember the brands or labels
on the canned roast beef complained of,
either that issued In Cuba or at Mon
tauk?" asked Major Lee,
Il do not think l can. Some were
Swift's and some Armour's, 1 believe
Governor Roosevelt said he had sub
mitted reports regarding rations through
the regular army channels, and again on
September 10. These reports were omitted
from the published records of the War
Department, but were to be printed, so he
said, in the next report.
Major Lee applied to the court to order
copy of Governor RooSeVeltS report
TO be made a part of the minutes of the
the proceedings.
General Wade ruled in compliance with
the motion, and Governor Roosevelt said
that there were some supplementary re-
ports to the report of September 10 which
he considered very important.
They include" he said, "the statements
of two captains, four lteutenants, a sur
geon and Captain Brown of the regular
service"
"Win you tell u.s., asked Major Lee,
what, in your opinion, is the value Of
canned roast beef issued at Cuba and else
where as an army ration|
II wish to say, unheSttatingly, that 1t
was utterly unfit and unwholesome for
troops. My experience proves beyond a
shadow OF doubt or question that at its
best the canned roast beef was unpalat-
able and at its worst it was uneatable
and unwhOleSOme."
No one had any further questions to ask
the Governor and the hearing was closed
The court adjourned to Governors Island
Eugene McAleXander of the Quarter
masters Department, who was on Gen
eral Kent's staff in Cuba, was the first
witness at the Governors Island session.
He said the cans of roast beef when
opened presented gelattnous, whiush
mass, with some fibrous looking meat be-
meath, which looked as if it had been
boiled.
'The majority of the contents of the
cans I saw could not be eaten. The men
refused to eat it." replied the witness.
McAlexander said the greater part Of
the refrigerated meat appeared very
fair. THE men complained they could
eat only a very small portion OF each can
of roast beef, If any at all, ," continued the
witness. Under the conditions that sur
rounded us il was no use 10 complain 1t
could not be bettered. Perhaps six or
pound can was meat.
Sergeant James D. Guthrie, Company D,
Fifteenth Regiment, testified that the
canned roast beef was not Of good odor
and had no nutriment. It became tainted
after the cans had been opened five or ten
minutes. None of it was very good. Only
about eight ounces in each two-pound tin
was eatabIe at all He only ate the meat
once and then it made him sick to vom-
iting AS a rule, the sergeant said, the re-
frigerated beef was good. although per-
haps 20 per cent of 1t was tainted.
Captain NJ B. Saffold said he had only
tried the roast beef once. He was told
that it made the men sick, and he made
ut looked said Captain Saffold. like
boiled meat, with all the strength boiled
out of it and 1t tasted like tal1ow and
water"
HAD you any reason to believe the re-
frigerated beef had been treated with
absolutely none" answered Captain
SaffoId II never thought Of such a thing.
The refrigerated beef, so far as 1 knew
CORPORAL Kelly Of Company B, Thir-
teenth Infantry was the first witness to
saw a good word for the much-abused
canned roast beef. He said: II found no
bad roast beef. 1 thought 1T stringy, and
not eat much of it. l ate it perhaps ff-
teen times. 1t did not look like roast
beef"
The court then adjourned till Monday at
o. m in washington. Lieutenants +.
w Ruger and E. B. GOss. who were to
have testified to-day, will do so in Wash
ingtOn.