The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-22

Miles continued to-day the hearing of
testimony bearing upon the contro-
versy. A number of army officers who
participated in the Santiago campaign
were heard. Practically without cx-
ception the officers condemned the
canned roast beef furnished as travel
| ration and reviewed complaints about
| 1T which the men very generally made,
declaring it unpalatable and wanting
in nutriment. On the other hand, re-
| frlSerated beef suffered but little at the
| hands of to-day's witnesses, being gen.
orally conceded to be good when de-
livered from the transports and when
| it escaped the decomposing effect CT
the tropical sun en- route to the several
commands, it was found to be salts
factory. Difficulty in preventing taint
before cooking was experienced gem
orally. There was very little in to-
days testimony pointing to the use of
chemicals on this beef. The contention
of General Miles that the army in Por-
| to Rico and Cuba should have been
supplied with herds of cattle or beef
| on the hoof, instead of refrigerated
beef was supported by every witness
| who to-day gave his opinion upon this
| question. A feature of to-day's exami-
nations was the general assertion of
| witnesses that they would not have felt
| organization to have made any special
report upon the beef had it not been
| for the special orders calling for such
| reports; but rather would have permit
| ted the unsatisfactory ration to pass
| without further notice as an incident to
warfare and to the peculiarly trying
| conditions with which the army was
| confronted. number of officers testi-
| fled to the belief that very small pro-
portion of sickness in Cuba was due to
| the beef or unWholesome rations but
rather to the climate.
The session of the Miles court Of in
| quiry began to-day with Col. w. Fl.
Powell of the 7th infantry on the
| stand. His regiment went through the
Santiago campaign and after the city
was captured he received requests from
his men for money to buy stuff to eat.
He investigated the so-called canned
roast beef and had some of it served at
his own table.
Couldn't Eat 1t.
"Could not eat it," he continued "It
was a stringy, unwholesome-lookin
mass, more like wet SeaWeed than any
thing else l can think of. The men were
sick and debilitated and could not keep
it on their stomachs. We had at that
time 152 sick. Soon after that fresh
beef began to arrive and the men ate
readily and began to pick up in
health"
II would like to emphasize" said Col
| onel Powell, that the enlisted men of
the army are no. in the habit of COM
planning. They seem to feel in cam
paign that the officers are doing all that
can be done for them, and I can't say
that I received anything that could be
termed complaints. The officers dis
cussed the matter freely and the quail
ity of the canned beef was a matter of
common talk"
Regarding the refrigerated beef Col
onel Powell said there was little to be
said against it, except that some of it
spoiled before it was received. There
were no facilities for cooking while in
the city except fire in the gutter and
all food had to be boiled.
you made no official report at the
same time said Colonel Davis. NOR
any effort to ameliorate the condition
of the men as to their meat ration?"
''No, sir. 1 made no official report un-
til after returning to the states, when 1
was ordered by the war department to
report on the canned roast beef"
Colonel Davis then produced report
from witness made from Governors Is
land Sept 20, in which he condemned
the canned roast beef, saying it pro-
duced disorders of the stomach. Col
onel Powell said he had made that re-
port on an order from the adjutant
personal knowledge and reports from
his company commanders.
Tasted Like Kerosene.
Colonel Powell concluded by review
ing the decrease in sickness after the
issue of fresh beef and the removal Of
the camp to the hills. Explaining his
expression, want of nutritive value"
he said the beef gave no pleasure in
eating, nor source of strength to the
body. Replying to another question,
he said he had declared to fellow off,
GERS, either at Santiago or at Montauk,
that the refrigerator beef tasted as
though it had come in contact with
chloroform or kerosene. This was not
true when broiled.
In reply to direct question of Col
onel Davis, the witness said he had
never entertained an idea at Santiago
or at Montauk that the beef had been
treated chemically to preserve it.
Colonel Albert Smith of the 10Th in
fantry, who was at Santiago during
part of the campaign, testified. He said:
THE beef was good, except one day
when it was spoiled l understand that
the beef rad been lying in the sun on
the dock"
Colonel Smith said the investigation
of canned beef made in September shows
ed it had given practically no satisfac-
tion.
Lieutenant Colonel Charles D. Viele
of the 1st cavalry, another of the reg
ular army officers who had been
through the Shafter campaign, followed
with a long recital of his experience
with canned roast beef. He said canned
roast beef was used in the transports
going down, in Cuba and on the re-
turn "trip. He said the beef did not
give satisfaction and some of it was
thrown overheard.
made nc official representation on this
subject while you were IN the field?
Witness-For one reason, that for
long time there was not a sheet of
paper in my command.
Colonel Viele said he did take up the
subject CT beef after the command got
back TO Montauk, and sent out cir