The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-03-31
Roosevelt Condemns Canned Roast Beef.
Tells OF the EmbaImed Beef.

- y Not'ihdy
when was the first complaint you
heard of the beef,' asked Colonel
Davis.
MAY answer that in my own
way?' asked the governor.
Certainly"
"Well, it was aboard ship at
Tampa. | saw man, | think his
name was Ash, | know he came
from Kentucky, throwing away
can of the so-called roast beef. l
asked what was the matter, and he
said he could not eat it. told him
not to be baby and that he did not
volunteer for a good time ,and ought
TO be atle to eat what came.
thought no NOR of the matter un-
til | heard that complaints were be-
ing made on all sides. Then
made inquiries, and was told that
the roast beef was part of the regu-
lar ration and that only the volun-
teers were complaining"
II spoke to Colonel Wood about
i and he said it was the regular ra-
ton. ate mouthful or two my
self but did not like it. | could
not eat it. y
"What did the meat look like?"
asked Colontl Davis.
"When the cans were opened
there was covering of slime. 1t
was unattractive, the meat was
stringy and did not agree with the
men who ate it"
Gould you not eat it when serv-
ed with onions and potatoes?"
81 think at that time | could
have eaten my hat if | could have
had onions and potatoes. The
men would have eaten anything
with fresh vegetables. They stew
ed the meat with mangoes md ate
il. Some of the men seemed to
eat the meat without difficulty or
distress, but it was not suitable for
sick or half sick men,
"When did you begin receiving
refrigerated beef" asked Colonel
Davis.
About July -, when ashore
about a month. "
"Were the supplies regular?"
Sometimes we received them
about noon"
"What was their condition when
YOU received them?
"Their condition as rule was
good. The outside was sometimes
bad butt seemed awfully good to
us"
"What was the proportion that
was bad?"
II can't exactly say, but | doubt
if there were more than two or three
issues when the larger part was
bad. !"
Had you reason to believe the
refrigerated beef was treated with
chemicals when you received it?"
81 never thought about it until |
returned home. The meat seemed
good to us. We ate and enjoyed it.
1t did undoubtedly give the men
diarronea." f"
did you hear any complaint"
"Well, | heard that some of the
officers and men thought there was
something wrong with the meat.
None Of us was in very good health
and it took less to upset us than it
would hare at any other time"
"Did you attribute their i'll health
to the rations?"
$50 certain extent | suppose,
yes. When we left Cuba less than
20 per cent. of the brigade was fit
for active service"
"What was issued to the men on
their voyage home as travel ra-
tion?"
"The canned roast beef"
"To what extent was it accept
able?n
at was utterly and hopelessly
unacceptable"
"Was any of it eaten?"
"Some of it was, but it could not
be eaten by the half sick, and the
we'll men did not like it. I"
"When | left Tampa" he said,
"two or three quarters OF beef were
put aboard our ships. | was told
to put it in the shade. | understood
it was specially treated for the trop-
les. 1t did not last and board Of
investigation decided to throw it
overheard. F"
\ "Will you tell, I" asked Major Lee,
"what in your opinion was the value
Of the canned beef issued at Santa
go and elsewhere as an army ra-
. tion?"
~ wish to say unhe.itatingly
that it was utterly unfit and un
wholesome for troops. My exper-
ience proves beyond shadow OF
' doubt Of question, that at its best
/. canned beef was unpalatable, and at