Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-02-25
EAGAN on, ARMY BEEF.
Denies That Anything Was Sent on
Pretense of Experiment.
TELLS COURT OF CONTRACTS
Bays That Reports Received s"o"e"
That the Native Beef Was NOV
Nearly SO Satisfactory A.
Refrigerated Meat.

Washington, Feb. 25.-Former COM
missary General Charles r. Eagah was
| a witness before the court or inquiry
investigating the beef charges. he "ole
| the fatigue uniform of brigadler se"-
eral, Referring to the contract require
ments, he explained that Swift q Co.
| were wholly responsible for the peer uh-
delivered to the government officials az
| the points designated by the depart
ment. The clause requiring beer 10 Keep
u hours after leaving the refrigerator
was inserted, he said, at his instance
after the concerns declared they couid
prepare 1t so as to keep that long. Ex-
planning further, he said:
Suppose a commissary should make
reouisition at Santiago for 10000 POUNDS
Of beef. should secure it from the snip
and take proper care of 1t, retaining IT
in the shade, and 1t should spoil within
70 hours. the contractors would not be
paid for It,"
Many vouchers for beef had been paid,
he said. and he presumed deductions for
spoiled beef had been made, though ne
did not know. He understood through
Colonel Osgood that the beef had been
was sweet and perfectly good
Consulted with Brooke.
Speaking of arrangements for the
Porto Rican expedition, General Eagah
said he understood General Brooke was
to command it, and he accordingly con-
| suited with General Brooke, reaching
| complete and satisfactory understand
| Ing as to refrigerated beef. Subsequent
| ly he learned that General Miles assum-
| ed command, but he never consulted
with him, and he did not know that
| General Miles knew of the beef ar
| rangements.
Replying to Colonel Davis, he said
| that Colonel Sharp, chief commissary
| for that expedition, was furnished some
! thing like $250,0O0 credits on the United
| States, and an offer to send cash was
made, but declined. This statement was
| intended to bear upon General Miles
| statement that funds for purchase OF
| supplies in Porto Rico We're not avail
able.
Canned roast beef was declared by
| commissary officials at Tampa as the
| hest solution of the fresh beef problem
until circumstances were such as would
| admit of the prompt delivery and use Of
refrigerated beef.
ample and complete" declared Cen
! eral Eagan was the authority of the
commissaries in Cuba and Porto Rico
| to purchase beef on the hoof for any
emergencies or at the will of their re-
| spective commanders" Reports receiv
ed, he said. showed that he thought,
| without exception that the native beef
| was not nearly so satisfactory as the
refrigerated beef. The latter tends to
dsplace beef on the hoof wherever both
| are equally available.
As to Experiments.
Were any rations of any kind" ask
| ed Colonel Davis, sent to the troops at
any time as an experimental
Five thousand pounds of the Dole
| beef" responded General Eagan, "a
canned preparation that made a nice
hamburger steak, were sent. 1t found
it's way to Porto Rico, was used, and ev-
erybody was delighted with it. 1t was
very expensive and was not purchased
any further"
He then reviewed the first shipment
of refrigerated beef to Santiago. which
he considered as experimental because
the value Of refrigerated beef had not
then been established finally. Aside
from these, absolutely no other expert
mental shipments We're made, General
Eagan declared with great emphasis.
"On the contrary" he added, Il fought
all the time against it,
''Was anything furnished on the pre-
tense of experiments" asked Colonel
Davis, suggesting General Miles notable
allegation.
RI no oI,,n Nf
penny" replied General Eaean without
indicating consciousness Of the uuery's
suggestiveness.
Processes offered.
General Eagan then said many per-
sons had offered alleged preventative
processes, but he never entertained any
such propositions, and the department
never had any connection whatever
with any method Of preserving beef 9TH
err than the ordinary refrgerating proc
ess. as he understood it. Refrigerated
beef was approved by army physicians.
He said he received on Aug. Cen
eral Miles telegram from Porto Rico
asking that no more refrigerated beef
be sent, as he could secure native cattle,
At that time a cargo of refrigerated
beef was on the Manitoba consigned to
Porto Rico. Freight was paid and It
was allowed to proceed. Had that not
been the case, said General Eagan il
would not have gone. After that no
more was sent to General Miles forces.
Here witness detailed the supplying
of troops in and for the Philippines
canned roast beef being sent. No com
plant had been heard. The Australian
frozen beef was delivered at cents n.
Manila, the government paying 500 per
day while the ship was detained at Ma.
Mia. No mutton was sent. The gov
eminent is now erecting large refrie-
erat ting plant at Manila to avoid the ex.
pense of the ships detention, it being |
the purpose to continue the use Of Aus. |
tralian beef
II would like to say in regard to the |
abuse OF this timed roast beef that
when 1t Is kept in the holds of vessela |
or exposed In the tropical sun the effevt |
is like that of the sun on the best can
ned butter In Arizona. 1t remains per |
fectly good, though it becomes very re-. |
pusive in appearance"
lie said If nothing better could be se
cured it was to be eaten from the can
but only in emergencies, the real inten
ton being to use 1t with condiments ana
with vegetables.
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V0IINt~ NAAAv